John eventually gave in to my pleas and promised to stop getting into fights with Nick.
Lydia was holding her child tightly as she stood by the window and stared worriedly into the ICU. She was so depressed that she didn’t even notice us coming.
Seeing how terrible she was feeling, I decided not to call out to her and simply stood quietly by her side.
Nick was dressed in an isolation gown as he sat beside Jackson’s bed. I could tell that he was saying something to him as I saw his lips moving, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was. Nick had a gloomy look on his face, but Jackson showed no response whatsoever.
“He’ll wake up.” Lydia’s voice came from beside me all of a sudden.
I turned towards her and saw that her gaze was focused on Nick as she continued, “Jackson never told you why he wanted to leave the country so suddenly, did he?”
She didn’t have to look at me for me to know that question was meant for me. “No, he didn’t.”
“Jackson followed his mom when she remarried into their current family. He had an older brother, and although they were both boys, the treatment they received was very different. Jackson would be blamed for everything his brother did wrong. This child belongs to his brother as well, but that guy is about to get into a marriage of convenience soon, so Jackson was forced to raise the child instead.
I know he likes someone else, but he never talks about it. Every evening, I’d see him smoking a cigarette all by himself beneath the street lamp outside… I suppose we all yearn for the love of our family… He was planning on having the three of us visit you when we returned to the country, but something in him seemed to snap when he got to your doorstep and saw your guests…”
She was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, followed by Nick screaming anxiously, “Doctor! Doctor!”
Standing outside the ICU and watching the doctors and nurses desperately try to rescue someone produced a feeling of helplessness that could only be understood by those experiencing it firsthand.
Jackson didn’t wake up, but his vital signs did return to normal. The doctors said his condition had stabilized, but there was no telling when he would wake up. It could take a few days or even a few months.
The sky was dark by the time I picked Summer up on our way home, and the drive home was a smooth one with John escorting us.
Back at the Stovall residence, I saw Hunter and Louis having a conversation in the living room. Summer had always liked Louis for how friendly and gentle he was and threw herself at him the moment she saw him. “Grandpa!”
“If Summer calls the both of us ‘grandpa’, does that make us equals?” Louis said with a chuckle.
Emery sure has insights… Hunter is of a similar same age as us, so it would be more appropriate to have Summer call him ‘uncle’ instead.
“Where’s Emery? Why isn’t she here with you?” I tried to change the topic as I sat down.
“I think she was having a gathering with her besties or something, so she won’t be leaving anytime soon. Besides, the stuff that Mr. Stovall and I talk about would probably bore her to death anyway,” Hunter replied casually.
Louis seemed to admire him a lot as he chimed in, “Hunter’s a very capable guy. I had been carrying out patrols throughout the past few days, but thanks to his suggestions, I was able to come back sooner and take a few days off!”
Hunter responded by nodding with a humble smile on his face.
“I know Emery doesn’t mind, but what about you, Professor Zane? How are you able to cope with not seeing her for so long?” I tried teasing him playfully, but he just smiled shyly at me without saying a word.
I felt like something wasn’t right somewhere, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Seeing as Louis and Hunter still had work to discuss, I brought Summer upstairs to get some rest instead.
As the conflict between Ashton and Ezra came to a temporary halt while they prepared for their next course of action, K City was able to regain a moment of peace.
