Garrison Reeves was deeply concerned that Winifred Dawson would continue to be like this, but the only thing worth celebrating was that Winifred Dawson was no longer as afraid of him as she was at the beginning.
She slowly shifted her gaze towards him, looking at his hands, his face, gradually meeting his eyes.
At first, she would dodge, but later, with each reassurance from Garrison Reeves, she let down her guard.
Though she didn’t speak and appeared numb, she knew in her heart that the person before her was kind and wouldn’t harm her.
She couldn’t understand why she had become like this, as if she had forgotten how to be human in an instant. She couldn’t speak and couldn’t even eat properly.
She still had a crazed desire to eat, like a wild beast. When the food arrived, she would snatch it away, not even bothering to use chopsticks and instead grabbing it with her hands.
Garrison Reeves tried to teach her, but Winifred Dawson fiercely scratched him like a protective dog, leaving red marks on his hand.
After realizing that she had hurt someone, Winifred Dawson felt fear belatedly. She didn’t want the bowl in her hand anymore and threw it away. Then she curled up by the edge of the bed, holding her head and looking at Garrison Reeves with fear and vigilance, as if afraid he would come over and hit her.
It was just a superficial scratch that didn’t draw blood. It didn’t hurt Garrison Reeves much; he didn’t feel any pain from the superficial wound.
He forced a smile and comforted Winifred Dawson, “I’m fine. Look, there’s no blood. It’s just a little red mark. It doesn’t hurt at all. It was my mistake to take your bowl without your permission. Don’t be afraid; I won’t hit you…”
Garrison Reeves’ voice sounded hoarse, and his smile on his face was forced. When he looked at Winifred Dawson, one could clearly sense his sadness.
Winifred Dawson’s tense expression eased a little, but she still kept her hands around her head. She would glance at Garrison Reeves from time to time and then look at the bowl on the bed.
Garrison Reeves reached out to pick up the bowl. This time Winifred Dawson didn’t try to snatch it away but kept her gaze fixed on his hand.
The food spilled onto the bed; they would have to call the nurse to change it later. Garrison Reeves quickly cleaned it up with tissue paper and then grabbed a clean bowl and filled it with rice and vegetables.
He slowly approached Winifred Dawson. She didn’t hide, but it was evident that she was nervous.
As she looked at the bowl brought over by Garrison Reeves, she wanted to reach out and take it. Her hand stretched out but then retracted. Her hands were clenched in her chest as she cautiously watched Garrison Reeves with pleading eyes.
Garrison Reeves held the spoon and scooped some rice and vegetables, blowing on it gently. “I’ll feed you. Open your mouth…”
The spoon slowly approached Winifred Dawson while Garrison Reeves patiently waited for her to open her mouth.
Winifred Dawson hesitated for a moment before tentatively opening her mouth and slowly leaning in. The rice and vegetables from the spoon were fed into her mouth; they were fragrant and warm. She felt like she hadn’t eaten such delicious food in a long time; saliva flooded her mouth, which she suppressed along with the urge to use her hands.
While patiently feeding her, Garrison Reeves taught her, “When eating, you should eat like this properly. Take your time; no one will snatch it away from you or let you go hungry. Do you understand?”
Winifred Dawson nodded vaguely as if understanding but hadn’t swallowed the food yet. She opened her mouth again as if asking for more while eagerly looking at the bowl in Garrison Reeves’ hand like a baby bird.
Instead of continuing to feed her because of her pitiful gaze, Garrison Reeves said patiently, “Finish chewing and swallowing what’s in your mouth before taking another bite.”
In Garrison Reeves’ “feeding,” Winifred Dawson gradually became less afraid of him. She knew that this person wouldn’t harm her; he even gave her delicious food. She began to rely on him and did whatever he told her to do.
Like a child just learning how to speak and act, after swallowing what was in her mouth, she opened her mouth again for Garrison Reeves to feed her.
Watching Winifred Dawson become more obedient, emotionally stable, and eating properly made Garrison Reeves feel relieved.
Everything will be fine; that’s what Garrison Reeves thought.
He would slowly teach Winifred Dawson to “grow up” and become a normal person. Although they couldn’t go back to the past, life still had to move forward.
After feeding her a bowl of food, Garrison Reeves put away the bowl and spoon.
Winifred Dawson made a sound of dissatisfaction while still staring at the thermos lunchbox as if she wanted more food.
Garrison Reeves softly said, “You can’t eat anymore; you’re already full. Eating too much will make your stomach ache and cause indigestion.”
Winifred Dawson shook her head but immediately burped after shaking it.
Garrison Reeves smiled and said, “See? Are you full now?”
Winifred Dawson stared blankly at Garrison Reeves and licked her lips.
Garrison Reeves sighed and looked at Winifred Dawson like a child; his heartache intensified.
He took out a tissue paper intending to wipe Winifred Dawson’s mouth.
The sudden movement startled Winifred Dawson; panic flashed in her eyes as she moved backward with protective hands-one hand guarding her chest while the other held onto her head.
The more terrified she appeared like this, the more it proved how much suffering she had endured over these five years.
Garrison Reeves felt his eyes sting; his breathing became heavy as his eyes turned bloodshot with shattered light inside them.
Seemingly sensing Garrison Reeves’ profound sadness, Winifred Dawson slowly lowered her hands but still didn’t dare approach him proactively.
Garrison Reeves spoke with a trembling voice, “Don’t be afraid; I’ll wipe your mouth because there’s dirt on the corners.”
Winifred Dawson bit down on her lower lip as Garrison Reeves cautiously leaned closer this time. She didn’t dodge but allowed him to gently wipe the corners of her mouth with the tissue paper.
The tissue paper became damp from tears shed by Winifred Dawson-her vacant eyes widened as tears poured out uncontrollably. She didn’t understand why she was crying; she just looked at the man before her feeling inexplicably sad.
He was so gentle… so kind…
Her heart felt empty as if something was missing within it. But as this man approached closer, something seemed… gradually filling up that emptiness inside of her.
It had been so long since anyone had treated her so well that she had forgotten what tenderness felt like.
Winifred Dawson cried silently for a long time; this man would get anxious because of her tears while comforting her softly.
Garrison Reeves encouraged her to cry out all the grievances and pain in order to alleviate the discomfort inside of herself that couldn’t be relieved by suppressing it alone through crying. From silent weeping to sobbing choked with tears until finally covering her face while crying out loud-she cried until exhausted within such indulgence for not too long.
Winifred Dawson curled up with bent legs while holding onto her knees; there were also injuries on her feet-half of her right big toe was missing-making both feet look very unusual.