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"Everything is in order, and there are no further issues. The rest you can handle on your own, Mr. Adrian," Chris said to Adrian as they walked out of the building.
"Alright, Chris, thanks again," Adrian said with a smile.
"It's what I should do. Besides, you're paying me," Chris shrugged, looked back behind him, and then managed a wry smile. "Speaking of which, I owe you an apology."
"An apology?" Adrian also looked back and saw Jacqueline playing with her daughter. The nanny had a sudden issue and couldn't come, and since her daughter was clingy, they had no choice but to bring her along.
"It's alright, things happen in life, and besides, she didn't delay us, did she?" Adrian dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
The three of them soon reached the street, and after exchanging a few more words, Chris went to get the car. Adrian stayed in place talking with Jacqueline since he had other matters nearby.
"He's always like this, working endlessly without listening to any opinions—not even mine," Jacqueline's expression turned melancholy as they discussed her husband's work as a lawyer.
"It's normal. Every man has a domineering side, especially when his wife shares the same profession," Adrian noticed and changed the topic. "Hey, Emma, how many cars have you counted?"
The little girl, with big eyes watching the passing cars, turned her head, her brown eyes twirling before she spoke softly, "I forgot."
Her voice was soft and pleasant, and Adrian immediately wore an exaggerated expression and exclaimed, "Wow, it's rare, this is the first time she's spoken to me."
The little one immediately made a face at him, quickly turned her head, and buried it in her mother's shoulder.
"We're leaving now, Mr. Adrian, goodbye," Jacqueline said with a smile, noticing her husband's car appearing at the street corner.
"Alright, goodbye then," Adrian nodded, sending them off in the direction the car was coming from.
No sooner had they taken a couple of steps, a loud rumble suddenly sounded. Without warning, a red double-decker bus came rushing in from an angle, colliding heavily with Chris's car. The impact caved the car in and sent it crashing into the street amidst flying debris.
"Ah!" After a brief blank moment, Jacqueline screamed sharply, running frantically forward with her daughter in her arms.
Coming back to his senses, Adrian shouted, "Come back, Jacqueline! Don't go!"
But it was too late; the bus that had struck the car into the flowerbed showed no sign of stopping, crackling as it crashed down the street, directly toward Jacqueline holding her daughter.
Facing the bus at close range, Jacqueline had time for only one thing: she threw her daughter violently backward, and then was struck by the bus and sent flying dozens of feet away.
Wanting to run sideways, Adrian instinctively lunged forward, tightly hugging the flying girl. The impact sent his body off balance, and the bus, showing no sign of slowing, continued to charge forward. In that crucial moment, Adrian became remarkably calm, rolled backward while holding on to the girl, rolling several times until his back banged against a concrete slab and finally stopped, just as the bus whooshed past him with a rushing wind.
After several crashes, the bus that had hit the street finally stopped after colliding with several cars. It took several seconds for Adrian to regain his senses. His back was sore, cold sweat was pouring from him, and his forehead, elbows, knees, and other parts had a stinging sensation—at least, the skin had been scraped.
"Damn..." Adrian cursed under his breath, then remembered something and looked at his arms. The little girl he held tightly seemed unhurt but was pale with hollow eyes, as if her soul had left her.
"Emma? Are you alright, Emma?" Adrian asked, breathless, gently patting the girl's face. But she had no reaction. He looked around, gritting his teeth to sit up. Despite the chaos on the street, amidst screams and running, a kind person came to help him up. "Are you all right, sir?"
"Please call an ambulance; I'm not sure if the child is injured," Adrian said, then looked around with a wry smile. What a mess, how did we end up in such a situation?
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Sitting quietly on a bench outside the operating room, Adrian occasionally glanced at the red-lit operating room and the little girl in his arms, his expression complex. By now, he had changed clothes, with Band-Aids on his forehead and nose. He only had a few scrapes that weren't severe, but the Watson family was much worse off.
Chris had died from a skull fracture shortly after being taken to the hospital. Jacqueline, though taken to the operating room for resuscitation, had severe internal injuries and excessive bleeding, making her condition very hazardous. However, the most difficult to manage was Emma, remaining silent all the way, with a blank expression and refusing to leave Adrian's arms wherever they went. Any attempt to remove her led to an intense reaction, forcing Adrian to carry her everywhere, even during examinations. Luckily she hadn't needed the restroom during the ordeal.
