Me Before You
Chapter 7

News of Monica and Alex's accident has been spread throughout the school. Even some of them have visited Monica and come to the funeral of Alexander Frances. No one expected the horrific incident to come to Alex and Monica. Even Alex had to lose his life in the accident.

Miss Sanders, one of the teachers at Monica and Alex School today came to visit Monica. What she heard from her mother at the time, Monica had amnesia. The doctor said that the amnesia experienced by Monica may not be able to heal and if it was healed it could have caused trauma due to a hard impact on his head.

The middle-aged woman had now entered Monica's nursery. It has been two weeks since the incident, Monica is still hospitalized. The little girl probably didn't know that her brother was dead. Poor monica. Even after the bullying was over, Monica still had nightmares about her life.

"Monica? How are you?" well, this is Miss Sanders' second visit to Monica's ward. Currently, in the room there is Mother Monica who is still loyal to accompany her daughter.

"Oh, you've come." Miss Sanders told Michelle Frances about her arrival. "The doctor said Monica's fine, but she still needs medical attention." Michelle told Miss Sanders about Monica's situation.

"Is Monica going to rest?"

Michelle did not answer Miss Sanders' question directly. The woman glanced at Monica first. The girl was still the same as before, looking dazed like she had no passion. Michelle Frances stroked her daughter's hair gently, then she smiled at Miss Sanders.

"Yes, it looks like he needs a break."

"Ah, what a pity. Then may I speak with you? There are a few things I need to say about the accident."

Michelle accepted Miss Sanders' request. Before going out, the woman kissed her daughter's forehead. Then they went out and sat down in a chair near Monica's nursery.

"I hope you're not shocked to hear this, ma'am." Miss Sanders was seen sighing first. "Did the police call you?"

"Police?" Michelle Frances did not even understand what Miss Sanders said. He then realized, during his time in the hospital, he had never touched his phone at all as well as Joan Frances⸻dah Alex and Monica. The men even often go back and forth from the city to the village to take care of their garden. "I don't know. What's wrong?" said Mrs Frances.

"I'm very sorry to tell you this, but inevitably I have to tell you" he said. "The accident that Alex and Monica had was not a traffic accident. But, someone intentionally made the accident."

Michelle Frances was shocked. He even scrunched his eyebrows. "You mean?"

"Police said someone deliberately sabotaged Alex's car and they're still checking on witnesses, including Alex and Monica's friends."

Michelle remained silent. He still did not suspect that what his children experienced was the work of their school friends.

"Before I wanted to ask, were Monica and Alex not siblings?"

That one question, was able to make Michelle silence a thousand languages. He was confused to explain when asked. Long silent, he breathed a sigh. "Not." replied Michelle as she was, then she added. "We adopted Monica from a family of Korean descent."

Miss Sanders heard the truth about Monica. It turns out what the people at the school said was true. When Miss Sanders was about to open her voice, Michelle spoke again.

"The original parents of Monica were Korean and lived in the country. After we adopted Monica, we heard the news that Monica's real parents died in a plane crash."

"Mrs Frances I'm a little worried about Monica's condition. To be honest, Monica actually suffered violence at her school. Recently he dared to report about the bullying he got from his friends."

Michelle Frances was getting more and more unexpected about the condition her daughter was experiencing during her stay in the City. It turned out that the suffering he was going through was not worth the smile that the little girl always put on everyone, including Michelle herself. The girl knew how to be strong alone.

The woman cannot express her feelings. He just fell silent. Not long after, Michelle's defense began to weaken. She was crying too.

"I don't even know what my kids are going through."

Miss Sanders immediately stroked Michelle's back slowly, trying to calm the already fragile heart of this woman. He realized how painful it was to know the truth from others.

"You're lucky, ma'am, for having strong children." Miss Sanders is trying to strengthen Michelle. "Even Alex himself indirectly sacrificed his life for his sister."

Michelle can't say anything more. The woman could only cry lamenting the fate of her poor children. Had he not let Alex and Monica go to town, they would have still gathered and played at home.

If only time could be turned.

Suppose that. Only those words were capable of Michelle speaking inwardly.

Regrets always come later. And that is already an open secret that humans often ignore.

...-οΟο-...

