2 At The Beginning (2)

Mrs. Dorcas has been a neighbor to Cathy's family for more than five years. She felt sympathy for the four young girls as their mother had just left for good a month ago.

Even so, she couldn't do much to help them. The father of the four children did not allow anyone to enter his house. These poor children could only follow their father's orders.

That day she heard a strange sound from the house next door. Of course, she couldn't imagine what was going on inside the family. Now, Cathy appeared in front of her home with dull eyes, swollen cheeks, and bleeding lips, making her only wondered what had happened.

Without waiting any longer, Dorcas immediately took Cathy's hand toward the child's house. She didn't care at all whether the child's father would scold her or criticize her.

Her brows furrowed at the sight of the foot-shaped blood trail on the floor. Dorcas looked at the foot of the child she was holding. Her eyes widened when she saw the clot of blood in the area of the girl's feet.

Dorcas picked up the child and sat her down on the chair.

"Wait here!" she ordered before she walked into the twins' nursery in sandals to be able to walk through the broken glass without getting hurt.

With the bedroom door wide open, Cathy could see what Dorcas was doing to her twins.

The woman changed diapers skillfully and with great care. Then, she carried Anna, Anastasia's endearment name and took her out of the room to sit beside her.

Dorcas deftly boiled water to make some milk. Not long after, two baby bottles filled with warm milk were ready to serve.

The woman took a baby, holds her, and gave the milk while singing.

Then, Cathy saw Dorcas looking at her; walked towards her while handing her baby sister to her. Cathy looked at the woman with a confused look.

"She should be able to burp first before putting her back down. Make sure she doesn't fall, okay."

Cathy held her sister tightly, afraid that her sister would befall from her embrace if she weren't careful.

"No need to be too tight, dear. You will hurt her."

Cathy instantly loosened her arms but still held her one-month baby sister with a firm yet gentle grip.

After confirming that the two kids would be alright in front of her, Dorcas went to the other baby and did the same.

Anna, who had been sitting beside Cathy, started to feel bored and decided to walk back into the room.

"Anna! Sit down!"

This was the first time Dorcas has heard such a stern voice in the mouth of ten-year-old Cathy.

While feeding the baby milk, Dorcas walked out and blocked the entrance to the room. This way, Anna would not walk on a broken bottle.

Not long after she finished feeding the milk to the second baby, Dorcas heard a burp from the first baby in Cathy's arms.

Dorcas quickly laid down the baby she was carrying first, then brought Anna to the bedroom bed.

After giving her some dolls, Dorcas picked up the baby that Cathy was holding before placing her on the cot.

Then she held the baby who had not burped and positioned it as if she were standing.

Dorcas looked concerned at Cathy's feet, but she also couldn't immediately let this baby lie down without burping first.

Dorcas was indeed old and had no children. Even so, the motherly instinct kicked in as strong as she loved children.

That's why when she saw bleeding feet on little Cathy and the crying of two baby twins in hunger, she felt her heart was cut into pieces. She couldn't allow these four children to be neglected.

As soon as she heard the second baby's burping, she gently laid down beside her twin sister. Then she closed the door and walked towards Cathy.

Dorcas carefully pulled out several shards of glass that had pierced the little feet. She almost shed tears when she heard the groan of pain from the child's voice.

How could this happen? How could a father have the heart to let his kids suffer like this?

What kind of a father ignored his baby daughters to suffer this much?

Alas, Dorcas was neither a doctor nor a medical expert. Due to age, she was unsure if she had taken all the broken glass from Cathy's feet with her poor eyesight.

She couldn't take Cathy to the doctor either and left the three baby girls in the house without adult supervision. Nor could she carry all four of them and look after them alone. The only thing she could do was call the doctor to come.

While waiting, Dorcas cooked a simple dish for Cathy and Anna to eat. Then, she swept and cleaned the shards of glass along with the dried blood on the floor.

Just as the floor was clean again, a doctor arrived.

Once again, Cathy winced in pain when the doctor touched her wound feet. But she did her best to endure it when she felt Dorcas's hand on her back and a warm hug wrapped around her body.

After the doctor finished treatment on her feet, Dorcas carried Cathy into her room.

"Mrs. Dorcas, I can walk by myself."

"How can it be? It must be painful. Let me help you."

"But I'm quite heavy, and besides, I don't feel sick anymore." To prove her words, Cathy walked on her two feet without hesitation toward her sisters' room. "See? Thank you for the help," stated Cathy, bending her body in gratitude.

"My pleasure. If you need more help, you don't need to be afraid to go to my house."

Cathy answered with a smile before finally entering the room and closing the door tightly.

If other people saw her, Cathy must be considered an impolite and ungrateful child.

Cathy should have escorted her savior away before shutting herself inside the room. It was impolite and unethical to let the guest go home by herself.

But only Dorcas knew what the little ten-year-old girl was thinking.

The girl didn't want to burden her more than this and forced herself to walk on her two feet.

Even though no one was looking, Dorcas could still see her tiny hands clenched into her clothes enduring the pain in her feet.

What Dorcas suspected was true. As soon as the door closed, Cathy instantly put her hands on the floor. She couldn't walk as she barely holds the pain. Hence Cathy crawled with her hands and knees to the bed.

After Cathy let her body lay down on the comfortable mattress, she cried under her breath.

Only Cathy knew; her heart was screaming in pain.