Chapter 169 Rift
When they came downstairs, Lance's car arrived too. He pushed the door open and came in. Seeing Arthur there, his brow furrowed slightly, but he walked to Aria's side first and asked in a low voice, "What happened? How did he suddenly have an allergic reaction?"
"Let's go to the hospital first. Arthur contacted the emergency room."
Aria's voice softened a bit. With Lance, she was ultimately less sharp than she was with Arthur.
Lance glanced at Arthur but said nothing. He just walked to the other side, helped Aria into Arthur's car, then drove his own car following behind.
Inside the car, the atmosphere remained heavy.
Aria held Jasper, lowering her head to gently comfort him, her fingertips brushing away the hair from his forehead.
Arthur sat in the passenger seat, watching the mother and son through the rearview mirror, his eyes full of concern, but he didn't dare say much, afraid of annoying her. He only said quietly to the driver, "Drive faster."
His phone vibrated. It was a message from his subordinates, asking whether to investigate the source of the kindergarten allergy and whether to pursue responsibility.
Arthur replied with two words.
[Thorough investigation.]
He not only wanted to find out the cause of this allergic reaction, but also wanted to completely eliminate all potential dangers that could harm Aria and Jasper.
The car pulled into the children's hospital. The driver had called the emergency doctor early on, and as soon as the car stopped, a nurse was waiting at the entrance with a wheelchair.
Arthur got out first, reaching out to take Jasper, but saw Aria holding the child and bending down to get out herself. Though her movements were hurried, she still deliberately avoided his touch.
His hand froze in mid-air, and he eventually pulled it back. Instead, he quickly stepped forward to communicate with the nurse, rapidly explaining Jasper's condition.
The doctor took the child from Aria's arms, placed him in the wheelchair, and rushed toward the emergency room with several people following closely behind.
In the examination room, the doctor quickly examined Jasper, lightly touching the red rash, and asked about what he'd been exposed to at kindergarten. Soon, the doctor reached a conclusion: "Acute contact allergy, combined with a mild stress reaction. Good thing you brought him in time - it didn't cause respiratory swelling. We'll give him an anti-allergy shot first, then prescribe some topical ointment and oral medication. In a bit, go with the nurse to test for allergens to see what caused the reaction. After that, avoid the allergen, eat light foods, and rest for two days."
With that, the doctor lowered his head to write the prescription, and the nurse took the form to bring Jasper to the injection room.
When Jasper heard he needed a shot, his little body immediately shrank into Aria's arms. His small hands clutched her collar tightly, and with tears in his eyes, he cried, "Mommy, no shot, I'm scared."
"Jasper, be good. After the shot, it won't itch anymore. Mommy will be with you, okay?"
Aria crouched down, gently wiping away the child's tears, her voice as soft as possible, her fingertips patting his back to comfort him.
Arthur stood to the side, watching Jasper trembling, his heart tightening. He slowly walked over and pulled out a fruit candy from his pocket.
Ever since he'd spent time with Jasper last time, he knew some of his preferences, so he'd been carrying these candies with him.
He held it out to Jasper, his voice gentler than ever before, "Jasper, eat the candy, and the shot won't hurt. I'll be with you."
Jasper looked up, glancing at him timidly, then turned to look at Aria, his small hand clutching her clothes, not daring to take it.
Aria's expression darkened. She looked up at Arthur, her tone clearly distant, "You don't need to bother. I can handle it myself."
With that, she picked up Jasper and followed the nurse to the injection room, never looking at Arthur again throughout.
The dinosaur candy was left hanging in mid-air. Arthur held the wrapper, his knuckles turning slightly white. Only after the wrapper was crumpled did he slowly pull back his hand, the loneliness in his eyes too thick to dissolve.
Ever since the scare at the amusement park last time, the distance he'd worked so hard to close seemed to have returned to square one overnight, leaving him at a loss.
Arthur took a deep breath and said nothing, then stepped forward to follow, standing outside the injection room, watching through the glass.
Aria was half-crouching on the ground, holding Jasper in her arms, covering his eyes, constantly whispering comfort in his ear. When the needle pierced his arm, the little guy let out a muffled groan and tears fell, but he stubbornly didn't cry out loud.
Arthur watched the scene, his fingertips clenched tight, wishing he could be the one suffering inside.
After the shot, the nurse put a Peppa Pig band-aid on Jasper. The little guy touched the band-aid, his emotions finally settling a bit. He leaned against Aria, his eyelids drooping, listless.
The pharmacy had already been secured by Arthur's people. As soon as the medicine was ready, it was brought over.
He took the medicine bag, carefully reading the instructions on the boxes, then walked to the doctor to ask detailed questions about dosage, dietary restrictions, and even the child's meal combinations during the allergy period, afraid to miss the slightest detail.
Aria stood to the side holding Jasper, watching him ask questions so seriously. The coldness in her eyes loosened slightly, but she still said nothing.
She had to admit that Arthur's attentiveness had reduced much of her panic.
After Arthur finished asking all the details, recording the doctor's instructions word for word in his phone, he held out the medicine bag to Aria, his fingertips suspended in mid-air, not daring to touch her hand. "The medicine is all here. Apply the topical ointment once in the morning and evening, take the oral medicine after meals. I'll send you the dietary restrictions and precautions the doctor mentioned on WhatsApp."
Aria didn't take it and didn't look at him. She only said to Lance beside her, "Lance, help me take it."
Lance responded and took the medicine bag. Arthur's hand froze in place, and the message he'd just edited on his phone was ultimately not sent.
He watched Aria carry Jasper outside, her steps hurried, as if deliberately avoiding him. His chest felt blocked by something, painfully stuffy.
He quickly followed, his voice carrying a trace of urgency, "Aria, let me take you back. Jasper isn't feeling well right now, it's not safe in the car."
"No need."
Aria didn't look back. "Lance will take us. You do your thing."
At the hospital entrance, Lance's car had already pulled up. The driver got out and opened the door. Aria bent down and got in with Jasper. Lance followed behind. Before getting in, he looked back at Arthur but ultimately said nothing, just gently closed the car door.
The car slowly drove away. Arthur stood in place, watching the taillights disappear from view before slowly looking away.
He took out his phone and sent a message to the security he'd arranged at Aria's residence.
[Guard the place well, report on Jasper's condition at any time. Also, remove all allergens from the kindergarten and thoroughly investigate the facility's safety management.]
After sending the message, he opened his WhatsApp conversation with Aria. He looked at the medication instructions in the text box, deleting and revising, revising and deleting. In the end, he only sent one line: [If Jasper feels unwell, call me anytime. I'm available 24/7.]
The message went out and sank like a stone, with no response at all.