Chapter 241: A Frail Figure

Chapter 241: Chapter 241: A Frail Figure

On the day of the event, the corridors of this rehabilitation hospital in the suburbs of Los Angeles, which were usually so quiet that only footsteps could be heard, finally gained a bit of lively warmth.

Light-colored flowers and balloons were meticulously arranged on the lawn, and the long tables were laden with soft cupcakes, brightly colored gift boxes, Barbie dolls, transformers, and remote-controlled cars.

Just after nine o’clock, many parents arrived one after another, leading their sick children by the hand. The children stood on their tiptoes to pick out their favorite gifts, their crisp laughter drifting up the corridor.

By the window of the sixth-floor corridor stood a frail figure.

It was an Asian-looking girl with short, neat black hair. Her oversized blue-and-white hospital gown made her face look even paler.

She rested her hands lightly on the windowsill, her eyes watching the lively scene below. A longing she couldn’t hide was buried in her eyes, yet she didn’t move a step.

Irene was walking out of the office with the hospital director when she spotted this lonely figure from behind.

That small, frail appearance, longing for the excitement through the glass, instantly touched the softest part of her heart. It was just like her past life, lying on a hospital bed and yearning for the world outside.

She nodded slightly to the director and walked forward softly, gently tapping the girl’s shoulder with her fingertips.

"Why are you standing here alone? There are gifts downstairs. You can go down and pick one too."

The girl turned around abruptly, revealing a delicate but bloodless little face. She looked to be barely in her early teens.

She nervously gripped the hem of her hospital gown and shook her head gently, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "I heard the nurses say those were for the little children... I’m not that small anymore."

Irene’s heart suddenly ached. She knelt down to be at eye level with her, her tone as soft as cotton. "It’s okay. In my eyes, you’re exactly a little child. Go on down. Just say Irene specifically saved a gift for you."

A glimmer of light instantly lit up in the girl’s eyes, and she asked cautiously, "Really... can I?"

"Of course you can." Irene smiled and rubbed her short hair, her tone filled with a certain tenderness. "I arranged everything. They all listen to me."

"Sister, you’re amazing," the girl whispered in admiration.

Irene stood up, took her cool little hand, and walked toward the elevator with the director.

In the small elevator, the girl saw the director beside her and immediately lowered her head obediently, greeting him softly, "Hello, Director."

A gentle smile appeared on the director’s face, and he asked with concern, "Lin, how have you been lately? How are you adjusting to the new medicine the hospital switched you to?"

Lin nodded gently. "I’m doing well. Thank you for your concern, Director."

When the elevator reached the first floor, Irene let go of her hand and encouraged her softly, "Go on, pick the gift you like best."

Watching Lin’s figure as she ran toward the gift area, looking back every few steps but still moving happily, Irene turned to the director, her voice filled with unmistakable heartache. "Her name is Lin?"

"Lin Campbell." The director looked at the small figure and let out a long sigh, his eyes full of pity. "She just turned twelve this year and has been living in our hospital for three whole years."

"Her parents were Wall Street financial professionals during their lifetime, and the family was well-off. Lin has suffered from congenital heart disease since she was a child. The couple exhausted everything to treat her, desperately saving money and searching for a suitable heart donor, wanting their daughter to be completely free from pain."

"But a car accident three years ago took the couple’s lives, leaving behind Lin, who was only nine at the time."

The director’s voice lowered slightly. "The child was too young, and her heart couldn’t handle the stress. No orphanage dared to take her in. We had no choice but to let her stay at the hospital for the time being, using the inheritance her parents left behind to continue her treatment."

"But heart surgery is expensive, and the subsequent care is a money pit. Over the past three years, the money in the account has dwindled. We really couldn’t sustain the expensive specialized medication anymore...

Half a month ago, after discussing it carefully with Lin, we had to switch her to lower-cost basic medication to maintain her condition for now."

Irene listened in silence, her heart sighing involuntarily. This child was very much like her, having endured long periods in the hospital and having tasted the bitterness of helplessness.

Even their names had similarities. She looked at the other’s Asian features. Lin was holding a pink Barbie doll, a faint smile on her lips, and the sunlight fell on her soft black hair.

Twelve years old should be an age for running in the sun and laughing while holding textbooks, but Lin had to wait alone for a slim hope amidst the smell of disinfectant. Before she could properly experience the wonders of the world, she was trapped by illness and loneliness.

Irene looked at the figure not far away, holding a Barbie doll with a shy but genuine smile. It felt as if something had struck her heart heavily. A thought became increasingly clear: she wanted to help this child, and not just with a one-time gift or a brief moment of excitement.

Just then, a slight commotion came from the other side of the hospital.

Irene turned to look and saw Shelly accompanying Britney out of another building, followed by three or four reporters carrying cameras and digital voice recorders.

Britney was wearing an off-white casual dress, her long hair loosely tied up. She wasn’t wearing heavy makeup, and a trace of lingering emotion remained between her brows. There were even undried tear stains at the corners of her eyes.

Irene stepped forward quickly. "Why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Britney hurriedly raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, her voice still a bit choked up. "I’m not unwell. It’s just that Shelly just took me to see a sixteen-year-old boy. He’s a fan of mine and has written many letters to me before."

She sniffled, her eyes turning red again. "He said in his letters that he has ALS, and his greatest wish was to see me in person. I originally thought it was just an ordinary fan letter, but I didn’t know how much pain he was enduring until I came here and saw him.

He even struggled to raise his hand to greet me, yet he still smiled and said to me, ’Thank you for coming to see me.’ I really didn’t know until I came here. They are so pitiful. We must truly help them!"

Shelly added from the side, "We didn’t tell Britney too many details before coming, as we wanted her to have a natural meeting with her fan. We didn’t expect the child to really be thinking about her all this time. His bedside was even covered with Britney’s posters."

As soon as he finished speaking, reporters swarmed around. The camera shutters clicked, and digital voice recorders were handed to the two of them one after another.

"Ms. Spears, how did you become interested in the ALS community? Was this special visit to the hospital to see a fan planned long ago?" the reporter from The Hollywood Reporter asked first, pen ready to record in a notebook.

#Note: This story is really good, man. It raises awareness about diseases like ALS. I didn’t even know this disease existed before.