Zoey froze in her tracks, turning to see Fitch clutching his arm, his eyes wide with shock as they met hers.
Barefoot and bleeding, she looked like a ghost of herself, drained of all spirit.
Fitch hadn't even noticed his own wound until now, but the pain was suddenly unbearable.
"Zoey, what happened? You're scaring me."
Trying to speak, Zoey quickly closed the distance between them, her hands grabbing the front of his shirt.
"Where's Nolan? Where is he?"
Sweat beaded on Fitch's forehead as he caught the panic in her eyes, rushing to reassure her.
"He's fine, don't worry. Not a scratch on him, safe and sound."
The tension in Zoey's body melted away, almost causing her to faint right there.
Fitch, wincing from his injury, wrapped his other arm around her waist. "Let's get you back to the hospital."
"I'm not going anywhere until | see Nolan."
Fitch quickly glanced around until he spotted Nolan beingforted by a passerby who had stopped their car, charmed by the
boy's good looks and worried by his silence.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Nolan,e here, your mom wants to see you!"
Nolan hadn't noticed Zoey approaching, but at Fitch's call, he ran over to them.
Seeing her child unharmed, Zoey's eyes filled with tears as she bent down to embrace him tightly.
Nolan struggled to breathe in her tight grip but didn't say a word, simply patting her back gently,forting her in his own way.
Zoey felt a painful urge to cry but found herself unable to shed a tear.
After a moment, she suddenly stood up and slapped Fitch across the face.
His head turned with the force of the slap, drawing the attention of those around them, seven starting to take photos.
Fitch knew why he was slapped; it was his carelessness that had led to this danger.
Zoey bit her lip in anger, but the moment her slap landed on his cheek, she felt numb, the pain mingling with numbness.
His arm was still bleeding, but he pulled her into an embrace. "It's okay, I'm sorry | scared you."
Only then did Zoey begin to cry, pushing him away even as he held her tightly.
"Honey, I'm so sorry."
From the moment Zoey hade to her senses, Fitch's apologies had been endless.
Tears finally breaking free, Zoey buried her face in his chest and wept.
Nolan, watching from the side, frowned at the onlookers taking photos, already aware of the need to protect his parents’ privacy at
such a young age.
Fitch ignored the crowd until the sound of paramedics approached.
"Sir, you really should get that arm looked at in the hospital."
The wound was deep, surely painful, but he remained stoic, sweat only evident on his forehead.
It was only then that Zoey seemed to remember Fitch was also hurt and quickly let him go.
Seizing the moment, Fitch leaned in for a quick kiss on her lips.
"It's okay, no more tears."
She didn't respond, her hand instead taken by Nolan.
"Mommy, don't cry."
Zoey's eyes welled up again, her voice hoarse, "Let's go to the hospital, get your arm taken care of."
Fitch's face lit up with a grin, burying his face in her neck. "Yeah."
"Get off me, you're too close."
"My arm hurts."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"It's your arm that's hurt, not your head, keep your distance."
"Losing blood here, feeling dizzy, just letlean on you."
Zoey frowned, seeing his arm still bleeding, unsure if he was really feeling dizzy or just making excuses, and fell silent.
In a corner unseen, Fitch's lips curled into a sly smile.
He even wished his injuries were worse, anything to make her worry more about him.
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