When Adam and Logan returned to the room, Sophia was checking a now awake Aurora with her stethoscope. The moment she saw them, tears poured from Aurora's eyes, and she turned her head away.
"My love." Logan called to her as he stood over the bed.
Aurora kept her head turned away and closed her eyes. Before he could speak again, Sophia stretched out her hand and shook her head. She pointed to the two of them, then to the door. "I need you two to fetch her a change of clothes." She said sternly.
Logan sighed and reluctantly turned around. Adam handed Sophia the bottle of water they bought on their way back before also leaving.
Logan didn't say a word on the way to the car. He dug through the bag, removed his spare clothes, and then handed the bag to Adam.
"Bring this to Sophia."
The boy took the bag and watched as his father got into the driver's seat of the car. Pushing his seat all the way back, Logan lay with his arm over his eyes.
Adam watched Logan, confusion sweeping over him. Logan's body trembled, and he clenched his fist and exhaled with a shout. When Logan swept his palm over his face, Adam saw the fine line trickle down to his hair. The boy quickly turned away, walking back to the hospital building.
Tears burned Adam's eyes, his chest quivering as he tried to stifle his cries. He raced to an empty bathroom stall. Hiding away, crying silently.
It was his fault. If he didn't fight with Richard, he and Aurora wouldn't have left the party. Nicholas wouldn't have attacked them. Aurora wouldn't have gotten hurt. Logan wouldn't have been hurt either, and Aurora wouldn't have rejected him.
Why did he pick a fight with Richard! What if Aurora didn't want him anymore...The thought broke the boy, and he cried harder, knowing that he had just lost the parents he'd found. Logan was right; he was making a mess of their lives. They were better off without him.
Adam left the stall and washed his tears from his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror—a new determination in his eyes.
Standing in front of the door, he hesitated to knock or enter. He didn't want to hurt her again. Would she want to see him? His hand hovered against the door to knock. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal an annoyed Sophia, who squinted at him.
Sophia took the bag from him and ordered him to wait outside. A few minutes later, the door opened again.
"Get in," Sophia instructed.
When he stepped in, Aurora gave him a weak smile and stretched her hand out to him. "Micino." She called to him softly.
Adam looked at his mother, flabbergasted; her hair was short. He remembered that when they returned to the room earlier, her hair was still long. Now her hair hung in a mass of messy tendrils just above her shoulders.
"I wanted to cut it." Aurora responded to his surprise.
"What's wrong?" She asked when he hesitated to approach the bed.
Adam opened his mouth but closed it again.
"Adam?"
"His throat's swollen, so he can't talk." Sophia supplied.
Aurora stared at Sophia, dumbfounded, before looking back at him, her fingers digging into the sheet.
"Micino, he hurt you?" She whispered, a new flood of tears escaping her eyes. "I hurt you."
The boy shook his head. Why was she blaming herself? It was his fault. Seeing his mother's tears made his own resurface.
Aurora opened her arms. "I'm sorry, micino. We shouldn't have gone to that party. If I hadn't insisted on keeping my promise, he wouldn't have hurt you."
When Adam didn't come closer, Aurora hugged herself, crying harder. "One week, and I couldn't protect you. I don't deserve to be your mother."
Adam shook his head again. That wasn't true; Aurora was a better mother than that woman. The boy approached the bed, and Aurora leaned over to hug him. "Sorry." He managed a painful and barely audible whisper against her ear.
"No micino. This was not your fault. It is mine. I knew Nicholas. After last Friday, I should have expected him to show up. But I let my guard down...I thought Amalie would be more understanding."
Aurora invited him onto the bed, and he lay in her arms as she cried, apologising and swearing to protect him better.
An hour later, after further checks, Sophia declared Aurora fit to return home. With Logan's injury, Sophia was the one to drive home. Logan sat in the backseat with Aurora and Adam. But Aurora's attitude towards Logan hadn't changed. She was avoiding looking, speaking, and touching him.
When they returned home, Sophia kept Aurora in the care room, Adam stayed by her side, and Logan holed himself up in his office. Aurora had been more hands-on during the ride home. Keeping him close and kissing him every few minutes.
Adam liked it, though he worried that by staying he would cause her more trouble. Remembering what Logan had told him at the hospital, the boy felt conflicted. If he left, she would be sad and probably cry more. Between staying and leaving, he didn't want to leave either.
The evening passed quietly, with Aurora and Adam playing a few word puzzle games from books kept in the care room. Imran had prepared chicken broth for lunch and congee for dinner. Adam and Aurora ate in the care room, leaving Sophia and Logan to dine at the table themselves.
Despite the eventful morning, Aurora seemed normal except when Logan was brought up; she seemed to want to run away at the mention of his name. Logan, on his end, didn't approach Aurora again after the hospital; instead, he inquired about her well-being from Sophia, who kept him updated.
Adam slept that night in the care room with Aurora. Sophia didn't approve of him sleeping on the bed with her, so he slept in the biggest chair in the room. It was uncomfortable compared to his bed, but he had slept in worse positions before. And so ended their Thursday.
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