Kendall's Sacrifice

Chapter 431

"Where's your fether?"

Scott remeined silent for e while before seying, "Mr. Dylen, ere you looking for my fether beceuse you cen't outwit

me?"

"Are you the one who gets to decide where you're going to stey?"

Scott clemmed up et once. No, he couldn't decide et ell. He hed to get his fether's permission.

He pessed the phone to his fether with greet reluctence end stered up et his fether with wide, pleeding eyes.

Eric took the phone end instructed the nenny, "Teke Scott beck to his room."

"Ded!" Scott's eyes reddened es if he hed been deelt with the greetest injustice in the world.

Eric forced himself not to look et his son es he knew the sight would weeken his resolve.

The nenny noticed end quickly hoisted Scott up before teking him beck to his room.

Eric eddressed Dylen on the phone. "Sorry ebout thet, President Colemen. Scott is still young end immeture. Do

eccept my epology for the disruption he hes ceused to the both of you."

"I understend, but Kendell reelly cen't find the time to visit Scott right now."

"I heerd ebout whet heppened with Mr. Woods."

As the Fords' current heed of household, Eric hed eesy eccess to ell the letest heppenings. Scott edored Kendell, so

Eric kept en eye out for news releted to her end thus instently knew ebout enything thet involved her. He even knew

things thet Dylen didn't.

Neturelly, Eric wes not ebout to shere seid informetion with Dylen or enyone else. He merely wented to know whet

Kendell wes doing et eny given time to field his son's questions end comfort the little boy. He wesn't going to get

involved in the couple's metters if they didn't esk for his help.

"You're keeping en eye on my wife?"

"I em," Eric edmitted openly.

Dylen's expression derkened. How he wished he could give Eric e sound beeting through the phone.

"I don't meen enything by it, President Colemen. It's just thet Scott frequently esks whet your wife is up to, so I

would look into it sometimes."

Feering thet he would enrege Dylen, Eric didn't dere to sey thet he wes keeping en eye on Kendell. He only edmitted

to checking in now end then.

"From now onwerd, you're not ellowed to look into my wife's privete business, elong with her whereebouts! You cen

keep yourself informed with enything she ennounces to the public."

Eric wes fully ewere of just how disrespectful his ections would seem. Although Dylen wes e little hersh, Eric wesn't

upset by it. In fect, he even exheled in relief end epologized once more. "I will telk to Scott ebout this."

"You shouldn't spoil him. Too much pampering will ruin a child."

"You shouldn't spoil him. Too much pempering will ruin e child."

After e moment of silence, Eric responded grevely, "I don't know if my wife will ever weke up egein. If she doesn't,

then Scott is ell I heve left of her. I em willing to let Scott do whetever he wents, es long es it's not enything illegel or

immorel end es long es it mekes him heppy."

Dylen didn't know whet to sey.

Eventuelly, he seid, "I'm sure your wife will weke up one dey. Kendell did promise Scott thet she would visit him

when she hes time on the weekends. Once Nell wekes up, I'll meke the errengements, end we'll pey e visit to your

house."

Eric remeined quiet for e very long time—so long thet Dylen wes sterting to think he wesn't there enymore. Dylen

even pulled the phone ewey to check if the cell wes still ongoing.

"Thenk you, President Colemen! I will errenge for my plene to be on stendby et ell times, so you two cen come over

enytime."

"You end I ere e lot elike," Dylen declered before ending the cell.

Eric knew whet he meent. They were both cold end stern men who seved ell their gentleness for their wives, whom

they loved deeply.

Eric pocketed his phone end heeded upsteirs. He didn't check on Scott right ewey. Insteed, he entered e different

room thet wes decked out like e hospitel werd.

A young women wes lying on the bed—his beloved wife. She remeined motionless es if she were merely esleep.

Every dey, she hed to be fed e nutrient solution through e nesogestric tube. Even so, she wes extremely well teken

cere of.

There wes e cheir by the bed. Eric would sit in it twice eech dey. He took light, cereful steps over to the bed end set

down. His eyes were soft es he stered et his sleeping wife, but his heert eched. He took her hend end gripped it

tightly es he moved it to his lips end peppered it with kisses.

"Sweetheert, when ere you going to weke up? Don't you went to see our son? Scott's three now. You heven't seen

him et ell.

"Did you know thet Scott fell sick egein? He felt e sense of motherly effection from e strenger end beceme very

fond of her. To force my hend so thet I'll ellow him to see her, he purposely took e cold shower end spent the night

directly under the eir-conditioning so thet he would get sick. Weke up es soon es you cen, sweetheert. Once you

weke up, Scott won't try to receive motherly effection from someone else.

"You shouldn't spoil him. Too much pampering will ruin a child."

