The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 761 Come Back

Sheryl smiled and told Shirley, "Alright then, how about this? You be a good girl and have your breakfast. Once you finish it, I'll take you to meet a very pretty older sister. Be nice to her and answer all her questions. After that, I'll take you to play with Charlie. Okay?"

Her eyes lighting up, Shirley nodded in agreement.

Sheryl was deeply moved to see that Shirley was willing to listen to her with an open mind.

After breakfast, Sheryl took Shirley to a psychologist. She was fairly young yet Sheryl trusted her as she was recommended by Arthur.

Sheryl waited by the door after leading Shirley to the treatment room.

She was quite curious about what was happening inside, but she had no choice but to wait quietly outside.

The entire session lasted for one and a half hour. When the psychologist came out with Shirley, she squatted down to talk to Shirley, "Shirley, we made a deal, right?"

She reached out her little finger for Shirley to hold. After some hesitation, Shirley eventually reached out tentatively to hold her finger. A trace of smile appeared on her face, but quickly faded away. Sheryl was stunned to see this.

The doctor then stood up and talked to Sheryl, "Don't be anxious. Her condition is not that critical. Take an appointment for the same time next week. Bring Shirley to me. We will treat her for one month first and see if there is any improvement."

"Doctor Lin, thank you and I am sorry for troubling you so much," Sheryl said with a sad smile.

"Please don't say that. It is my duty as a doctor to help my patients," Doctor Lin looked at Sheryl and said. "You have come on Doctor Zhao's reference. I owe my career to Doctor Zhao. If it were not for him, I would not be a doctor today. Now, it is my turn to repay his generosity."

She smiled kindly and continued, "After you go back, talk to her often and encourage her to tell you what she is thinking about. The more she talks, the better she will be able to express her emotions and to vent her negative feelings. That will help her mental well-being and help her swift recovery."

She paused and then advised further, "You need to set a good example yourself. Control your temper. No matter how bitter or distressed you feel, do not reveal it to her. You are the most important person in her life and you must influence her positively. She subconsciously will follow all the cues you give her."

"Sure, I will keep that in mind. Thanks for making me understand," Sheryl agreed with a nod.

Shirley firmly grasped Sheryl's hand when they came out of the hospital. She tugged at it but remained silent. Sheryl knew that Shirley was reminding her about Charlie. Sheryl squatted down, looked into Shirley's eyes, and said patiently, "Shirley, I know that you want to go to Charlie, but before that you have to promise me one more thing." Shirley inclined her head slightly and looked at her mom with confusion.

"From now on you have to tell me what you want in words. No sign language or pointing and nodding," Sheryl said. "You have to talk to me or I will not respond to you, okay?" As Shirley was trying to grasp her words, Sheryl made it even clearer. "Now... tell me, do you want to meet Charlie?"

Shirley hesitated and then she slowly nodded. Noticing her mom starting to raise her eyebrows, Shirley eventually opened her mouth and murmured a extremely soft "yes".

Sheryl was relieved to hear Shirley speak. The one word from her daughter expelled her hopelessness away. She hugged Shirley tightly and immediately came to Dream Garden, where Charlie was. Only Gary and Charlie were at home. They were playing chess. Seeing Shirley, Charlie dropped his chess piece right away and ran towards her. He held her hand and gently pulled her forward into the room. The two kids soon went to the courtyard to play. Gary also put his piece down and asked Sheryl to sit.

"Sheryl, about Shirley, I have heard about it. I am so sorry, my dear." Gary sighed. Then he continued, "It was all our fault. We caused you so much suffering. Even now you are taking care of her all by yourself I don't know how all this happened and why. I will never forgive my..."

"Grandpa, don't say that..." Forcing a smile on her face, Sheryl said, "In fact, I am responsible for this. If I had not taken the drug, all the things afterwards would not have happened. Luckily, things are settled now and are starting to turn better. Don't blame yourself."

"How can I not blame myself!" Gary smiled wryly and said, "See now it is... difficult for you to look after Shirley by yourself. Why not come back to live here with Shirley, in your own house? After you left, your room has remained untouched. Just a couple of days back, Charles got Shirley's room ready. You can settle in easily when you choose to come back."

"No Grandpa, please do not make this request again," Sheryl refused with a smile on her face. Though she had recovered most of her memories, she was unwilling to become Autumn again. She had a life as Sheryl now and could not accept to live in Dream Garden.

"Shirley and I are perfectly fine where we are. We have become accustomed to living on our own. We are very comfortable and face no inconvenience," Sheryl said flatly and in an emotionless voice. Gary refrained from saying anything more. He knew that he was not in the best position to get involved in matters of the younger generation. Also, he was very confident that Charles knew best and would handle all that.

"Well then. If you don't wish to move back, I won't force you." Gary stood up and said, "Anyway, remember that whenever you want to come back, the doors of this house are always open for you." "Thank you, Grandpa." Sheryl nodded with a warm smile.

After Gary went to his room to rest, Sheryl wandered into the courtyard. Nacy had planted vegetables in a small space that she had cleared out. Shirley was interested to see the tiny sprouts and insisted on helping Nacy water the vegetable patch. Charlie ran inside and brought out a small kettle to water the plants. The kids were having great fun playing together and enjoying themselves. Sheryl finally saw a rare smile on Shirley's face after many days.

Nacy followed them around as she was worried that they might slip and get injured. "Oh my dear! Be careful. Don't slip and fall. You will break your bones."

"Nacy, calm down. Don't worry so much. Let them play for a while. It doesn't matter," Sheryl said as she walked up to Nacy.

Sheryl knew that Nacy was worried about the children. She smiled and offered, "I'll take care of them here. You can go and attend to your other work."

"Okay then. If it is fine with you, I can go in and prepare some food. My work is not yet complete." Nacy nodded and briskly walked into the house.

Shortly after Nacy left, Chris and Sam came. They were surprised to see her there as they didn't know that Sheryl had recovered.

"Autu..." Chris almost said but fortunately she caught herself in time and swallowed back her words. She walked to Sheryl and asked, "Miss Xia, how come you are here? Where is my brother?"

"He is at work, I think. Shirley wanted to play with Charlie, so I brought her here," Sheryl spoke in a flat tone and did not display any emotion.

Chris then noticed the two kids who were laughing away as they sprayed water on themselves and the plants. Their clothes were fully wet and muddy. She hurried to call out, "Charlie, take care of your little sister."

"I will Auntie. Don't worry," Charlie replied in his clear voice.