Super Mommy and Her Triplets

Veronique could not help but chuckle.

“I suppose you already have a plan since you knew what they are after. What do you want me to do, Bay?”

Bailey narrowed her eyes as she picked at her nails, thinking silently for a few minutes. “Vero, do you think I should reveal myself?”

Veronique frowned.

“Bay, are you still thinking about what happened that time?”

Bailey looked out of the window at the bustling streets in the night city littered with colorful lights, and sorrow and regret clouded her eyes.

She remained silent for a long, long while until she spoke again in a hoarse and dry voice. “I can never forget what happened, Vero. It has left a permanent mark on my life. The operating table is a trigger for me. I will never overcome this fear if I can't walk out of this trauma. I won't be able to hold a scalpel again my whole life. It's life and death we're talking about. I don't think I will ever get over it.”

“But it was not your fault,” Veronique urged, holding her hand. “That child was so badly injured when he came in. There was no way you could have saved him, Bay!”

Glints of tears shone and spread in Bailey's eyes until her eyes were moist. Behind her tears were emotions she concealed so securely that no one would ever understand.

“But he was Shannon's son, Vero. He was the only hope of her life, and she entrusted him to me. I told her I would do everything I could to save him, but I didn't do that in the end. I didn't bring him back to her. I'm the one who pushed her down the bottomless pit of misery!”

Bailey covered her face in guilt, and tears seeped through her slender, fair fingers.

Veronique stood up, went over to her, and pulled her into her arms.

“Bay, it was not your fault. There were a lot of blood clots in his venous sinuses when you operated on him. We all know that was a lost cause, but you still insisted on the operation. That was already the best you could do for him.”

Bailey broke into a smile, shaking her head. “I know in my head that it was impossible to bring him back, but my heart doesn't feel that way. I don't think I can ever put this behind me. Eugene saw me as his own mother. He would always follow me around, shouting 'Mommy Bay,' but what did I do for him? I couldn't even keep him alive.”

When she pulled her hands away from her face to show Veronique, they were wet with tears. “I carefully cut the blood vessels because I knew there were blood clots. I was so careful, but bleeding still happened in the end. His blood was all over my body, hands, and face. Can you imagine that, Vero? You're seeing this pair of clean hands, but they were stained with Eugene's blood.”

“Stop it, Bay,” Veronique pleaded, her arms squeezing around Bailey. “It's all in the past. We will just leave it where it is even if you can't get over it. You can stay away from the operating table for as long as possible. Just stop thinking about it, Bay. Stop.”

Bailey lay in her arms like a stiff log. She was a strong woman, but at that moment, she badly needed a friend's shoulder to cry on.

“I can't even bring myself to contact Shannon over the years. I'm afraid she'll blame me; I'm afraid to look into her lifeless eyes. They pierce through my heart like a knife.”

Veronique looked away and swallowed back her tears. “Let's not talk about this anymore, shall we?” she asked with a soothing voice and rigid smile. “Get some good sleep tonight. You'll still be the same strong Bailey I know tomorrow. I won't force you to do anything you don't want.”

Bailey got up from her embrace and looked into her eyes with a sad smile. “They can't force me to do anything even if they find out who I am. I already cut the veins on my wrist three years ago. I can't even hold a scalpel now.”

“Bay!” Veronique stared at her in utter disbelief, her body quivering violently.

She suddenly recalled something and grabbed Bailey's right hand before touching her wrist. Her face paled in horror.

There's really a scar! This will not affect her daily life significantly, but there's no way she can ever do a complex surgery again.

“Bailey Jefferson, how could you do this to yourself?” Veronique fumed.

She was infuriated learning the truth. Her eyes showed rebuke, pain, and pity as she glared at Bailey, but the latter smiled lightly.