Chapter 175: Should I Bring Leah Back With Me?
Michael helped her get to the sink and turned the tap on for her. He then wet his hands, put some handwash on them, and rubbed them against each other until the handwash bubbled.
After which, he started helping Wendy wash her hands.
He knew that Wendy had always loved handwash that smelled like honey.
Nevertheless, Wendy recoiled when Michael’s hands touched hers.
"I... Let me do it myself," she stuttered while she spoke.
After Wendy finished washing her hands, Michael led her out of the bathroom. He wanted to help her get back to her bed, but after lying down for days, Wendy felt that her muscles were getting sore. "Can you help me get close to the windows?"
She asked Michael. "I want to breathe some fresh air."
Michael led her to the windows and opened them. Wendy took a long and deep breath.
She sighed. "I wish my sight and memories would come back soon," she said disappointedly. "Has the doctor said anything more about my condition?"
She had been refraining from expressing her real emotions earlier in the day when she was surrounded by her family and friends. In reality, she had become slightly depressed. After all, nobody can easily come to terms with losing both their vision and their memory.
"You’ll get better soon, Wendy," Michael answered. "The doctor said that it would take a month or so, but I believe that you can make it a month."
Wendy sighed loudly, dispirited.
The night passed with a sense of melancholy filling Wendy’s room. In the early morning, Mary came back with the veggie porridge that Michael had requested.
He offered to help Wendy eat the porridge as he picked up the spoon.
Wendy wasn’t used to being babysat like this, so she took the bowl from him. "It’s okay. I can eat porridge myself," she said.
"It’s still very hot. Let me feed you," Michael said. Deep down, he was enjoying taking care of Wendy like this. He wanted to seize every moment he could since he knew he wouldn’t be needed after she regained her sight.
Besides, he was also worried that once Wendy regained her memories, she might hate him as much as she did before. He knew it would be a nightmare, so Michael cherished every second he spent with her.
After Wendy finished almost all the porridge, Michael looked at Todd and said, "Mr. Lewis, Wendy has woken up and is doing fine physically now, but she’ll need around a month for her eyes to recover. Do you need to return to your work soon? I bet there are a lot of things for you to take care of."
As for Todd, he wanted to talk to Wendy about this issue as well, but if he left, he would have to take Leah with him.
His original plan was to come to Lake City with Leah so that she could meet up with her mother, and he didn’t intend to stay here for too long.
However, after the accident, Todd’s plan for a short stay started to waver. He thought it might be better for Wendy to have Leah by her side since she could help trigger some of Wendy’s lost memories.
Besides, Michael still hadn’t learned that Leah was his daughter, and the secret would be uncovered if Leah stayed.
Todd had been wanting to talk to Wendy about whether they should tell Leah and Michael the truth. But now that Wendy had been plunged into amnesia, he reckoned that it should still be up to her to decide, as Leah was her daughter.
Michael took a look at Leah, who he adored. He squatted down and said, "Leah, you’ll have a lot of chances to come back to Lake City, and I promise you that I’ll be your guide to all the wonderful places here. How does that sound?"
Michael was under the impression that Todd was Leah’s father so it was appropriate to ask her to leave with Todd.
Having understood why Michael asked her, Leah shook her head. "No. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay with my mommy," she said.
Leah’s words brightened Michael’s heart as he would love to have Leah around.
Besides, he was more than rich enough to provide for another child.
Michael stood up and looked at Todd. "What should we do?" He asked Todd. "Would you mind if Leah stays here? Wendy seems to enjoy her company even though she can’t remember her anymore."
After he spoke, Michael realized how ridiculous his words sounded.
"What a dumb question to ask," he thought to himself. "Why would he want to leave his daughter alone in a different country?"
Todd was troubled after listening to what Michael had said.
Judging from Michael’s response, he treated Wendy wholeheartedly.
Everyone witnessed how he diligently took care of Wendy over the past few days. However, he had no idea that his daughter, Leah, was right in front of him.
As Wendy’s friend, Todd didn’t have the right to decide on her behalf.
Although Wendy was suffering from amnesia, Todd still had to talk to her about it.
Todd looked at Michael and said, "I have to head back to work. Now that Corrine is well recovered, I am at ease. However, I’d like to talk to Corrine alone before I leave."
Michael had been staying by Wendy’s side the whole time. With her current situation, someone had to watch over her.
Hence, Todd couldn’t find an opportunity to speak to her alone.
He had no choice but to be frank with Michael.
Michael panicked when he heard Todd’s request.
Wendy hated Michael so much, yet she was so close to Todd.
Michael felt uneasy that Todd requested to talk to Wendy alone.
Then again, Michael found Todd trustworthy after spending the past few days together.
Thus, Michael nodded, agreeing to let them talk in private.
He held Leah’s and Jake’s hands, saying, "Come, let me take you out for a walk."
"I will head out for a walk too," Mary said.
"It’s okay. I am merely having a casual chat with Corrine. You don’t have to stay away for long," Todd said.
Michael felt relieved, hearing Todd’s reassurance.
"We’ll just take a quick walk outside," Michael replied.
Although Wendy couldn’t see, her hearing was heightened.
She knew that Michael exited the ward with the others.
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Wendy lost eight years of her memory, and she didn’t remember Todd.
Todd let out a heavy sigh. He was worried for her.
"Corrine, you lost your memory and forgot a lot of things. I came to Lake City for work, and I brought Leah along to see you," Todd explained. "According to the initial plan, I should bring Leah back to Rheinsville with me. But you are in such a condition and it would be helpful for Leah to stay by your side to assist in recovering your memory. So, I’d like to ask you if I should bring Leah back with me?"
Wendy was puzzled. "If Leah is my daughter, why will she be brought to Lake City by you? Isn’t Jake always with me?"
"That’s the reason why I told them to leave the room," Todd replied solemnly. "Many things happened between you and Michael. I am not sure what, but you didn’t want Michael to know that he’s the father of your daughter. Michael only knew that you have a son with him. I brought Leah to Lake City as my daughter. You returned to Lake City back then to..."
Todd wanted to tell Wendy that she came back to Lake City to exact revenge.
Then again, he figured that maybe he didn’t want to remind her of what made her upset when she had already lost her memory.
Todd was quiet for a while before he continued, "You came back to Lake City because of work. There’s another reason besides you not wanting Michael to know of Leah’s existence. It is because Leah has a congenital illness..."
"Congenital illness?" Although Wendy didn’t remember that she had two children, she was worried upon learning that a lovely child was suffering from an illness.
Todd’s explanation was gut-wrenching. Wendy felt uneasy listening to him.
