Chapter 38
William's reassurance temporarily calmed the two children's anxious hearts.
However, things continued to develop.
That afternoon, when Emily's phone rang, her nerves immediately went on high alert. "What's wrong?"
James on the other end seemed to be dealing with something, with noisy background sounds.
"I've got something tonight, so the person picking you up can't make it. Come by yourself. 8 PM, Emerald Oasis Hotel, room 8808. Don't be late, and don't try anything funny. Remember what I said."
Before Emily could say anything, he hung up immediately.
Emily gripped her phone tightly, listening to the busy tone, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted.
James really couldn't forget about that matter for even a moment.
However, she had also prepared herself. Even if she kept the appointment, she wouldn't let herself suffer too much.
Putting down her phone and looking up, Emily saw Nina standing at the bedroom door at some point, her little hands gripping the door frame, her big eyes full of worry.
"Nina, what are you doing here?"
"Mommy..." Nina called out softly, hesitating to speak.
Emily's heart tightened, and she quickly walked over and squatted down to comfort her. "What's wrong, Nina?"
Nina bit her lip and asked carefully in a sweet childlike voice, "Mommy, are you going out tonight?"
Facing her question, Emily kept her smile and nodded gently.
"Yes," she tried to make her voice sound calmer. "I need to meet someone tonight to discuss some very important matters. I might come back late. You and Oscar stay home and rest well, listen to William, okay?"
Nina anxiously wrapped her arms around her neck. "Mommy, please come back early."
Though she was still young, she understood that a few words from her couldn't change what Emily had already decided.
If that was the case, she'd rather believe that Emily would protect herself.
"Okay." Emily smiled, then took her hand and walked to the next room to knock on the door.
"Come in."
After getting William's permission, Emily led Nina inside.
"I'm here to change your bandages."
Originally, Emily changed William's bandages twice a day, morning and evening.
But since she had something tonight and might not make it back in time, she moved the schedule up.
William didn't ask questions, just nodded.
"How do you feel your eyes are recovering?" Emily removed the gauze from his eyes, shining a light to observe his pupil changes while asking routinely.
"Blurry, but I can see things now." William said calmly, seeming to feel no joy about his improvement.
Emily was a bit puzzled but didn't dwell on it. "Okay, I'll adjust your medication tomorrow."
After changing the bandages, Emily hesitated before speaking. "Can I trouble you again to look after Nina and Oscar tonight? I have some matters I need to go out and handle."
Facing Emily's request, William nodded. "Okay."
With his agreement, Emily's heart settled. "Thank you."
They didn't say much more. Emily let Nina go play on her own, then returned to her bedroom to check her equipment for tonight.
Even if she had to suffer, she definitely wouldn't let James have it easy.
On the other side, Nina was still clinging to William, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't dare.
"What's wrong?" William's gaze fell on Nina, a flash of doubt in his eyes.
"Sir, can I ask you to protect my mommy?" Nina said, then afraid of being rejected, quickly ran out and came back holding a piggy bank.
"This is all my allowance. I want to hire you to protect my mommy." Her little face was full of seriousness.
William didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I'm very expensive, you know. Can your allowance afford me?" He said half-jokingly, his gaze locked on Nina.
Nina shook her head and spoke earnestly with words she'd learned from somewhere. "I can write you an IOU."
Hearing this, William knew she was genuinely worried about Emily from the bottom of her heart.
He patted Nina's head and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll protect your mommy."
"Thank you, but your leg..." Nina was still hesitant, then regretfully patted her own head, as if feeling this wasn't quite right.
William wanted to tease her a bit, but was afraid of making her cry.
In the end, he just coughed. "I'm very capable. Even though I'm injured now, I can still protect your mommy."
Hearing William's words, Nina's eyes lit up. "Like Spider-Man?"
A smile flashed in William's eyes as he nodded slightly.
After all, she was just a child - her attention was easily diverted.
Seeing Nina's curious expression, William said seriously, "But you have to go out first. When I transform, no one can be nearby."
Nina covered her mouth in surprise, her big eyes blinking.
Perhaps because of anticipation, or perhaps for other reasons, Nina ultimately believed him and walked out, lying by the door crack and covering her eyes.
"I'm not peeking." She closed her eyes, covering them with both hands, while secretly looking into the room through the gaps between her fingers.
William just smiled without speaking, and while Nina wasn't paying attention, quickly changed his clothes.
When Emily asked earlier, he hadn't told the truth.
William's eyes had almost completely recovered - it was just that he couldn't see clearly at a distance.
Up close, it didn't affect him at all.
On this point, William still admired Emily.
She wasn't exactly a proper doctor, yet she could control the medication dosage very well and make his body recover rapidly.
Of course, this was also partly because William's physical condition was already good.
He exercised regularly, and for various reasons, his body's recovery speed was different from that of ordinary people.
If not for this, Raymond wouldn't have ultimately decided to entrust the entire Brown family to him.
William didn't speak up because he had his own concerns.
If he revealed he had fully recovered now, he believed Emily would kick him out without hesitation.
But William needed to stay here to investigate and find out the truth.
Since he regained his sight, William had already discovered that Aiden and Oscar looked extremely alike.
He had even discovered that the "Oscar" currently at home wasn't the real Oscar, but Aiden.
How could he not recognize the child he'd raised with his own hands?
It was precisely because of all these things combined that he had reason to stay.