"Angela, what did you bring?" monica asked after coming down the last steps of her house. Seeing Angela opening the big box in the kitchen, Monica's curiosity comes up.

"I brought lamb. Oh, do you have any wine in the fridge?"

Monica approaches Angela and helps her cousin open the box. "Looks like there's. Last time I kept a couple bottles."

"OK." then Angela walked towards the refrigerator which was not far from her place. "Oh, there are two!" the girl exclaimed when she found two bottles of wine in the refrigerator. Angela took a bottle and put it on the table.

"Oh, yes, Monica. The box is not opened. The red one I want to bring to Joshua." said Angela who made Monica furrow her eyebrows.

"Eh? Joshua?"

"Why?"

"You mean, Joshua Spencer?"

This time it was Angela who frowned. "In the first place, how many people stayed in front of Joshua?"

"N-no, I mean, I was a little surprised, you know Joshua."

Angela laughed too. "Yes, my goodness Monica. Joshua was my friend in town and who recommended this place, me." The girl laughed again.

"Who? So then?" Monica was silent for a while then looked at Angela with her innocent face. "So Joshua is your acquaintance?"

Angela shaking. "Actually he's my girlfriend's friend. I heard he's having health problems, so Joshua was told to go on vacation."

"Daughter?" Monica astonished. "You got a boyfriend? Well, it's so nice living in the city to get acquainted with men." Monica was a little bitter, making Angela anxious until she pinched her cheek.

"Oh, Monica! Why go to the city. There's something close."

"Who?"

Angela pointed towards the inn with her chin. "Who else if not Joshua. Just get close to him."

Monica sighed. "He's just an acquaintance. Most after he came back he forgot me."

Angela immediately wiggled her index finger in front of Monica. "He's not that type. I knew her very well." And then the girl folded her hands in front of her chest. "I thought that after you found out who Joshua was, you'd be flabbergasted." The girl giggled, after which she returned to prepare food at the table.

"How war?"

"No, no. You have to find your own."

As if you know what Monica is thinking, Angela immediately said, "already, already. Quickly we clean this up and eat. You have to take medicine, right?"

...-οΟο-...

After accompanying Monica to a meal at home, Angela decides to go to Joshua's place. Initially, Angela wanted to take Monica to go see Joshua, unfortunately Miss Frances did not let Monica go. As a result, Angela goes alone to Joshua's place with a large box containing the lamb she brought from the city and the wine from Monica's house. Angela is very sure that Joshua is currently experiencing stress.

Just now Angela arrived at the inn, seen the figure of Joshua out of his residence. It seemed that the man was in a bad state. It seems that after this, Angela needs to tell Adrian about Joshua's condition.

The man looked towards Angela, narrowing his eyes slightly. The girl smiled slightly as she continued her steps. When he was close to Joshua's position, the man immediately exclaimed. "Angela?"

"Hi, Josh!" greet Angela kindly. Joshua finally recognized him. "How was your vacation?"

"Not so good" he said. "By the way, why are you here?"

"I looked at my cousin. Monica Frances's. I thought you guys knew each other." Angela answered while raising both shoulders.

"You mean, Monica who lives there?" Joshua pointed at Monica's house in front of her inn.

Angela narrowed her eyes. The two people he met today seemed to not believe what he had just heard. Maybe they think, this big world turned out to be really narrow. People they know also know the people closest to them.

It was Monica and now it's Joshua. Is that how they express their disbelief?

"Yes. Who else is Monica, hm?" Angela threesome. "Who do you think you can get these holiday and lodging recommendations from? Adrian's? Adrian just asked me, so I told my brother's place. Did Adrian not tell you?" the girl's protest was on Joshua.

The man then sighed while bearded with a bent face. "He does, likes to be unclear" he said.

Angela gave a quick laugh, then the girl changed the subject. "You chattering? I brought roasted lamb and wine."

"certain."

Joshua also walked to the guest chair that was provided in front of the inn.

"So this is all your family's?" joshua asked as they sat down, watching Angela preparing everything on the table.

"Yes, that's it. We got the same ration, the Monica family stayed in the village, while my family chose in the city." said Angela who still prepared everything on the table. Afterwards, Angela heard Joshua muttering. "Oh so." after that the girl was silent for a while while looking at Joshua.

"Actually Joshua.." said Angela slightly hanging up, a second later she continued, "Monica is my only cousin left."

