Chapter 35
Emerging from the Temple of the Spring Goddess, it was already deep into the night. The group gradually dispersed, each heading home. Sir Nolan purposely took a longer route, walking Garrett Nordmark to a street not far from his own home before parting ways.
Garrett walked alone down the small street. He glanced around, the houses on both sides were pitch black, devoid of any light. It seemed like everyone inside had already retired for the night. Occasionally, a dogs bark would break the silence, sporadic and dreamlike.
In this sea of darkness, Garrett tried to match his memories, struggling to recognize his own house. Unfortunately, the surroundings were too dark, and the houses all seemed similarlow, narrow, with eaves almost within arm's reach. Glancing around, he hadn't spotted a house resembling his own after a while, and a sense of impatience crept over him:
"How reliable are my past memories, really?"
To add to his troubles, his stomach chose that moment to loudly grumble.
Garrett: ""
He had dinner earlier, but clearly, it wasn't enough. At this hour, where could he find something to eat?
Did the previous owner store any dry food before going on patrol?
Even if there was, after a couple of days, would the black bread still be edible?
Maybe he should have stayed at the barracks tonight? Could he still make it back and knock on the door?
Garretts mind swirled with various thoughts as he turned a corner, suddenly met with brightness. Thirty or so steps away, light seeped out of a window, not bright but quite noticeable in the pitch-black night.
Instinctively, Garrett walked toward that house. After a few steps, the door creaked open, and a slender woman holding an oil lamp cautiously stepped out. Spotting Garrett not far away, she brightened up, vigorously waving at him:
"Little Garrett! You're back! Had dinner?Karen! Edward! Little Garrett's back!"nove(l)bi(n.)com
Rushing out of the house led by Uncle Karen, a group of people surged forward.
Garrett stood rooted to the spot. For some reason, his heart felt a pang, his eyes already welling up.
Since childhood, his parents had divorced, and his mother had worked tirelessly, selling noodles in the morning and thin porridge at night, struggling to raise him. Studying medicine, practicing it, every end of semester during school felt like taking entrance exams. After starting to work, it was continuous overtime, never enough time with his mother. Just as he was promoted to deputy director, hoping for some ease, life took a turn, leaving him yearning but unattended in the sea of lights.
Until today.
"Aunt Irene"
He murmured. The woman had already rushed over, grabbing him and looking around:
Avi persisted with her raised arm. Despite his attempts to avoid it, Garrett always lost against the determination of the little girl. He remembered the girl being fragile, her face turning pale at the slightest exertion. Garrett didnt want Avi to strain herself. Helplessly, he turned to Aunt Irene, complaining:
"Aunt, why tell Avi these things?"
"Of course, I'll tell her." Aunt Irene stood by, smilingly observing, even raising her chin, signaling Garrett not to refuse. Garrett had no choice but to open his mouth, letting Avi feed him.
As soon as the tip touched his tongue, a faint sweetness spread. It was a malt candy. In his previous life, such a trivial sweet, but here, a rare treat for children, often treasured for a month or two.
"Thank you"
Garrett gently patted Avi's hair. The little girl responded with a smile but suddenly burst into a fit of coughing, pressing her chest, her face turning crimson. Garrett hesitated, reaching out to pat her back, halfway through, his heart skipped a beat.
Early summer, the weather was warming up. The girl had dashed out in slippers. Her tiny toes peeked out, and her toenails, supposed to be a light pink, seemed to darken under the lamplight.
Cyanosis?!
Alarm bells rang in Garrett's mind. He rubbed his eyes, not daring to believe, afraid he had seen wrong. He reached out, moving the oil lamp closer to illuminate Avi's feet, scrutinizing
No mistake, Avi's toenails indeed had a hint of purple, cyanosis!
Aunt Irene rushed over by then, embracing her daughter, gently patting her back. As she comforted Avi, she responded to Garrett's query:
"It's alright. Avi just doesn't like
to move, weak in health, prone to coughs during seasonal changes."
Garrett shuddered. Fragments of memories resurfaced; Avi had always been frail since childhood, prone to fatigue, coughing during changes of season, smaller than her peers...
For a while, Avi's cough subsided, her flushed face gradually fading. Garrett took the chance to observe closely. Her lips were rosy, slightly pale, but no signs of cyanosis. He took her hand, checking her fingernails, which showed a delicate pink color.
Lower body more affected than upper. Differential cyanosis.
Garretts heart sank uncontrollably. All signs pointed to an illness he hesitated to suspect but had to consider.
"Don't rush, don't rush, it might not be." Garrett desperately reassured himself, forcing a smile, "Aunt Irene, as you know, I've recently become a healer. Avi's cough sounds severe. Could you get me a tube, let me listen to her breath?"
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