According to the doctor's assessment, the little girl was experiencing extreme shock, and clinging to Adrian was an instinctual reaction. To return to normalcy, they needed to find an opportunity for her to express her emotions quickly. Otherwise, it was uncertain how she might turn out.
Thinking of this, Adrian sighed, looking at the little girl in his arms with a bitter smile.
Suddenly, the operating room door opened, and a doctor in green scrubs came out, exhaustion evident. Adrian hurriedly went up to him, "Doctor, how is she doing now, Doctor?"
"I'm sorry, we've done our best, sir," the doctor said, heavy with regret. "Sadly, your wife..."
"No, no, she's not my wife," Adrian shook his head, about to correct him, then paused. "You mean... Doctor, you're saying she's..."
A bed draped in a white sheet was being wheeled out by a nurse.
"I'm very sorry. If we had gotten her here five minutes earlier..." The doctor, sympathetically patting Adrian's shoulder, shrugged. Even if Adrian wasn't her husband, staying outside for so long suggested he had a connection.
Adrian said nothing, watching the bed disappear down the hallway before wearily sitting back on the bench. The little girl in his arms still had a blank expression, her eyes devoid of their original luster. He sighed deeply, the overwhelming sense of loss contemplating the fact that her parents had just vanished from this world.
Sadness? Sympathy? Or pity? Adrian couldn't tell. To exaggerate, every reborn person led to the direct or indirect "death" of thousands. He didn't have the luxury of grieving individually. But this was different. They had died right before his eyes, with the image of Chris's crushed car and Jacqueline bleeding out so vividly clear. Even with rationality and calmness, he was only human, and bewilderment was inevitable.
Forget it, he told himself. Instead, focus on returning Emma to her family. At the thought of the little girl in his arms, Adrian couldn't help but feel a headache. Would she cling to him for life?
At that moment, footsteps approached, and two elderly individuals looking to be in their sixties appeared before Adrian with a doctor and police officer in tow.
"Hello, Mr. Cowell," greeted the doctor, who had examined Emma before.
"Hello, Dr. Sean, is there something you need?" Adrian said, observing the elderly couple accompanying him.
However, before the doctor could speak, the elderly woman, her eyes filled with tears, came forward to take the girl from Adrian's arms. "Oh, Emma, my poor Emma, are you alright?"
The girl immediately began to struggle, refusing to leave Adrian's embrace, just as before.
"Emma, darling, it's me. I'm your grandma. I won't hurt you. No one here will hurt you," the elderly woman said anxiously, tears rolling down her cheeks involuntarily.
Hearing this, a glimpse of clarity seemed to return to the girl's dim eyes. She stopped struggling and looked at the elderly woman with some confusion.
"Oh, you poor child," the elderly woman murmured sorrowfully, finally succeeding in taking Emma from Adrian's arms.
Watching Emma leave, Adrian breathed a sigh of relief, though there was an inexplicable sense of loss within him.
"Thank you, Mr. Cowell. I'm Russell Watson, Chris's father. They've told me about the situation, and I thank you for saving my granddaughter," the elderly man approached Adrian with a mournful expression, offering his hand.
"There's no need for praise; I just did what anyone would do in that situation," Adrian sighed. "Regarding your son and his wife... I'm very sorry."
The elderly man nodded heavily, looked at his companion, and said, "Well, we'll be leaving now."
Adrian said nothing, simply gesturing for them to proceed.
Russell then took his wife's hand, and they both bowed slightly to Adrian before carrying Emma away. Initially, everything was fine, but as they moved further, the girl began to become uneasy and restless, defying any attempt at pacification by her grandmother.
The girl suddenly peered over her grandmother's shoulder, staring fixedly at Adrian, reaching out her hands and babbling ceaselessly. The further she was carried away, the more intensely she moved, her brown eyes brimming with chaos and despair.
"Hush now, Emma, don't worry, everything is fine," her grandmother comforted her, but to no avail.
Finally, quite abruptly, the girl burst into tears, as if knives pierced her heart, wailing desperately while struggling. With no other recourse, her grandmother set her down, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she sprinted back to Adrian, crashing into his arms and embracing him tightly, crying loudly. All those present were left speechless, unsure of how to proceed.
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