Chapter 4 Take Responsibility

Briony grimaced. She stared at the kid on the asphalt. The boy seemed to have regained consciousness. He began to cry.

"Isn't his condition vulnerable? I mean, we'd better call an ambulance," Briony was worried that the child's arm would get worse if moved.

"You refuse to take responsibility?" the middle-aged woman raised her tone.

"It's not like that. It's just ...." Briony was at a loss for how to explain it. On the one hand, she did feel guilty.

"Just take the child to the hospital, Miss. It would be a shame to leave him here any longer. He's already in so much pain," said a young woman kneeling near the kid.

After a brief deliberation, Briony finally agreed. Several people worked together to get the child into her car. Thanks to their help, Briony was able to quickly get him and his nanny to the hospital.

There, the poor boy was immediately taken to the X-ray examination room. Because his nanny had to take care of the registration, Briony was forced to accompany him inside. She felt awkward, as she didn't know the boy at all. When he struggled, Briony could only press his shoulders to keep him on the table. Her mouth was tight, unsure of what to say.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Could you please calm your son down? We can't take an X-ray if he keeps moving around," a radiographer asked. He was having trouble positioning the patient.

Briony grimaced. "Sorry. He's not my son."

The radiographer furrowed his brows. "Then? Who are you? Why did you accompany him here?"

Briony bit her lip. She was ashamed to admit that she was the cause of his broken arm.

"No problem. Let me try it," Briony said, avoiding the question. Then, she moved her face closer to the boy. With a sweet smile, she said, "Little man, don't be afraid. The machine doesn't bite. It's just for taking photos. It won't hurt."

Unfortunately, the boy kept struggling. "You're lying! You must be trying to cut off my arm. I don't want to lose my hand. I still want to use it!"

Briony was stunned. She hadn't expected the boy to give her such an out-of-this-world answer.

"Cut off your arm?" Briony repeated the boy's assumption in disbelief. A second later, she burst out laughing. Not only the radiographer, but the whining child was also confused.

"Why are you laughing?" the boy inquired, still with his wrinkled face.

Briony pinched his cheek. "That's because you're so cute. Why did you think the doctor would cut off your hand?"

"Because my hand is broken? I heard doctors usually remove damaged body parts during surgery. Isn't this an operating table?" the boy replied timidly, his eyes occasionally glancing at the radiographer.

Briony laughed again. "You must be mistaken. This medic isn't a doctor, but a radiographer. And this isn't an operating table, but an X-ray table. Do you know what a radiographer and an X-ray are?"

The child blinked in confusion. Briony asked again, "Now answer my question. Can you see your bones?"

The boy shook his head. "No."

"That's right. Our bones are covered by skin, so we can't see them directly. However, the doctor needs to know the condition of your bones so they can provide the right treatment. Fortunately, this hospital has an X-ray machine. With this machine, we can get photos of your bones. This radiographer will be the one operating the machine," Briony explained patiently.

The boy thought for a moment. "So this isn't an operation?"

"No. It's just an X-ray examination. You won't feel anything," Briony nodded reassuringly.

"Yes, it's just a photo shoot. It feels like you're taking a photo," the radiographer added.

The boy's eyes narrowed. He was scanning the faces before him for lies.

"So, what would you say? You're not going to fight anymore, are you?" Briony asked, coaxingly. "The sooner you agree, the sooner the doctor can treat your arm. You want it to heal, right?"

The boy sighed in resignation. "Okay, I won't fight anymore. Hurry up and treat my arm."

Briony clapped her hands in relief. "Great! Then, I'll wait for you outside."

"Why are you waiting outside?" the boy scowled. "Remember what Mrs. Powell said. You're the one who hit me. You have to take care of me."

Briony was stunned. She hadn't expected the boy to be so articulate. "Okay. I'll stay here with you."

Then, the radiographer began positioning the broken arm. The boy winced in pain. Fortunately, he didn't cry anymore.

"You're a brave kid, apparently. Now hang in there for a moment. You can close your eyes if you're scared," Briony said, trying to lighten the mood.

The boy shot Briony a sharp glance. "No. I won't close my eyes. If that machine shoots out a sword or a knife, I'll pull my arm away real fast."

The radiographer chuckled. "Nothing like that will come out of this thing. Now, hold on. Ma'am, please make sure the arm stays still."

"I would still pull my hand away if a knife appeared," the boy insisted.

Briony laughed again. Her heart tingled at how intently the boy was watching the machine. While holding his shoulders still, she whispered, "By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. What's your name? I'm Briony."

"Briony? What a weird name. Why did your parents give you that?" the child looked up to see Briony, who was standing near his head.

Briony pursed her lips. "Hey, my name isn't weird. It's actually pretty. My parents chose the initial B on purpose, so it's the same as my mother's. You understand what initials mean, right?"

"Then we're the same. My initials are the same as my father's. I can't read yet, but I know that both of our names start with the letter A."

Briony raised an eyebrow. "What's your name anyway?"

"Andrew."

Briony's heart sank to her stomach. Of all the names in the world, why was the boy's name the same one she had chosen-the name Alex had used for his and Caroline's child? Could it be ....

Briony swallowed hard. Her body felt tense. "So, what's your father's name?" she asked hesitantly.

Before Andrew could answer, the radiographer returned to them. "Done. We have an X-ray picture of your arm."

Andrew's eyes widened. He'd forgotten Briony's question. "Really? That fast? Where is the result? I want to see my bones."

"You can see it in the doctor's office. Now, let me move you to the wheelchair. Please don't move too much so you won't feel pain," the radiographer said as he carried out his duties.

Meanwhile, Briony was still pondering her question. Could Andrew be Alex's son? But the world was bigger than her backyard. How could her fate be so absurd?

"Yes, this must be just a coincidence. Andrew isn't just Alex's son. It's a common name," she thought, convincing herself.

However, when the door of the examination room opened, her confidence wavered. The nanny called Andrew by a familiar name. "Young Master White ...."

Briony's eyes widened completely. She had no idea what the nanny said after that. Her ears were too busy with her own voice.

"Young Master White? His last name is White? Could it be ... Andrew is really Alex's son?"