Blair didn't understand. Her eyes were open the whole time. Why did Wesley blame her for not opening her eyes to look at Chubby Monkey?
As she was trying to figure this out, Wesley turned and carried Chubby Monkey away, saying that he was taking Chubby Monkey to meet his new mom.
Blair was heartbroken. She yelled Wesley's name as she dashed towards the black hole as fast as her two feet could carry her.
She jumped into it and started falling. It was so dark she had to close her eyes. Darkness always scared her. The sensation of falling gave her vertigo.
She didn't know how much time had passed. When she opened her eyes again, a bright light could be seen. The glare forced her to shut her eyes again.
She didn't know where she was. The air smelled of roses.
But she hadn't found Wesley yet. She couldn't keep her eyes shut. She'd never see him that way.
She tried to open her eyes, and that was when she saw Wesley.
Their eyes met. He looked happy and affectionate. "Chubby Monkey…" she said in a hoarse voice.
Wesley was confused. "What's this about a monkey?"
Blair shook her head. "My son…"
The joy in his eyes faded. "Honey, shouldn't I be the one you want to see most?"
"You're taking my son away…" She was so weak she started gasping for air.
Wesley kissed her on the lips. His eyes reddened with tears. "Honey, I missed you so much."
"Chubby Monkey… No… My son…" Blair had never seen her son before. Did he look like the Chubby Monkey in her dream?
Wesley called the family physician first. Then he called Cecelia to ask her to bring Gifford upstairs.
When Cecelia saw that Blair was awake, she laughed and cried tears of joy. "Ah! Blair, you're finally awake!"
"Mom…" Blair called weakly. But her eyes quickly landed on the little guy standing beside Cecelia. He was clutching a toy, staring at her.
And he did look exactly like Chubby Monkey.
Wesley gestured Gifford to come forward. "Your mom's awake. Come and talk to her."
This was the first time Gifford had seen Blair with her eyes open. He needed a little time to adjust. For a moment, he was quiet. Then he toddled alongside the bed, holding the bedspread for support.
Blair was excited. She moved towards the edge of the bed to touch Gifford. He was a bit shy, though, and tried to move backwards. He fell on bottom, the diaper providing a cushion.
Wesley frowned at his reaction. He squatted down and hugged him. "What did I tell you? Do you remember who she is?"
Gifford nodded and dropped the toy. He walked up to Blair, held her hand and called, "Mommy."
Tears poured down her face. She sobbed uncontrollably.
The family physician arrived fairly quickly. After giving Blair a thorough physical examination, he concluded that she was doing great. With a little more time to recuperate, she would be fully recovered.
When they were left alone, Wesley looked at Blair affectionately.
"You must be tired. Wanna lie back down?"
"I don't."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid if I close my eyes, it'll be another two years before I get to see you." She sounded sad.
Wesley smiled. "That won't happen. I won't let it."
"Okay." She was actually sleepy. She could barely keep her eyes open.
Finally, sleep won, and she drifted off.
Wesley put her hand to his lips and kissed it. 'Thank you, my love. Thank you for waking up.'
Blair didn't wake up until the next morning. Worried that she had fallen into another coma, Wesley had been waiting restlessly by her bedside. When she slowly opened her eyes, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Hi. Feeling better?" Wesley asked anxiously.
"Much better," Blair replied.
Wesley relaxed. "Hungry? Mom made watered-down congee. Eat some, okay?" Blair had gone to sleep without eating a thing last night. And she was too weak to eat solid food. So Cecelia had made her something babies could eat. Something packed with nutrients for instant energy.
Blair nodded.
Wesley fetched a bowl of watery congee and fed her some. Blair looked better after getting a little food in her. And he thought it was a good time for a talk.
"We need to talk."
"Okay." Blair wondered what he wanted to talk about.
Wesley looked rather serious.
"You were almost thirty. How could you be so silly?"
"Hmm?" Blair was confused.
"You were pregnant. What were you thinking? Did you think of our kid?"
By now, she realized that he was blaming her for taking the bullets for him. "You saved me a lot. I saved you once. It's no big deal." She saw he was in danger. It was right there. How could she just do nothing?
Wesley pinched her nose. "First of all, I'm a soldier. That's my job. Secondly, I'm a man. I'm supposed to protect you. Thirdly, I can take care of myself. But if I have to watch out for you, that puts us both at risk. Did you want the baby? It was dangerous…" His voice trailed off.
He had been so scared back then.
Blair gave him a grin but didn't reply. If she could turn back time, she'd do it all over again. She wouldn't watch him get hurt.
Wesley sighed. "One more thing." He cued up some surveillance footage on his phone and handed it to her.
Blair told him that she believed nothing happened between him and Patty, but he still wanted to prove his innocence.
The video had been saved on his phone. He had been waiting to play it for her.
In the video, Wesley and Patty were in a room together. It was gray, featureless, and there was almost no furniture but a table and chair. It looked like an interrogation. She could hear their voices.
"That night, after I drove you home, I got a phone call from the police on my way home. They asked me to go to the police station because Patty told them she'd only talk if I was there. So I came by to make sure she kept her word. I drove to the police station. When you called, I was in the middle of the interrogation." Blair learned the rest from the video.
Realizing what exactly happened that night, she felt embarrassed for having been mad at Wesley. She pushed the phone away and said, "I said I believed you. Why did you show me this?"
Wesley raised his brow and closed the video. "So you said. But I know you. Did you know how focused you were on the video just now?"
Blair blushed. 'He knows everything.'
"Blair, you silly woman." 'She isn't smart. Too naive by half, too gullible.
But she's my silly woman. I love her. I love everything about her.'
Blair stuck out her tongue. "Stop nagging me. It will only make me sillier," she protested.
