The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 604 Another Big Favor

Now that Anthony was far away, Sheryl was worried about leaving Shirley unaccompanied in the hospital.

"But BM Corporation will..." Sue wanted to remind Sheryl of the consequences if she would ask for a leave of absence but she held back. She understood Sheryl's concern as a mother of a sick child. No one expected Shirley to fall ill at that time.

For a moment, the two women grimaced at each other. Amy was chatting with Shirley when she caught a glance of their facial expressions. She came over and asked, "What's going on, ladies? Why are you both looking so disturbed?"

"Sorry Amy, we are just worried about... " Sue was about to tell Amy the truth but Sheryl interrupted her.

"Oh, it's nothing serious. Never mind, Amy," Sheryl said lightly to Amy. "What the hell is going on here?" Amy asked while seriously looking straight at Sue. Then she turned her eyes on Sheryl and demanded, "Do you consider me as a stranger?"

"No... of course not, Amy. I didn't mean it that way..." Sheryl hastened to explain with an anxious face, "How could I think of you like a stranger? I... I just...

Sheryl held back the words which sprang out of her lips. She really wanted Amy to be spared from any more hassle.

"Oh dear God! Please allow me to tell you what just happened," Sue said impatiently. "Amy, we will be having a meeting in our company this afternoon. Our boss has declared that it's compulsory for all of us to attend. So, Sher cannot ask for a leave. But we don't want Shirley to be left unattended here. She hesitated to tell you because she wants to bother you no more."

"Is that true, Sheryl?" Amy asked and stared into Sheryl's eyes. Under her clear gaze, Sheryl had to give in. "Yes. Amy. You already helped me a lot. I really can't bother you anymore," she replied after a nod. "Bother me? Not at all!" Amy cried and shook her head lightly. "In my opinion, you really regard me as an outsider."

"No, that's not true," Sheryl immediately denied, but the more anxious she was, the more incoherent she became. Finally, Amy motioned her to stop the explanations.

"I've always enjoyed being with children. I have a six-year-old granddaughter and a three-year-old grandson. They are about the same age as Shirley. I play with them at home every day. So, you two should go ahead with your company meeting. I'll take good care of Shirley here," she said in a soft voice.

"I'm already ashamed to ask another favor from you..." Sheryl said, wrinkling her brows but Sue abruptly interrupted her,"Thank you so much, Amy! Can we treat you to dinner later to show our gratitude?" "You don't have to do that," Amy said, smiling. "We are together here for a reason. It's normal for you young people to be busy with your work."

Sheryl tugged at Sue's sleeve. "Mimi," she opened her mouth in a grumbling?tone,"now that you told her everything, I'm pretty sure, Amy is already embarrassed to refuse us. We've been bothering her so much lately, I..."

"Well, let's stop arguing now," Sue butted in. "Tell me who else can look after Shirley at this moment besides Amy?"

"I..." Sheryl didn't want to admit it, but it was true that she really couldn't replace anyone else to take care of Shirley besides Amy.

"Okay, it's settled then," Amy said decisively. "You go to your meeting and leave Shirley with me."

"Well, thank you for being so helpful, Amy." In the end, Sheryl had no choice but to accept Amy's offer of help.

"Is Shirley Xia's immediate family here?" Sheryl was still thanking Amy when a nurse suddenly entered the ward. Sheryl slightly raised her hand to indicate that she was the one the nurse was looking for. "Ma'am, Shirley can leave the hospital now. Please pass by the nurses' station and sign the discharge papers," the nurse added.

Sheryl was so surprised that she froze in the spot. After a moment, she asked with a perplexed look,"Now?"

"Yes, Ma'am," the nurse answered with a quick nod. "She is now stable enough to go home. If you are really worried about her health, just bring her in for a follow-up check-up tomorrow." "But..." Sheryl was a little lost about the unexpected news.

Amy took Sheryl's arm and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll bring her back to my house. My two grandchildren happened to be at home. Shirley can play with them. You can pick her up from my house after the meeting. What do you think?" Amy warmly put forward a suggestion.

Sheryl agreed after she thought about the idea.

After processing Shirley's discharge papers, Sheryl and Sue accompanied Amy and Shirley to Amy's house. As soon as they opened the door, Cindy and Rick expectantly came out together. At the sight of so many people, Rick grew timid. Shirley said hi to the two kids, but Cindy walked directly to Sheryl and tugged at her dress.

"Hello, anything wrong, little girl?" Sheryl's attention was immediately attracted by the pretty and cute girl. She smiled kindly and crouched down. Just as she was about to continue talking to Cindy, Sue pulled her up and promptly said, "Sher, we must hurry or we'll be late for the meeting."

Sheryl instantly turned to Amy and said, "Amy, please take care of Shirley for me for a few hours. We'll have to go now."

"No worries Sheryl. Just go," Amy urged, holding Shirley in one hand and Rick in the other.

They then sent Sheryl and Sue off in the front yard. As the two women turned and hurried away, Cindy remained at the front yard where she gazed at the leaving Sheryl intently. She wondered why the beautifu lady whom she clearly remembered did not seem to recognize her.

"Cindy, what are you looking at? Hurry back inside, it's too hot in there," Amy called out and interrupted Cindy's thoughts.

Shirley was an outgoing girl with a sociable nature. Rick was a generous boy and shared his toys with Shirley. Although they met for the first time, they already bonded with each other. Cindy pensively entered the house. After a brief hesitation, she approached Amy. "Grandma, wasn't that Autumn?" she asked, puzzled.

"You remember her?" Cindy's words startled Amy. Little did she know that Cindy still remembered Autumn. After all, Cindy was just a three-year-old kid when Autumn disappeared.

"Yes," Cindy said with a nod. "But why didn't Autumn remember me?"

"Because..." Amy paused and gave a deep sigh. "She got so ill three years ago that she forgot all about her past, including you," she explained briefly.

"Oh, I see. Will she remember me again later?" Cindy questioned worriedly, looking up at Amy.

Amy pondered for a few seconds, and then shook her head and said, "I don't know sweetie. Maybe she will or maybe she won't."

Then she gently patted Cindy's head and said, "Go now and play with Rick and Shirley. I'll cut some fruit for all of you."

Soon, Abby walked down the stairs. She noticed that there was a new girl in the room. She had never seen the little girl, but when Shirley looked up at her, she immediately concluded that she was Autumn's daughter.

The girl was the image of a little Autumn.