The next day.
It was 10 a.m. John had invited the most famous doctor in town to Imperial Garden to run an examination on Nicole.
“Doctor, I’ve been hallucinating at irregular times these days… Is there anything wrong with my brain? Or could it be some form of mental problem?”
“Just relax. Let me have a look.”
Then, the doctor asked a series of questions and carried out a few physical checks on her. “There seems to be nothing wrong with your health. Everything appears normal,” he said after a brief moment of analysis.
Nicole gave a somewhat confused frown. “I’m normal? Why have I been having hallucinations then?”
The doctor was quiet for a second before he answered, “It could be a result of external triggers instead of physical health factors.”
External triggers?
She couldn’t understand what he meant. “I can’t remember being triggered by anyone whenever I have these episodes. It feels like they just happened out of the blue.”
“What I meant was,” he answered mindfully, “There’s a possibility that it could be due to some form of shock on your consciousness or the nervous system, which might have resulted from something you ate or came into physical contact with. It’s likely that your body isn’t showing any symptoms as of now after you’ve recovered from such triggers.”
She pondered upon his words in silence.
Her eyes darted around as she tried to trace back on her memories. A few minutes had passed, yet she failed to recall anything unusual about her food or anything she had touched.
“Doctor, I don’t think I’ve eaten or touched anything weird like you said,” she replied as she looked up. “I can’t think of any possible reasons.”
Another brief silence followed. “Hmm… In this case, I shall go back and do some more research on this matter. In the meantime, please continue to be wary of your surroundings and let me know if you notice anything. Perhaps we’ll get closer to the answers from that.”
She nodded. “Thank you, doctor.”
He gestured back with a smile as he stood up. “This is my duty. Besides, Mr. Seet has been very kind to me, so don’t mention it.”
After sending the doctor off, Nicole began to think through his words over and over again.
Could it be that she had really eaten something wrong? Or maybe she had indeed touched something which she shouldn’t have? She paced back and forth in the living room throughout that morning, attempting to grasp any clue she could’ve missed during the discussion.
Later that evening, she was extremely cautious of everything laid out on the dinner table. With a silver needle, she poked around on every piece of food before putting it in her mouth.
Her four kids stared at their mother while watching her meticulous antics. Then, they began to feel anxious.
“Mommy, is there something wrong with the dishes?” Juan asked as his bright obsidian-like pupils fixated on her.
The other three looked on worryingly in silence.
She didn’t know the answer either. The only thing she knew was that the doctor had instructed her to be careful at all times.
“Who knows,” she replied bluntly while she continued stabbing around on her plate. “We’ll only find out after testing them.”
Seeing her mother’s paranoid acts, Maya suddenly felt a tingling sensation crawling across her skin. She remembered the prickling pain back then when Susan had stung her with a needle.
Fear welled up in her crystal clear eyes. “Mommy, stop…” she pleaded with a shaky voice, “Stop poking the dishes. It’s painful to them!”
Nicole paused abruptly.
Her little girl was so surprisingly kind… She even worried if the dishes could feel the pain.
Nicole looked up and saw the dreadful look in her daughter’s eyes. She recognized where that fear had come from.
Maya must’ve been traumatized still, hence her dramatic reaction.
Pain nibbled at her heart. With a sigh, she placed the needle down and pinched her daughter’s cheeks lovingly. “Alright. Mommy’s not going to poke them anymore, okay?”
Maya nodded in relief. A mist had fogged up in the girl’s glistening eyes.
She couldn’t help feeling a sense of remorse as she put the needle away. She ended up triggering her daughter’s trauma due to her worries. However, she was still concerned if the dishes could’ve caused her hallucinations. She thought about it and came up with an idea.
She could let Maya spend the next couple of days over at the Seet Residence! This way, she could avoid upsetting her girl while giving herself a little more time to figure out the answers.
As soon as dinner was finished, she gave Sophia a call.
“Of course they’re welcome to stay! I haven’t seen the kids in days and I’d love to spend some time with them as well. I can head over and pick them up anytime!” Sophia’s voice rang cheerfully across the phone.
“Alright then. Thank you so much!”
“Oh please, you’re more than welcome to ask away whenever you need anything! Once we catch Susan and settle the case of Evan’s grandfather, you both should get married…” Sophia said. She continued with a hint of regret in her voice, “I’m sorry, Nicole. The past few years must have been so tough for you. I can’t wait for the day when you’ll finally have your wedding with Evan and officially become a part of our family.”
Nicole smiled. “Don’t worry, Sophia. Evan treats me well, and I’m grateful for our four kids too. Things haven’t been easy, but I feel blessed.”
Despite all the ups and downs, she was contented that her children and the man she loved were still by her side. They had united as a family after all.