Clearly Angela saw Joshua looking at her in surprise, asking for an explanation of the sentence Angela had just said.

"Monica she's...." Angela hung up her words. She bit the tip of her lips, hesitating a bit to speak the truth about Monica. But inevitably he has to tell Joshua the truth about his cousin. The girl sighed, then said, "Lately her memory has come back and we are afraid that it will have an adverse impact on Monica. Especially the trauma."

"You mean?" Joshua continued to terrorize Angela with his curiosity. Makes Angela careless to hang up her words again.

"She had a bad experience, bullied by one school because she wasn't part of Frances' family."

Joshua soaking. It was not that he did not believe that Monica was not from the Frances family. But this is about his past. Joshua thinks the story is the same as the story of a girl who was bullied at school before she moved.

"Try to tell me clearly what happened!" Joshua's orders. The man could not help his curiosity.

Angela told me everything. Starting from the beginning Monica and Alex enroll in a school located in the city. During her time in the city, Monica and her sister stayed at Angela's house. For as long as Angela knew, Monica never once told her about the bullying she had experienced. The girl looks ordinary when dealing with people at home. Maybe because Monica is a person who spends more time to be quiet, rather than spreading something in front of others. Until finally all revealed when the girl had an accident, causing Alex to die and Monica amnesia.

Joshua concluded that Monica Frances was no stranger to him. He met and met Monica Frances. Joshua Spencer's memory is now open. Little by little, he began to know Monica Frances. It turns out that indirectly the girl is connected to Joshua's past. Even to this day.

The world is really narrow.

"By the way Joshua is, did you know Monica really likes novels?"

Joshua nodded. "Yes." Yeah."

"That's why I told Adrian to send you here. So you can meet Monica and make her smile."

Joshua Spencer is stunned. So, Angela accidentally sent him here to meet Monica?

"Please be happy for her, J.Dawn!" angela said with a big smile.

...-οΟο-...

Two weeks ago, Monica Frances was released from the hospital. Afterwards, Mr and Mrs Frances took care of Monica's letter from school. The little girl will undergo home schooling for the sake of her educational needs. The decision was taken because Mr and Mrs Frances did not want to lose their baby again. Although Monica is not the biological child of Mr and Mrs Frances, they have considered Monica as part of the Frances family.

Monica Frances is seen exploring the contents of her living room. He is now in Gibbston Valley, after taking care of the letter out of school, Monica was immediately invited back to her place of origin.

Jemari Monica fumbled the furniture of the house, which was there, trying to recognize every inch in her house. His state had improved even more, but his mind was still in a daze. Although not as bad as before, Monica still needs supervision from both parents.

A moment later the girl stopped at a picture frame above the fireplace. The girl looked at the photo carefully. There are four people in the photo. Mom, dad, himself and one more...

Not only that, there are some photos also on display there, there is her, Angela and?

"That's your brother Alex." said Mrs Frances as she approached her son. The woman noticed Monica's movements, as if she knew what Monica had in mind.

"lex? My brother?"

"Yes." said Miss Frances as she stroked Monica's hair gently.

"Where is he, Mommy?" well, that one question was able to make Lady Frances's heart slip. His tongue was too faint to say a word. He didn't even know what to say to answer that question.

In the end, Madam Frances let out a breath. "She's not with us anymore" the woman knew the consequences of saying this. And he hopes Monica's head reaction has no impact on the girl's health.

But unexpectedly, Monica instead gave a response, "ah so." the girl did not even show a dizzy reaction or the like. Could this be the effect of Monica amnesia? Mistress Frances was a little afraid that Monica's memory could not return, but on the other hand it was better than Monica to have to remember the events that made her hurt and blame herself.

"It's noon. Let's eat first, then take medicine." Mistress Frances immediately led Monica towards the kitchen, keeping the girl away from old memories.

Although Monica looks as if she does not care, but actually her mind begins to be overshadowed by questions about Alex. What did her mother mean, her brother is dead? Exactly when? Andwhy?

But Monica had faith, maybe her mother wasn't ready to say right now. Someday his parents will say something. Being the one who forgets everything is not good. It feels like a fool who wants to know, but is not told.

If her parents still remain silent, maybe Monica should find her own year.

...---...