Chapter 217 Everyone's Favorite: The Hospital Is Packed
Chris's right hand—clean, long-fingered, the joints defined—slipped into the pocket of his white coat. He searched for a moment, then brought out a single piece of candy wrapped in glossy red paper, nestled in his palm.
Amelia blinked, caught off guard. The sight pulled her back to a memory—Last time, at the Williams mansion, the day a shattered vase had cut her hand. When they'd returned home, Chris had treated the wound, and just before finishing, he had produced a similar candy and placed it gently in her mouth. She had wondered then how a man with such a cool, almost distant demeanor could carry something so childlike and sweet in his pocket.
"Do you always carry these?" she asked, eyes flicking from the candy to his face.
"When I first started at the hospital, I spent a few months in pediatrics." Chris said, crouching in front of her, his voice steady. "Kids in pain cry, fidget, and refuse to focus. A single piece of candy can distract them, make them feel safer."
He paused, gaze briefly distant. "Back then, I kept a few candies in my pocket every day, just in case. Even after I moved to surgery, I never dropped the habit."
Amelia's lips curved in a faint smile. "So this is for children. I'm seventeen, you know."
Chris lifted his eyes to hers, expression serious. "Amelia, no matter your age, you'll always be the youngest to us."
Her breath caught. His eyes were clear, but there was a rare warmth there, a softness she didn't often see.
"Last time, at the Williams mansion, you cut your hand. Now you've fallen from a horse and fractured your leg," Chris continued. "I've been injured before. I know it hurts. But from the moment I saw you today, you've been telling me you're fine—telling me not to worry, telling Kevin not to worry, even asking me to call him so he wouldn't come."
His voice dropped a register. "Sometimes I think you're stronger than most seventeen-year-old girls should have to be. Whether it was facing danger alone—like when Ryan nearly hurt you with a knife—or now, sitting here with a fracture, you never show weakness. You never ask any of us for comfort or help."
"I've told you before, you don't have to be so composed. If you're hurt, if you're upset, you can say so."
He hesitated, then went on. "Maybe it's because for seventeen years, it was just you and your mother. You had to care for yourself and for her when she was ill. You never had anyone to lean on or indulge you. So you learned to carry everything alone. You became the protector, not the protected."
His voice softened, but there was an undertone of pain. "There's nothing wrong with that... but as your brother, it makes me hurt for you."
He drew a breath, eyes steady on hers. "I hurt for you because you could have been the cherished daughter, the one kept safe, spoiled, free to grow up without worry. Instead, because of what happened, you only came home at seventeen. The truth is... we failed to find you sooner."
"Chris..." Amelia's voice was quiet. She hadn't expected this. Of her five brothers, Chris was the most reserved. He was rarely home, and they hadn't shared many conversations. Now she realized—perhaps it was the quiet ones who noticed the most.
Her other brothers loved her, but they admired her strength. Only Chris seemed to mourn it.
"At first, when I heard I suddenly had a sister and she was coming home, I didn't feel much," Chris admitted, lowering his gaze. "Father's past... a half-sister I'd never met... I thought it didn't concern me."
"I rarely went to the Martinez mansion before you came. Our parents were always away. Kevin was buried in work. Ryan barely came home once a year. Zander and Tobias were still in school. When I did visit, the house was empty except for staff. It felt hollow, lifeless. I avoided it."
He looked at her again. "But after you came... everything changed."
"Kevin started coming home every day, no longer spending nights at the office or his apartment. Ryan—the celebrity, used to be booked year-round and skip holidays. Now, whenever he can, he's here. Zander, who used to stay locked in his room except for meals, has opened up. Tobias has cut back on gaming and started focusing on school."
He leaned closer, voice certain. "All of that... is because of you. You gave us someone to care about."
"I thought we were the ones who would heal you. But I've realized—it's you who's been healing us."
The words struck deep. Amelia felt something soften inside her, her eyes pricking with heat. Every act she'd thought went unnoticed... he had seen.
Human beings, she thought, were richest in the currency of connection. Love, yes—but also the way a family can rescue each other, the rare luck of being both healer and healed.
Chris's shoulders eased, as if letting go of a weight. "I've wanted to say this for a long time. Today, I finally did. I just want you to know—having you as my sister is a gift."
He unwrapped the candy, just as he had that day, and held it to her lips. The sweet, creamy taste spread across her tongue.
"Amelia... we love you," he said softly.
She hadn't expected the first tears she shed in years to come from a few sentences. Chris's fingers brushed them away, cool to the touch.
"Don't cry," he murmured. "If Kevin sees, he'll think I hurt you during the exam. He'll be upset with you and furious with me."
She gave a watery laugh. "Kevin wouldn't scold you."
But she remembered the way Kevin had once shouted at Robert, and thought maybe Chris wasn't entirely wrong.
She assumed only Zander was waiting outside. Maybe Kevin had arrived too. As Chris pushed the wheelchair, they moved toward the door.
When it opened, she froze.
The corridor that had been empty was now crowded. Michael was the first she saw—his dark eyes heavy with concern, as if he might reach for her any second. Beside him stood Kevin in a brown suit, looking as though he'd come straight from a meeting, Ryan still in costume, hair slightly disheveled, Zander tense and watchful, Dorian, Asher, Leroy... even Jenny.
And then, a figure broke through the press of people.
Before she could react, someone was in her arms.
"Amelia... why are you in a wheelchair?" Tobias's voice cracked. He was crying—really crying—in front of everyone.
He had been frantic since hearing the news, arriving at the hospital only to be told she was in the exam room. No one had told him how bad it was. He'd waited, restless, until the door opened and he saw her sitting there. The sight shattered him.
"Is your leg broken? Does it hurt? It must hurt!" His words tumbled out, raw.
Before she could answer, he lifted his head, eyes red and fierce. "I'm going to find that horse and make it pay! If Prestige High School keeps that horse, they'll have to keep me away from it!"