Chapter 2. Precious Family Lives

A 17-year-old man was sitting in his living room. His eyes focused on the TV, but his mind was elsewhere. His fingers were busy changing the TV channel he was watching, but nothing caught his eye. He felt anxious because his parents had come home at midnight. He had asked his parents to go with their driver to a party held by one of their business partners, but his father refused. The father reasoned that he wanted to spend time alone with the mother.

His eyes glanced at the luxurious wall clock in the living room. It was 2 a.m., but his parents had yet to come home. He even tried calling his parents’ cell phones, but none answered.

“Esther,” said the young man named Martin De Vanough. He called the only maid in this house. All the maids who worked for the De Vanough family would return to their respective homes when their working hours were over. Esther was the only maid living with the De Vanough family.

Martin De Vanough was the only child of the couple William De Vanough and Susan Hopp. Martin felt it was bold to call Esther at recess. Still, he would feel even more anxious if he didn’t talk to anyone now.

Not long after, Esther came over to Martin. Her eyes looked very sleepy, typical of someone whose sleep was disturbed. Her hair looked disheveled because she suddenly had to get up and meet the young master in his living room. Esther’s room being close to the living room made it easy for the De Vanoughs to summon her if they needed anything.

“What’s wrong, Young Master?” asked the maid, who forced her 100% consciousness to speak to the young master.

“Dad and Mom haven’t come home until now. I’m really worried.”

“Has Young Master called them yet?”

Martin nodded, confirming Esther’s question.

“In that case, Young Master need not worry. Sir and Madam must be on their way home by now.”

“You think so?”

“Of course, sir. I think they might just be stuck in traffic?” Esther sounded unsure of what she was saying.

“Stuck in traffic? It’s already two o’clock in the morning. There can’t be any traffic jams at this early hour.” Martin shook his head when he heard the words from the maid’s mouth that sounded absurd.

“You’d better go back to your room. Sorry I disturbed your sleep.” Esther smiled slightly before returning to her room, leaving Martin, who was still silent in the living room with a cell phone in his hand. The worry that had gripped him was slowly replaced by the drowsiness he had been holding back. Slowly but surely, Martin began to close his eyes and fell asleep on the couch with the phone in his hand.

***

A middle-aged man dashed into the hospital. His arrival was immediately greeted by the doctor who was standing in front of the ICU room. The doctor explained the situation that happened to his son and granddaughter. The middle-aged man would almost fall off his feet if only William didn’t immediately hold him.

The middle-aged man then looked at William, who was still holding him. William then invited the middle-aged man to sit with him and Susan. The middle-aged man’s eyes looked frantic. William and Susan felt asking about Chris and Angela’s relationship with this middle-aged man would be impolite. So they just kept quiet and waited for the middle-aged man to speak.

After silence, the middle-aged man looked at William and Susan. He felt that he recognized William and Susan’s faces. His eyes then shifted to the clothes William and Susan were wearing, stained with Chris and Angela’s blood. The middle-aged man then burst into tears and hugged William. William also patted the middle-aged man’s back lightly, hoping he could calm down his emotions a little.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The man hugged William tightly, channeling his gratitude to William. He then let go of his embrace of William and looked at William’s and Susan’s faces more closely once again.

“Are you William De Vanough?”

William nodded his head when the man asked him about his name.

“You may not know me, but I’ve heard a lot about you. The company you founded is currently being discussed among business people. I saw you several times at business meetings, but I didn’t expect to meet you under these circumstances.” The man held William’s hand.

“Thank you so much for saving my son and my granddaughter. I don’t know what would have happened to them if you weren’t there at that time.”

A doctor came back to the middle-aged man.

“Come with me.” The doctor said.

The middle-aged man then followed the doctor into his room office.

Arrived at the doctor’s room office, a middle-aged man named Dawn GoldenHeart sat down. He listened carefully to what the doctor was explaining. His feelings shattered instantly when he heard the doctor’s explanation. It felt like a giant rock hit his chest at that instant.

“There’s a blood clot in your grandaughter’s brain, and we need to do the operation as soon as possible. So I ask you to sign this consent document.”

The doctor handed Dawn a document. Dawn looked at the document, and without thinking any further, he immediately signed the document submitted by the doctor, who was also his acquaintance. The doctor handled Dawn’s health directly when Dawn checked his health at this hospital. The doctor’s name was Danny Cally. His age was similar to Dawn’s son.

“Your granddaughter may not be 100% conscious after this operation is carried out. The possibility that she will fall into a coma after the operation is very large.” The doctor continued.

“Is there no other way so she can wake up and live normally again?” Dawn’s eyes filled with tears. He tried to hold back his tears. He felt devastated. How could his granddaughter’s life have changed like this in just a few hours?

“If possible, I will definitely give you another way. But this is the only way for her to live.”

“But don’t worry, I’m sure she will fight for her life. And we would help her to recover quickly.”

“What about my son?”

“Your son is in a stable condition at the moment. Luckily, he doesn’t have any internal injuries. However, he suffered fractures in his legs and arms.”

“Thank God, and thank you, Danny.”

“Danny, is Martha, my daughter-in-law, already here?”

The doctor was silent for a moment before finally answering Dawn’s question.

“We’ve taken her to the morgue.”

“Danny, what should I tell Angela when she wakes up? What If she asks about her mother?” Dawn muttered softly. His eyes filled with tears again. He would do it immediately if he could exchange all his money for his daughter-in-law’s life and granddaughter’s health. However, there was nothing he could do but pray to God for everything.

Dawn’s cries made Danny speechless. He couldn’t give Dawn words of encouragement at this time because that would only make him look stupid for not being able to read the situation. Danny just silently watched Dawn until Dawn stopped crying. Dawn finally stopped crying and immediately left Danny’s room office and returned to William and Susan.

“In the future, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” Dawn handed William and Susan his business card and bade farewell to the two of them.

“Once again, thank you so much.” Dawn bowed his head to William and Susan, then walked away from the husband and wife standing in front of the ICU room. They could understand that Dawn must be shocked and saddened by his situation.

“Dawn Goldenheart. CEO of GH Company.” Read William on the black business card that Dawn gave him. William and Susan watched Dawn’s back as he walked away from them.

***

William and Susan then walked to their car and headed home. On the way, they met an ambulance carrying Martha, and they both had to go back to see the vehicle that killed Chris’s wife. Several police cars were seen near the scene, and some of the police were also seen busy managing traffic flow. Susan couldn’t even take her eyes off Chris’ wrecked car.

Along the way, no words came out of the mouths of the husband and wife other than the grip of the hands of the two of them getting tighter. As if strengthening themselves because they had to deal with this tragic incident.