The “Strawberry Juice” That Saved My Son Chapter 05

The “Strawberry Juice” That Saved My Son Chapter 05

Ethan’s mind went blank.

He stared at my mother. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

“Time off? The hospital said she never checked in, so I thought…”

“You thought nothing!”

My mother’s voice shot up.

“She said that day was your wedding anniversary! She said you were busy with work, so she would pick up

Noah and bring him to your station to surprise you!”

Ethan’s body went rigid.

His gaze locked on Noah’s small canvas backpack.

I drifted over and looked at the bag.

Besides the teddy bear Ethan had pulled out earlier, there was a square navy velvet box lying quietly in one

corner.

It was the watch I had gone to several stores to choose for him.

My mother slid down beside the bed and sat on the ground.

She covered her face with both hands and let out a muffled sob.

“Her phone wouldn’t connect… No one was home… I thought she was with you…”

“Where could she have gone? Where could my Joy have gone?”

Ethan pulled out his phone with shaking hands.

His finger slid across the screen and opened our message thread.

The most recent conversation was still from the night before the earthquake.

He had sent a long accusation, saying I was cold, saying I did not care about this family, saying I never

understood him.

My reply was only one sentence.

“Tomorrow, let’s talk properly.”

Tomorrow.

There was no tomorrow.

“She went to pick up Noah…”

Ethan mufmured. His throat fuoved.

Then he looked up sharply and grabbed the rescue worker beside him by the arm, so hard he almost crushed

the man’s bones.

“Where did you find Noah?

The worker was startled and quickly answered, “By the daycare wall. The wall collapsed and happened to

form a small triangular space. The child was inside it. When we found him, he was alone.”

“Alone…”

All the color drained from Ethan’s face.

Then, like a madman, he pushed everyone in front of him aside and rushed out of the tent.

“Go back! Everyone, go back! Back to the dig site!”

“Under that triangular space! There has to be more space underneath!”

I rushed out after him.

He led the team stumbling back to the ruins.

The heavy excavators had already been sent to the more urgent east district.

Ethan looked at the mountain of concrete and steel bars. Without a word, he dropped to his knees and began

clawing at the rubble with his bare hands.

His nails bent back against the rough stones.

Blood welled up immediately.

He did not feel the pain.

I floated above him and watched as broken stone and rebar sliced his fingers open.

Mud and blood smeared across both his hands.

I did not know whether to cry or laugh.

Ethan, every stone you were digging through had once pressed down on me until I could not breathe.

“Captain! Captain, calm down!”

A concrete slab half the height of a person began to sway.

His teammates rushed forward and grabbed him around the waist, trying to drag him away from the danger

zone.

“You’ll cause another collapse if you keep doing this! Then we’ll all be buried here!”

“Get off me!”

Ethan roared.

His bloodshot eyes were full of madness as he pushed against the massive slab with all his strength.

“Joy is still down there! She didn’t leave! She might still be alive!”

I drifted down through his teammates.

From behind him, I reached out and wrapped my arms around him in a hollow embrace.

“Stop digging, Ethan.”

“I don’t hurt anymore.”

Of course, he could not hear me.

He could not break free from his teammates.

At last, he collapsed to his knees on the rubble.

He grabbed the walkie-talkie at his waist and pressed the talk button over and over, shouting into it again

and again.

“Joy! Answer me!”

“Joy! Can you hear me? Answer me!”

I looked at the walkie-talkie in his hand.

That one was his.

The other one had been broken in Noah’s hand.

In the distance, Noah was being held by a nurse. He seemed to hear the commotion.

He struggled out from the nurse’s arms and looked toward Ethan on the ruins.

Then he lifted the small broken walkie-talkie in his hand and pressed the button.

“Daddy…”

“Mommy said… if it doesn’t hurt anymore, that means she turned into a star.”

Static crackled through the air.

Every movement in Ethan’s body stopped.

He remained kneeling there.

It was as if every bone and every bit of strength had been pulled out of him.