Chapter 283: Return to Hometown
Chapter 283: Return to Hometown
Zoey froze for a long time before slowly crouching down, hugging her knees, and breaking into sobs.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tent, falling on her dust-covered face with a long-missed warmth.
The danger was temporarily over.
With trembling hands, she took out her phone and, using the weak signal, sent Chase a message:
"I'm safe."
The day after the ceasefire agreement was signed, Doctors Without Borders granted leave to all the medical staff who had held their ground at the camp. Zoey held the thin leave notice, her fingertips gently rubbing across the paper—after being away from home for so long, she could finally go back.
Her first thought was of Aiden. He was getting old and wasn't in the best health, yet he still worried about her constantly. Then there was Alice—counting the days, Alice's belly should be quite round by now, close to giving birth. Maybe she could be there with Alice for the delivery.
While packing her luggage, Elias knocked on her tent door. In his hand was the old photograph Zoey had given him when she first arrived.
"I got leave too."
Elias's voice carried barely concealed excitement:
"I'm going back to my homeland to see my mother. She's waited for me for too long."
Zoey felt equally excited. The image of Saskia waiting alone through Celestria's cold winter still floated before her eyes—this time, her wait was finally over.
Elias looked at Zoey and asked hopefully:
"Dr. King, do you want to come with me? If Mother knew we fought together, she'd be so happy."
Though Zoey also wanted to visit Saskia, the leave was too short, and she still chose to return to her own country first. Because that was where her roots were.
"Thank you, Elias. Saskia will be so happy to see you."
Her voice was gentle yet firm:
"But I need to go back to my homeland. There are people I care about there too, things I can't let go of."
Elias nodded with understanding. Like a caring older brother, he gently patted her shoulder:
"I understand. There's only ever one direction home."
He paused, new hope kindling in his eyes:
"When I see Mother, I'll tell her that on this land, we worked together for those who needed help."
Zoey nodded hard, her eyes growing slightly warm. On this war-torn land, these people who had fought side by side had long since become family to each other.
Before leaving, Zoey left all the supplies Chase had given her for the children at the camp. As the jeep carrying Zoey and other volunteers on leave kicked up dust on the dirt road, the children and remaining volunteers all stood at the camp entrance, waving goodbye.
The plane soared into the clouds. Zoey leaned against the window, watching the smoke-filled land below gradually shrink, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
The cabin was quiet—no roar of artillery, no moans of the wounded, only the steady hum of the engines. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the back of her hand, warm in an almost unreal way. She suddenly thought of the campfires, the children's pale little faces, the man who had lost a leg but still danced holding his child, those medical colleagues who held their ground even under gunpoint...
The peace away from the battlefield allowed Zoey to release the tension of recent days, but also made those memories of war increasingly vivid.
What exactly was war? It was destroyed houses, displaced people, the fading light in children's eyes, the fragility of life under bombardment. She had seen too many lives that should have been vibrant wither in the flames of war; seen too many families shattered in an instant; seen too many children like Leah who should have been running in the sunshine but could only curl up in fear. Those lives she had tried so hard to protect, that peace she longed for day and night, seemed so small and powerless in the face of war. It turned out peace was never something to be taken for granted—the tranquility she once considered normal was the most desired luxury for the people in this war-torn land. Fortunately, medical workers like them still held on like moths to a flame, because they knew that even if they could save just one more person, even if they could bring just a bit more hope to this land, their persistence had meaning.
Watching the sea of clouds churning outside the window, she suddenly felt infinite hope for the future. She hoped that one day, the gunfire would completely cease, the smoke would clear, and those who had suffered could return home and rebuild their lives; hoped that Leah and the children at the camp could escape the shadow of war, sit in bright classrooms to study, run freely on playgrounds; hoped that there would be no more refugees displaced by war, no more families broken by conflict, and all lives could be treated with tenderness.
As for herself, perhaps she would continue with Doctors Without Borders, or perhaps she would return to medical work in her homeland with the experience gained on the battlefield, using her medical skills to protect more people.
The flight path beneath her feet extended toward home, getting closer and closer to Aiden, to Alice, to that familiar warmth of everyday life. Her fingertips lightly touched the glass, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corners of her mouth.
The plane landed smoothly at Linhai International Airport.
Zoey pulled her suitcase, following the crowd out of the arrivals gate. Sunlight poured through the glass dome, falling warmly on her. She hadn't told anyone in advance about her return, just wanting to spend a few quiet days, see Aiden, keep Alice company. But just as she reached the airport terminal entrance, a familiar figure caught her eye.
Chase stood not far away, wearing a simple black windbreaker, his posture upright. He seemed to have been waiting there for a while. When his gaze fell on her, his usually reserved eyes instantly rippled with scattered light.
Zoey froze, her steps unconsciously stopping, blurting out:
"Chase? What are you doing here?"
Chase didn't answer, just strode toward her. Without a word, he naturally reached out and took the heavy suitcase from her hand.
Zoey's hand was empty, but her heart felt full.
Memories surged up instantly: that year when she went to Celestria for training, when she arrived it was just like this—dragging her suitcase out of the airport, she looked up and saw Chase standing in the crowd. He had also silently taken her luggage and walked with her through the long airport corridor.
Back then, they were separated by layers of misunderstanding and distance; now they had each experienced different baptisms of fire, yet still remained separated by an unclear, indefinable distance.
Was this coincidence, or... had he done this deliberately? Zoey couldn't tell. She only felt that the quiet lake in her heart had been struck by a pebble, rippling outward in circles.