Chapter 4 Would They Abandon Her Again?

Stephen wandered around the hospital, searching for people and trying to find out what was happening. However, everyone he encountered told him that they also didn't know what was going on. At this point, the Hatchers were so cold that they were shivering uncontrollably in the icy corridor. The Crawfords refused to see them as well. Waiting there was becoming unbearable. Paula was the first to give up. "I'm going to see Debbie…" Debbie was also a patient at this hospital, but she was in the maternity wing. Stephen and Richard couldn't bear it any longer either, but they didn't want to leave, so they had no choice but to continue waiting in the never-ending cold... Their minds were filled with incessant complaints. Little did they know, this was only the beginning of their troubles! … Lilly could hear the faint beeping of machines around her. There were also people talking, but their voices were indistinct. However, there was one voice in particular that was very clear. "Lilly…Lilly dear…hey, little Tulip! You have to wake up soon, okay? If you don't, I'll…" Lilly felt as if a small swarm of bees was buzzing beside her ear, chattering away. It was a little tiresome. Who was this person talking to her? Lilly's eyelids fluttered slightly, and she finally opened her eyes, only to see a snowy-white wall right in front of her. A group of people surrounded her bed. She pursed her lips and carefully scrutinized them. Gilbert reacted with enthusiasm; he was also the first to speak. "Lilly! You're awake now! I'm your Uncle Gilbert…" The rest of the Crawfords didn't even dare to breathe; they watched Lilly anxiously. Lilly found herself at a loss. "Uncle Gilbert?" Her pretty little face was expressionless and wooden. She looked just like a fragile porcelain doll. It sounded as if she were repeating a foreign phrase. Hugh's mouth tightened into a hard line. Lilly was very thin; she was so tiny that the hospital bed seemed very large. It hurt to see her like that, so much so that it was hard to breathe. Gilbert spoke more gently. "Lilly, I'm your mother's brother. My name is Gilbert. You called me earlier, do you remember?" Lilly furrowed her brow. After a moment, she let out a soft "Ohh." She remembered now. She had called Uncle Gilbert's phone number. He had ignored her though. Didn't her uncles want her? "Did you…did you come to look for me?" Lilly asked in a barely audible voice. All the men around the bed nodded vigorously. Bryson added, "Lilly, I'm your Uncle Bryson. We're all here to take you back home with us." Hugh felt as if something were constricting his throat. He took a deep breath, then said, "That's right. We're here to take you home, Lilly. In the future, no one will dare to bully or harass you. If anyone tries, your Grandpa Hugh will have something to say about it." Lilly looked at each of the men in turn. They were going to take her home? She wasn't sure if they would abandon her again once they brought her home. Would they hurt her and starve her? Seeing how silent she was, the Crawfords felt even more tense than ever. None of them had much experience with children. One by one, they looked at Anthony and Liam. Anthony was the eldest Crawford boy; he was 40 years old and had two children. Liam, the second son, was 38 and also had two young ones. However, Anthony wasn't very good at interacting with children; after hesitating for a moment, he asked bluntly, "Lilly, what are you worried about?" Saying this in his usual inflexible and rather harsh way, his siblings all glared at him. Liam coughed slightly in embarrassment. By nature, he was a taciturn person and found it difficult to say much. The tension in the air was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. Gilbert let out a deep sigh. He moved closer to Lilly's bed and very gently caressed her hair. In as gentle a voice as he could muster, he asked, "Lilly darling, why don't you tell us your full name?" Lilly stared at the ceiling in silence for a while before replying, "I don't have any other name except Lilly." Daddy had told her that she didn't need a full name; they would discuss that when her stepmother gave birth to her baby brother. Lilly had been named by Mommy. She didn't have any other name besides that. Gilbert felt a dull ache in his heart. How had this child spent her days in the Hatcher household without even a name? Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Well then, Lilly, can you tell your Uncle Gilbert what you're thinking right now?" Lilly finally turned her gaze in his direction with great effort, staring at this person who called himself her Uncle Gilbert. That day, her entire world had been so dark, but this man had broken through that darkness like a ray of light and rescued her. Her mouth trembled slightly, and she asked, "Uncle Gilbert…when we go home, am I…am I allowed to eat?" All the Crawfords were dumbfounded when they heard this. This child was asking if she would be allowed to eat when she arrived home… Before they could gather a response, Lilly asked again in a tiny voice, "Will you hit me?" Those simple four words almost made Hugh weep. The little girl was afraid she would be starved and beaten. What kind of abuse had she endured in the Hatcher household?! She was half-starved and inadequately dressed for the winter. When she had nightmares, no one would be there with her when she woke up in fright, and in the summer, no one would bother when she was drenched in sweat from the heat. Hugh turned away, biting his lip until he almost drew blood to suppress the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks. The Crawford brothers were so enraged that they clenched their fists tightly. However, they didn't dare to express their anger for fear of scaring Lilly. Gilbert reached out and took Lilly's tiny hand, placing it against his cheek. In a hoarse voice, he murmured, "Lilly darling, when we go home, you can eat whatever you want, and no one will hit you. Look, that's your Uncle Anthony there. That one's your Uncle Liam, and that's your Uncle Bryson…All of them are tough, strong men. All of us will protect you, and no one will ever hurt you again." Lilly clutched the covers tightly with her other hand and remained silent for a long time. Just as the Crawfords believed that she had nothing more to say, she suddenly exclaimed, "Uncle Gilbert, I didn't push anyone. Daddy and Grandpa kept telling me to confess, but I refused…" She stubbornly repeated this, her little face displaying determination and her eyes filled with sadness. Did her uncles truly care for her? Now that she had confessed that she wouldn't admit to something she didn't do, would they still want a disobedient child like her? Gilbert felt a lump in his throat, as if a wad of cotton was constricting it. Tears welled up in his eyes, and even Hugh couldn't help but wipe away his own tears. Anthony said firmly and calmly, "Your Uncle Anthony believes you're innocent. It was the right thing to do, not confessing to something that wasn't your fault." Gilbert nodded in agreement. "They're the ones who are wrong. You didn't do anything wrong, Lilly; you did the right thing." Upon hearing this, Lilly's mouth twisted briefly and tears started streaming down her cheeks. It was as if all those pent-up tears had finally found an outlet and couldn't be suppressed any longer. Lilly's little face still displayed stubbornness, but her voice was interrupted by gulping sobs. "But…but Daddy doesn't believe me. Daddy said I killed my baby brother and that if I didn't confess, he wouldn't let me leave." Even as she sobbed these words, it seemed like Lilly had finally found someone she could share her grievances with. Even a three-and-a-half-year-old child could feel mistreated, no matter how stubborn or determined they were. Gilbert's anger got the best of him. "He's not fit to be your father!" "Gilbert!" Anthony sternly interjected. Gilbert reluctantly fell silent, but his anger remained. The thought of Stephen waiting outside made him want to tear the hospital bed apart, grab one of the metal tube supports, and give that man the beating of his life. Lilly sobbed a little more, cried for a while longer, and then fell asleep. Once they were outside the room, Gilbert indignantly asked, "Anthony, are we really going to let the Hatchers off so easily?" Bankruptcy alone was not sufficient punishment for people like them! Anthony slowly unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and rolled them up. Calmly, he replied, "Eight against one, Gilbert. Is that enough for you?" There would be eight Crawfords seeking revenge against the Hatcher family!