Chapter 267
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Harold stepped into his room. Alex stood in the hallway, gripping the promissory note, lost in thought. His eyes landed on the crutch beside Harold, and he recalled how the village woman had called him a “cripple“.
Alex walked towards Harold’s room. He lowered his head in respect, and said, “Mr. Thompson, I really came to apologize. I was a fool last time, and I promise it won’t happen again.”
Alex stood at the door for a long time, but Harold did not answer. As thunder rumbled outside, Alex realized he needed to help Joanna cover the chicken coop with a tarp.
“It’s thundering, you should go back,” Joanna said, busy with her hands and urging Alex to leave.
After they finished, Joanna stepped back inside while Alex lingered outside, staring at the old wooden door for a long while. It wasn’t until raindrops started to fall on his head, soaking his forehead, that he sprang into action.
Alex settled into the driver’s seat, resting his arm on the window, a cigarette pinched between his fingers. He kept this position until deep into the night.
+5
The small village, battered by heavy rain, was eerily quiet. Darkness surrounded everything, with only the continuous sound of rain breaking the silence. The surrounding stillness felt unsettling.
Alex’s eyes burned from tiredness, yet sleep continued to evade him. Checking his phone, he saw it was two in the morning. He leaned his seat back, getting ready to rest for a moment when the wooden door creaked open, and Joanna came out.
“Mrs. Thompson,” Alex said, surprised to see Joanna outside in the rain at that hour.
To her surprise, Joanna noticed he hadn’t left yet. “What are you doing here in this storm? Go home,” she exclaimed and pushed past Alex to knock on the neighbor’s door.
“Mrs. Thompson, why do you need a car?” When Alex heard Joanna was planning to borrow a car from the neighbor in the middle of the night, he took off his coat to shield her from the rain.
The front door opened, revealing an elderly man in a raincoat. “I need to borrow your car again; I’m taking Harold to the hospital,” Joanna explained.
When the neighbor said his car was still broken, Alex grabbed Joanna’s hand and pulled her back. “Mrs. Thompson, I will drive Mr. Thompson to the hospital.”
Reluctantly, Joanna agreed. After a night of relentless rain, Alex struggled for several minutes, but the car tires spun uselessly in the mud.
Frustrated, Alex got out of the car and squatted in front of Harold. “Mr. Thompson, I will carry you.”
Harold pushed him away and tried to pull back. Without thinking, Alex grabbed Harold’s arm and lifted him onto his back. “Mrs. Thompson, lead the way.”
“Put him down. It’s over an hour on foot,” Joanna protested.
“I can manage.” In the dark of the night, Alex carried Harold, whose body was wrapped in a raincoat, while Joanna walked beside them for support. The three of them trudged through the pouring rain, navigating both mud and water towards the hospital.
This was the closest he had ever been to Ellie’s parents. Carrying Harold felt like carrying his own dad. Soaked to the skin, with muddy water filling his shoes and his pants covered in dirt, he pressed on urgently, eager to reach the hospital.
08:56 Be, 11 feb
Chapter 267
4.95%
Hours later, dawn broke. The heavy rain had turned into a steady downpour but showed no signs of stopping. Harold was admitted to a hospital ward, and due to limited medical resources, the doctor gave him a quick examination.
It seemed he had a minor concussion from a fall into a pigpen, which had worsened his existing illness and caused him to vomit and lose consciousnCAS.
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