Before the accident, no one knew that an accident would happen.
Micah didn’t want Hattie to know that he was in the hospital after the car accident, fearing it would upset her. But how could he keep it a secret? The hospital couldn’t keep it from her either.
In the quiet hallway, Hattie’s cries of distress echoed.
The bouquet of flowers was in front of her, the flowers were shattered, but the fragrance lingered in her nose. She could hardly breathe.
Opening her eyes again, Hattie’s eyes were red and tear-stained. She trembled as she reached for the rose in the little girl’s hands, feeling the blood on the wrapping paper, Micah’s blood.
What was Micah’s state of mind when he held this bouquet? Was he eager to bring it to her?
Did he want to put it in a vase on the dining table, so that the next day the students would see it as soon as they came in?
Hattie leaned against the cold wall, the little girl was taken away by her family, and it was Micah’s student who stayed with Hattie.
As Micah was being treated inside, Hattie stood outside, enduring the cold for as long as Micah was inside. Her legs hurt, the pain relief patches on her joints had lost their effectiveness, and the heating pad was no longer warm. Her legs felt like rusty parts, and every movement caused pain. She could still feel the pain, but it didn’t feel like her own legs.
Micah was in the emergency room for four hours, and as the day turned dark, the lights in the emergency room went out. Micah was wheeled out, and Hattie staggered to catch up, each step a struggle as she walked in front of Micah.
The doctor said, “He’s alive, but the situation isn’t good.”
Someone nearby quickly supported Hattie. If not for that support, she would have collapsed.
The doctor didn’t want to upset the elderly woman, so they didn’t directly convey the news. After Micah was taken to the observation room, the doctor explained the situation to the young people in detail.
The students looked at each other, their faces filled with concern, not knowing how to tell Hattie.
Micah slept for two days, and Hattie stayed with him for two days. If the students hadn’t advised her to take care of herself and brought her food to eat, Hattie would have stayed by Micah’s side without eating or drinking.
Two days were enough for Hattie to calm down. In just over forty hours, her hair had turned a little whiter.
“Master Hattie, Master Micah still isn’t well. Please don’t make yourself sick as well…”
Hattie blinked her dry eyes. “Jiang Weny, tell me about Micah’s condition in full. I am his wife, I have the right to know what the doctor told you.”
She knew the doctor and the students were all worried about her, which is why they didn’t tell her directly about Micah’s condition. But she couldn’t keep not knowing, and she couldn’t keep deceiving herself that Micah was okay.
“Teacher, he…” Jiang Weny couldn’t find the right words. However, just mentioning Micah made her nose tingle and her eyes turn red. “The doctor said it’s a stroke, and he’s paralyzed. He’ll be bedridden from now on…”
As a doctor, Hattie had considered the high probability of an elderly person like Micah getting a stroke. But when she heard Jiang Weny say the result out loud, her mind swayed, as if her soul had left her body. She couldn’t come back to her senses for a long time.
“Master Hattie…”
“I’m fine.” Hattie quivered and wiped her tears. “I understand. You can go back. I’ll be fine on my own here.”
“How can I leave you alone…”
“Jiang Weny, I want some time alone.” Hattie interrupted her before she could finish, her face looking old and exhausted. In a single breath, she seemed to have aged five years.
“Okay, I understand.”
The door closed gently behind them, and Hattie held Micah’s hand.
She couldn’t understand how Micah, who had promised to take care of her for a lifetime, ended up lying in a hospital bed before her.
Micah missed his birthday; it was the third day when he finally woke up. The weather was good that day, with bright sunshine and clear skies. Overnight, the bougainvillea in the hospital bloomed, attracting many people to take pictures.
The bougainvillea at the hospital was renowned for its beauty. When it was in bloom, its vibrant and flamboyant bracts were a sight to behold.
As he opened his eyes, the light was somewhat dazzling, and he saw Hattie, tired and worn out, by his bedside.
He wanted to call out to her, to say “Hattie,” just those two simple words. But even such a simple word, the name he had called for a lifetime, he couldn’t say it clearly anymore.
He was paralyzed, not just in movement, but in speech as well.
Hattie looked at Micah waking up, wanting to embrace him, but with tubes all over his body, she didn’t know where to start.
Hattie held Micah’s hand. “I received your flowers, the champagne roses, they are beautiful. I really like them…”
Micah tried to speak, but no words came out. His mouth contorted, and even the simple movement of opening and closing his mouth was incomprehensible. Tears rolled down his eyes.
Hattie held his hand tightly, but he couldn’t even feel if her hand was warm or cold.
Looking into Micah’s eyes, she understood from his expression. He was calling out her name, he was saying sorry.
…
Often, strong people are more fragile than ordinary people when they lose their armor. Micah’s armor was once his white coat, and later, it became Hattie.
There was no cure for full-body paralysis caused by a stroke. There were only two outcomes, a painful death or euthanasia.