Stubborn On The Lips
With that, Shane threw the handkerchief onto Jackson’s face and turned around for the elevator with
both hands tucked inside his own pockets.
Silas did not immediately follow suit. Instead, he gestured at Jackson with a finger to the two security
guards so that they would watch Jackson, just to make sure Jackson did not do anything foolish. Only
afterward did he go after Shane.
Although Mr. Shane was not explicit about wanting to stop Dr. Baker from seeking death, he must not
actually wish to see the doctor dead. Otherwise, he would not have bothered to make the trip and to
bring up Dr. Baker’s parents at all. All in all, Mr. Shane must just be stubborn on the lips.
When they stepped outside the entrance to the hospital, Shane suddenly paused. Amidst Silas’
confoundment, the former took out his phone to make a call.
Very quickly, Silas realized who he was calling. Shane had called Jackson’s parents and told them
everything; about Jacqueline’s death, Jackson’s resultant anguish, as well as his desire to end his own
life over it.
Jackson’s parents nearly fainted from their aggrievement over that.
Knowing well what sort of person Jacqueline was, they had never approved of Jackson’s infatuation with
that woman. That was especially the case in a recent couple of months past when Jackson and
Jacqueline started seeing each other in earnest—a situation that they met with fervent opposition. The
debacle with Jacqueline went as far as to drive a wedge between their son and themselves.
However, parents could never outduel their own children. In the end, they compromised and allowed
Jackson and Jacqueline to date. That was because they knew that Jacqueline was not serious about
Jackson, to begin with. They reckoned that she only meant to use Jackson by agreeing to be with him
and would kick him to the curb as soon as she was done with him.
Their thinking was that Jackson would have swallowed a bitter pill by then and be able to see Jacqueline
as who she really was. That was why they relented to permitting them to be together.
Things unfolded exactly as they had predicted. Jackson and Jacqueline broke up shortly after, and that
came to Jackson as a massive blow. As pained as they felt as parents, they were even more relieved
that Jacqueline had been mercifully quick to dump their own son. Otherwise, it would have hurt him even
more if she had done so after she deemed him completely surplus to requirements.
Initially, they were in the belief that Jackson would be able to walk out of the shadows of his heartbreak
soon after they parted ways. Never did they expect that Jacqueline would emerge as the culprit behind
the killing of Shane’s parents. Also, they had never expected that Jacqueline would cajole Jackson into
setting her free after she had been held captive by Shane, leading to the dissolution of the friendship
between Jackson and Shane, and subsequently, the disintegration of relations between the Thompsons
and the Bakers.
All of that only fueled their contempt for Jacqueline. As though it’s not enough that Jacqueline took her
own life, how could she try to drag Jackson down with her?
The very thought of that drove Jackson’s parents mad with rage.
Jackson’s father promptly said, “I hear you, Shane. Thank you for informing us of this. We shall head
down to Stanford Hospital and bring that rascal home right away.”
Shane grunted in acknowledgement and hung up the call.
It was as Silas thought. Shane was nonetheless unable to simply allow Jackson to perish alongside
Jacqueline the way he declared.
First and foremost, it was because Jacqueline was not someone worth doing that for as far as Jackson
was concerned.
Secondly, Jackson was a friend Shane grew up with, and even Jackson’s parents had been great to him,
enabling him to feel the care and love that came from his elders. Hence, no matter what, he was not
going to allow Jackson to die just like that.
Shane had said whatever he could to console Jackson. The rest would be up to the latter’s parents.
If even Jackson’s parents could not sway their own son, then he would not go any further trying to
persuade Jackson from seeking death. Shane had tried and done everything that he could to prevent
that. If Jackson were to remain insistent on the course that he had set himself on, then it would mean
that he was not someone worth the effort.
“Let’s go.” With a frown, Shane slipped the phone back into his own pocket and strode down the steps
and toward the car parked by the side of the road.
As usual, Silas stayed close behind. Upon nearing the car, he picked up his own pace to get ahead of
Shane to open the door for him. “After you, Mr. Shane.”
Shane bent down and got inside the car, and Silas took his own place in the driver’s seat. Then, the car
rolled out and departed from Stanford Hospital.
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