Benjamin’s eyes were defiant, but his gaze couldn’t help but drift toward the stands.
That was just insane!
How did the ball end up hitting her like that?
Wendy had been struck hard, and blood was pouring out. Her clothes were covered in it.
Caitlin was trying to help stop the bleeding, pressing her hands to Wendy’s nose. She and Molly were helping Wendy out of the stands.
Simon jumped over the barrier, running up to them. “How’s Wendy?”
“She’s still bleeding!” Caitlin said as she looked at Wendy, whose eyes rolled back and suddenly collapsed.
“She passed out, we need to take her to the hospital!” Caitlin shouted.
“I’ll carry her!” Simon said, rushing forward to lift Wendy and dash outside.
Caitlin and Molly followed quickly behind.
The group left the gym and got into Simon’s car, speeding off toward the hospital.
Benjamin’s team had dispersed. Sebastian walked over to him. “Ben, what happened just now?”
“I don’t know! My hand just slipped!” Benjamin was feeling miserable. He hadn’t meant to hurt the girl.
Sebastian wasn’t aware of the history between Benjamin and Wendy, but he suggested, “You should come with me to check on her. You’ll need to pay for the medical expenses.”
“I know!” Benjamin muttered, looking like a child who had made a mistake. He followed Sebastian out.
Sebastian first dropped off Zora and Patricia at The Harris Family. Although he hated leaving Patricia, he knew he’d have to fight with Caitlin to get her back through legal means if they ever wanted to be a family again.
Before that, though, he still had to talk to Caitlin about the paternity test.
Sebastian took Benjamin to the hospital, where they met Caitlin and Molly.
“Is Wendy okay?” Sebastian asked.
Caitlin glanced at the two men. “The doctor’s taking her for a CT scan, and there’s a possibility of a concussion.”
Molly couldn’t hold back, “Benjamin, it was you, right? I saw you throw the ball at her. Why did you do that?”
Caitlin’s tone was cold. “Benjamin, why did you throw the ball at my friend? What’s your problem with her?”
“….” Benjamin scratched his head, unsure how to answer.
“Is it because she once touched you when she was drunk?” Caitlin raised an eyebrow.
“No! Absolutely not! I didn’t mean to!” Benjamin was now awkwardly explaining.
“Well, it certainly seems like you did mean it. If something happens to Wendy, you’re going to have to take responsibility!” Caitlin warned sharply.
Not long after, Wendy came back from the CT scan and was admitted to a hospital room.
Simon walked in, holding the scan results. When he saw Benjamin, his expression darkened. He stormed over.
“Benjamin! You still dare to show your face here? Look what you’ve done to Wendy!”
Simon looked like he was about to throw punches. Caitlin quickly stepped in to stop him. “Calm down, Simon. How is she?”
“Moderate concussion, broken nose!” Simon handed the scan results to Caitlin, then stormed back to Benjamin, grabbing him by the shirt. “Wendy came here to watch me play, and you hit her with a ball? What’s your game? If you don’t like me, challenge me one-on-one! What kind of man attacks a woman?”
Simon assumed this was about some kind of tension from their past basketball games, and that Benjamin might have done this in retaliation.
“Don’t do anything rash! Let’s talk this out!” Caitlin and Sebastian tried to separate the two.
“Benjamin, no matter what, you should apologize.” Caitlin reminded him.
“That’s right, apologize!” Sebastian urged.
Benjamin had never been in a situation like this before and had no choice but to admit his mistake.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt the fat guy… I mean, Wendy. I’m sorry. I’ll pay for all her medical bills.” Benjamin apologized awkwardly, Simon glaring at him.
Caitlin intervened, “Since Benjamin has apologized, let’s let it go. The medical bills will be on him. If there are any long-term effects, he’s responsible. He can’t run away from it.”
If it weren’t for Caitlin, Simon wouldn’t have let Benjamin off the hook so easily.
Caitlin then grabbed the payment slip from Simon’s hand and handed it to Benjamin. “Benjamin, take this and go pay for the bills. Now.”
Benjamin took the slip, his face grim, and left the room in silence.
With that, the situation settled down. Sebastian turned to Caitlin. “Caitlin, I’ll go with Ben to settle the payment. You come find me afterward.”
“Got it.”
Once they left, Caitlin turned back to the bed where Wendy lay. The girl’s nose was bandaged, but she hadn’t regained consciousness.
“Don’t worry too much, Wendy will be fine,” Caitlin said soothingly. “We’ll keep an eye on her. Why don’t you go wash up and change into fresh clothes?”
Simon was still in his basketball gear, bloodstains all over his shirt, which wasn’t really appropriate for staying at the hospital.
“Alright, I’ll go change in the office. Can you keep an eye on Wendy while I’m gone?”
“Don’t worry, I’m here! I’ll take care of Wendy!” Molly volunteered eagerly, treating herself as part of the family.
After spending some time in the room, Caitlin said, “Molly, keep an eye on Wendy for me. I’m going to speak with Sebastian about something.”
“Sure! Take your time, don’t rush back!” Molly was all for Caitlin talking to her brother.
As Caitlin walked out of the room, scrolling through her phone, she passed by another hospital room where the door opened. Scott stepped out, and it was clear from his expression how he felt about seeing her.
“Caitlin! You still dare to come here?” Scott’s voice was full of anger.
Caitlin stopped, glancing up to see Scott standing there. Her expression was blank. “This isn’t your hospital, why can’t I be here?”
“Look at what you’ve done to Jasmine!” Scott pointed to the room behind him.
Caitlin glanced inside. She could see Jasmine lying in bed, her head wrapped in bandages. The injury was serious.
“Do you know that Jasmine had 13 stitches in her face? You’ve ruined her looks! How is she going to live her life now?” Scott shouted angrily.
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it? Now’s the time to see if your love is real. If you love her, marry her, and take care of her for the rest of her life.” Caitlin said with a wry smile.
Scott’s face darkened. He didn’t even know if he had the courage to marry someone disfigured, especially when part of her chest had been removed.
“You… you’re avoiding the real issue. You’re the one who caused her to get hurt. You need to take responsibility!”
“And if I don’t?” Caitlin asked calmly.
“Then don’t blame me for what happens next! Just wait, I’ll show you what I’ll do to you!” Scott finally found a valid reason to lash out at Caitlin.
“You dare lay a hand on me? You want to end up in the ER?” Caitlin shot back, her voice cold.
“I don’t believe it!” Scott snarled, and without warning, he swung a punch at Caitlin’s face.