Niki was young, but unusually mature for her age.
Watching her, Danielle felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She reached out to gently ruffle Niki's hair, her voice warm and reassuring as she told her daughter to focus on being happy and growing up—the rest was nothing Niki needed to worry about.
Once Niki had drifted off to sleep, Danielle quietly fetched the first aid kit and re-dressed the bandage on her own wrist. The stitches from her last hospital visit had torn open again; she'd have to see a doctor tomorrow to get it properly taken care of.
Staring at the angry, raw wound on her wrist, Danielle frowned, a knot of unease tightening in her chest. Her job demanded a steady hand—operating control systems with millimeter precision, and even though much of the work was now handled by machines, some projects still required a delicate human touch. If her wrist failed to heal properly, it could jeopardize everything she'd built.
Unable to shake the worry, she grabbed her coat and called a cab to the hospital.
Danielle signed in at the emergency desk. The doctor examined her wrist carefully. "You need to rest that hand for a while. It's a deep cut, but you're lucky—it missed the major nerves and tendons. If you keep reopening the wound, though, there's a good chance it'll leave lasting damage."
She nodded, waiting quietly as the doctor cleaned and re-stitched the cut. Once finished, she headed to the cashier's window to pay her bill.
At the late-night payment counter, Danielle suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure in the crowd. She paused, about to call out, but then saw Vivian hurrying toward the inpatient wing, clutching a folder of documents.
Danielle's brows drew together in concern as she followed, her footsteps quiet down the corridor. Vivian stopped outside the door to the respiratory ward.
Inside, she could hear her mother's gentle voice. "You've been running around after me all day, and still taking care of business. Things at the company haven't been easy, have they?"
Vivian peeled an orange, her tone breezy. "Don't worry about any of that. I have a meeting with the investors tomorrow. As long as they come through, we'll be back on track in no time. You just focus on getting better."
Danielle stood frozen outside the door, listening to her mother and uncle talk.
Uncle's sick? Why didn't anyone tell me? Why are they keeping this from me?
Her heart thudded with unease. Without a word, she turned and walked to the nurses' station.
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