章節 107: The Calm Before the Storm

A month ago when they all explained the truth to her it had been hard to accept, almost an impossible reality. After taking it in at first she had been horrendously angered at Jian and everyone for not telling her.

After having carefully considered it though Chang realized she might not have done it any differently in their shoes.

Later that night after coming to that realization she had held Jian tightly and apologized for taking her anger out on him. He held her gently like she was made of glass and told her he would take it all, no matter what it was. Only for her. Always for her.

His words hit her in the soft spot of her chest and she was rendered wordless. Unable to say anything more she buried herself in his arms. Somewhere along the way he had become her bedrock, in the tranquility of his arms she slept peacefully.

Seeing her in repose, Liang Jian Amal whispered words into her ears causing a small smile to bloom on her face, in her dreams she must have heard him. He felt his heart lighten seeing her safe in his arms and let himself go as well.

To know that she had only about a month more with her mom crushed her a little, time took on a whole new meaning for her with that.

Chang was still healing from the pain of the loss from her father and now had to prepare to lose her mother too. It was just too much for her to process some days.

She noticed too as she spent more time with her mother, while her own condition was improving her mother's was worsening; even with the treatments.

Li Hua fatigued easily, and had started having trouble controlling her moments at times. She would drop glasses or utensils almost regularly, and even had a hard time holding cards when they would play at night. She walked jerkily and was even given a walking cane to help assist her a week ago.

It killed Chang a little inside when she saw these little things. It drove home it all.

Chang had her head laid on her mother's lap savoring the feeling of her running her fingers through her hair like she had when she was a child. Every moment she had left with her mother she treasured more than anything else.

"Hey mom?"

"Yes sweetie?" Li Hua paused for a moment before continuing. The two were on Li Hua's favorite swinging bench in the water garden, the sunlight streamed down on them between the willow leaves warming them.

Over the last month the weather had grown slightly chillier as November heralded its arrival. It would still though be considered mild, even to her San Francisco standards of not more than 80° or less than 50°.

"Will you tell me the story of how you and Dad met again?"

Li Hua paused for a moment before recounting the tale of her youth. She still remembered it just like yesterday.

"I first met Hénri Alexander Dumont shortly after I turned 19 years old. I was working in my parents shop, arranging the stock outside when I heard a large crash to my right." Li Hua giggled remembering the sight.

"A large man was sprawled over a line of suitcases with a bunch of other things from a higher shelf he took down with him, probably trying to stop his fall. Within just a minute he ruined what had taken me the better part of an hour to put up.

"I of course berated him as he put everything back up, completely red in the face like a tomato. After putting everything back up, he ran out like I was a devil hot on his heels."

Chang laughed imagining just how embarrassed her dad had probably been then.

Liang Jian Amal standing next to Hakim al-Hassan watching over the two women laughing on the bench. The older man looked at the younger, one hand clasped behind his back the other on the latter's shoulder.

"This is what we fight to protect."

"Do you really believe that war will come to here?"

"Your uncles have made their move. I hope not but we need to be prepared for the worst."