Chapter 1098

With a bang, the starting gun went off, followed by a cry of pain as Orion fell to the ground. It was clear he was hurt badly.
Nina was the first to rush over and scoop him up, her heart aching when she saw that a large patch of skin had been scraped off his knee.
“Mom, it hurts. My leg hurts so much,” Orion sobbed in her arms.
“Don’t worry, Orion. Mommy will take you to see the doctor,” Nina said softly, quickly scanning the area. She spotted the temporary medical tent not far away and hurried over.
The teacher and other parents followed, their faces filled with concern as they saw Orion’s injury. The doctor waved them aside, asking them to step back so they wouldn’t upset the child further, and soon everyone moved outside. Once the medical tent quieted down, Nina anxiously asked, “Doctor, is there any damage to the bone?”
This was crucial. If his bones were injured, they would need to rush to a hospital immediately.
The doctor examined Orion again and shook his head. “No, ma’am, there’s no bone damage. However, the skin on his knee is scraped, and it will take some time to heal. You must be careful to keep it dry and make sure he doesn’t scratch it.” Nina nodded, carefully noting the doctor’s advice.
After the wound was treated, ointment applied, and the knee bandaged, Orion continued to sniffle softly, looking pitiful.
Nina gently stroked his head, speaking to him in a soothing voice. “Orion, if it hurts, it’s okay to cry. Don’t be afraid. Everyone cries when they’re in pain, even grown-ups.”
“Mom, if I cry, will my classmates think I’m a coward?” Orion asked, his voice small and worried.
“No, they won’t. And even if someone did tease you, Mommy would stand by your side. I don’t think you’re a coward at all. In fact, I think you’re very brave and strong.”
Orion seemed to understand, and with that reassurance, he finally allowed himself to cry quietly.
Seeing how cautious he was, Nina wondered if something similar had happened at school before. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Had she been neglecting him lately? She realized that she didn’t even know what had been going on in his school life. When was the last time she’d really talked to him about his day after school?
Nina pulled out her phone, but there was still no word from Nash. “Where could he be?” she thought in frustration. “He must be parking somewhere in the Pacific Ocean for it to take this long.”
She dialed his number, but the line was busy, which only added to her irritation.
Holding Orion in her arms, Nina made her way toward the school gate. Just then, Madison caught up to them. She put on a show of concern for Orion’s injury before lamenting that without finishing the race, Orion wouldn’t be able to win a ribbon. Orion’s freshly dried tears welled up again, and he began to sob.
Madison patted his small hand and tried to console him. “It’s okay, Orion. Even though you didn’t finish the race, your class still did well. Ruth won second place in the jump rope contest. Shouldn’t you be happy for her?”
Ruth was Madison’s daughter, and Nina could tell she was deliberately trying to provoke Orion.
“Mrs. Lynch,” Nina said with a smile, “I remember Ruth still has the ball-bouncing competition coming up, doesn’t she? Shouldn’t you hurry over? If she doesn’t get the ball, it would be pretty embarrassing for her to start crying and not be able to find you.” Just as she finished speaking, the loudspeaker announced, “Up next is the ball-bouncing competition. All participants, please line up. Parents, please stand by the red flags according to your assigned number.”
“What a coincidence,” Nina thought, her smile widening. “Mrs. Lynch, you better hurry. Someone’s already taken the first spot!”
Sure enough, a parent was standing by the first red flag in the distance. Madison stomped her foot and rushed over, only to engage in a heated argument with the parent.
In the end, she managed to push the other person out of the competition line, leaving Nina shaking her head in disbelief.