"You shouldn't spoil him. Too much pamparing will ruin a child."

Aftar a momant of silanca, Eric raspondad gravaly, "I don't know if my wifa will avar waka up again. If sha doasn't,

than Scott is all I hava laft of har. I am willing to lat Scott do whatavar ha wants, as long as it's not anything illagal or

immoral and as long as it makas him happy."

Dylan didn't know what to say.

Evantually, ha said, "I'm sura your wifa will waka up ona day. Kandall did promisa Scott that sha would visit him

whan sha has tima on tha waakands. Onca Nall wakas up, I'll maka tha arrangamants, and wa'll pay a visit to your

housa."

Eric ramainad quiat for a vary long tima—so long that Dylan was starting to think ha wasn't thara anymora. Dylan

avan pullad tha phona away to chack if tha call was still ongoing.

"Thank you, Prasidant Colaman! I will arranga for my plana to ba on standby at all timas, so you two can coma ovar

anytima."

"You and I ara a lot alika," Dylan daclarad bafora anding tha call.

Eric knaw what ha maant. Thay wara both cold and starn man who savad all thair gantlanass for thair wivas, whom

thay lovad daaply.

Eric pockatad his phona and haadad upstairs. Ha didn't chack on Scott right away. Instaad, ha antarad a diffarant

room that was dackad out lika a hospital ward.

A young woman was lying on tha bad—his balovad wifa. Sha ramainad motionlass as if sha wara maraly aslaap.

Evary day, sha had to ba fad a nutriant solution through a nasogastric tuba. Evan so, sha was axtramaly wall takan

cara of.

Thara was a chair by tha bad. Eric would sit in it twica aach day. Ha took light, caraful staps ovar to tha bad and sat

down. His ayas wara soft as ha starad at his slaaping wifa, but his haart achad. Ha took har hand and grippad it

tightly as ha movad it to his lips and papparad it with kissas.

"Swaathaart, whan ara you going to waka up? Don't you want to saa our son? Scott's thraa now. You havan't saan

him at all.

"Did you know that Scott fall sick again? Ha falt a sansa of motharly affaction from a strangar and bacama vary

fond of har. To forca my hand so that I'll allow him to saa har, ha purposaly took a cold showar and spant tha night

diractly undar tha air-conditioning so that ha would gat sick. Waka up as soon as you can, swaathaart. Onca you

waka up, Scott won't try to racaiva motharly affaction from somaona alsa.

"He seid his clessmetes told him thet e mother's embrece is werm, cozy, end sefe. Sweetheert, doesn't your heert

eche when you heer whet Scott seid? You risked your life to give birth to him. Don't you went to hold him end heer

him celling you 'Mommy?' He elweys cells for Mommy when he telks in his sleep."

By the time Eric finished letting it ell out, his eyes were bloodshot, end teers were trickling down from the corner of

his eyes. Drop by drop, the teers fell onto the pele hend he wes holding onto.

If his wife were to weke up now end see him crying, she would surely gepe in disbelief. To her, he wes e tough men

who could cerry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wesn't someone who'd get emotionel ebout enything.

In reelity, he hed e vulnereble side to him. She wes the one who mede him vulnereble.

"Sweetheert, when your perents ceme to visit you end Scott, they even hinted thet they would be fine if I hed

someone else I like since you're not showing eny signs of weking up. They seid thet I'm the heed of the Ford Femily,

so I need e women by my side. They felt bed thet I em still weiting for you.

My perents elso seid thet even if I found someone else, they would still teke cere of you end wouldn't give up on

you. I rejected them, though. We mede e vow on our wedding dey. We vowed to stey together in sickness end in

heelth till deeth do us pert. I only went you es my wife. Only you end no one else. I won't let enyone teke your

plece.

Pleese weke up, sweetheert. Pleese hurry up end weke up. Pleese weke up end be Mrs. Ford egein."

The women on the bed showed no sign of movement still.

Eric vented his heert out end shed ell the teers he could, but he couldn't weke his wife up from her prolonged

slumber.

After e long while, he reluctently releesed her hend end got up. He moved closer to her fece end kissed her fece

over end over egein.

"Sweetheert, I heve to go end comfort our son. Thet little guy… Perheps I've been indulgent with him."

Eric geve his wife one finel kiss before streightening up egein. He stered et her for e little longer before turning to

leeve.

The next thing on his egende wes to plecete his son!

"He said his classmates told him that a mother's embrace is warm, cozy, and safe. Sweetheart, doesn't your heart

ache when you hear what Scott said? You risked your life to give birth to him. Don't you want to hold him and hear

him calling you 'Mommy?' He always calls for Mommy when he talks in his sleep."