Chapter 386: A Series of Recordings Sent to the Phone

Wren Sutton pushed open the door to her home, the familiar warmth inside washing away her exhaustion.

Unable to hide the light in her eyes, she called out the good news from the hospital to her parents the moment she walked in.

"Dad, Mom, Adrian is showing signs of waking up! A few of the country’s top specialists had a consultation today and came up with a detailed treatment plan. He’ll be awake soon."

Mr. and Mrs. Sutton finally let go of the worries they’d been holding onto for so long, genuine joy spreading across their faces.

Mrs. Sutton repeated, "Thank heavens. This is wonderful, just wonderful."

Mr. Sutton was happy too, unable to hide his excitement. "Finally, some good news. Adrian is a tough one."

With that, Mr. Sutton turned and went into the kitchen to heat up a meal for his daughter.

"You’ve spent all day at the hospital. You need a proper meal now that you’re home."

Soon, a steaming hot meal was served on the table.

"Your mom and I have already eaten. We saved this for you. Go on, eat up. Get some rest after you’re done."

"Okay. Thanks, Dad." Wren Sutton nodded, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat with relish.

After finishing her meal, she went to be with Owen and Nina, not feeling tired at all.

When Owen and Nina saw their mother, their dark, bright eyes went wide. They waved their little hands and feet, babbling away.

Wren Sutton hugged and kissed her children, then placed the new plush toys she’d bought into their hands.

The two little ones loved them, clutching the toys tightly in their small hands. They would let out happy little laughs from time to time, rubbing their heads against the soft fur, looking absolutely adorable.

Wren Sutton sat on the edge of the bed, playing and laughing with her children. The atmosphere was warm and joyful.

Just then, Wren Sutton suddenly remembered what the specialists had said during the consultation that afternoon about multi-sensory consciousness-arousal therapy.

Continuously stimulating the patient’s cerebral cortex with familiar sounds could effectively speed up their return to consciousness.

An idea sparked in her mind.

Wren Sutton immediately took out her phone, opened the recording app, and her expression grew exceptionally serious.

She leaned over the crib, patiently and gently guiding them. "Owen, Nina, say it with Mommy. Say ’Da... da... Dada...’"

At just over five months old, the babies couldn’t yet call for people intentionally. They were simply amused by their mother’s tone, opening their little mouths as if they half-understood, letting out a string of soft, indistinct coos.

"Ah—Ba... ba... baba..."

There were no clear words, just a string of unconscious, slobbery murmurs mixed with bright laughter—the purest and most beautiful sound in the world.

Wren Sutton patiently recorded everything, capturing her children’s babbling murmurs and their pure, unadulterated laughter on her phone.

After recording the children, she took a deep breath, faced the phone, and began to speak softly, her voice gentle yet filled with unwavering devotion.

"Darling, the children and I are waiting for you to come home. You have to wake up soon."

Next, Wren Sutton went over to her parents with the phone.

"Dad, Mom, the specialists said that familiar voices can help stimulate Adrian to wake up. Could you say a few words to him too?"

Mr. and Mrs. Sutton didn’t hesitate for a second. They spoke into the phone, their voices full of affection and hope.

Mr. Sutton’s voice was steady and earnest. "Adrian, everything’s fine at home. Just focus on your recovery. We’re all waiting for you to come back."

Mrs. Sutton added, "Adrian, you can do it. Wake up soon. We’re all waiting for you to come home so our family can be whole again."

After recording the voices of the Sutton family, Wren Sutton didn’t stop.

’Adrian doesn’t just care about me, the children, and my parents,’ she thought, ’but also the entire Lancaster family.’

To make the stimulation from familiar voices more comprehensive, she opened the Lancaster family’s group chat, her fingers tapping quickly across the screen as she carefully composed a message.

[Everyone, the specialists at the consultation today made it clear that familiar voices can help stimulate Adrian and speed up his recovery. I’d like to ask you all a favor: could each of you please record a message for Adrian and send it to me? I’ll combine all the recordings and take them to the hospital tomorrow to have the doctors play them on a loop by his bedside. Thank you all.]

The moment she sent the message, the group chat lit up with responses. Not a single person declined; everyone was eager to do their part for Adrian.

Before long, recordings started trickling into Wren Sutton’s phone.

There was Theodore Lancaster’s authoritative yet tender encouragement, Claire Sterling’s gentle, tear-choked words of hope, and the concerned advice from others...

Every recording carried the Lancaster family’s deep concern and anticipation for Adrian’s return.

Wren Sutton sat by the bed, playing with her children while patiently editing and combining all the recordings in order into a single audio file.

She put on her headphones and listened to it once.

Her children’s soft, milky coos, her own heartfelt confession, the loving words from both sets of parents, the blessings and hopes of the entire Lancaster family...

They were all voices of his most beloved people, filled with love and profound hope, converging into a warm current that flowed slowly into her heart.

Wren Sutton took off her headphones and saved the audio file. An unshakeable tenderness and determination filled her eyes.

Tomorrow, this audio, filled with the family’s longing, would be with Adrian. It would surely, bit by bit, awaken his sleeping consciousness and bring him back to his family soon.

...

The night deepened.

Tired from playing, Owen and Nina drank their formula, were changed into fresh diapers, and drifted off to sleep comfortably to the sound of their mother’s gentle patting. Their breathing was even, and they looked peaceful and well-behaved.

The soft light in the living room dispelled the evening chill. Mr. and Mrs. Sutton were sitting on the sofa, watching TV.

Wren Sutton quietly left the bedroom, poured herself a glass of hot water, and sat down beside her parents.

"Are the children asleep?" Mrs. Sutton asked in a loving tone.

"Yes, they’re asleep. They were tired from playing, so they fell asleep as soon as I started patting them. They’re so good." Wren Sutton’s eyes were filled with love for her children.

Mrs. Sutton nodded. "That’s good."

Wren Sutton chatted with her parents for a while.

"Dad, Mom... you’ve worked so hard during this time."

Wren Sutton’s voice was filled with guilt and gratitude.

"Ever since Adrian’s accident, I’ve been at the hospital all day and haven’t had time to take care of Owen and Nina. You two have been handling everything for them—feeding, changing, soothing them when they cry, putting them to sleep. You’ve been working day and night without a moment’s rest."

She thought about how, during this time, her parents had cared for the children without a single complaint, how they’d come up with all sorts of nutritious meals for her, patiently soothed her when she was on the verge of breaking down, and given her endless encouragement and support when she felt she couldn’t go on.

Wren Sutton’s voice started to choke with emotion.

"If you hadn’t been here supporting me, comforting me, and holding me up, I really don’t know how I would have gotten through this. You not only helped me with the children, but you also shared my worries, and you never once complained..."

"Silly girl, you don’t need to be so formal with your own parents." Mrs. Sutton reached out, gently wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulder, and patted her back, her eyes filled with heartache for her.

"We’re family. You’re our daughter, and Owen and Nina are our grandchildren. If we don’t help you at a time like this, who will?"

"It hurts your father and me to see you running to the hospital every day, not eating or sleeping well. Being able to look after the children for you, so you have one less thing to worry about, is the best thing we can do."

Mrs. Sutton’s voice was gentle and loving, every word coming straight from the heart.

"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. No matter what happens, your father and I will always be by your side. We’ll always be your strongest support."

Mr. Sutton nodded in agreement, his tone firm and strong. "Your mother’s right. We’re here to take care of Owen and Nina, so you can just focus on looking after Adrian. Everything will get better. No matter what happens, we’ll face it together as a family."

Listening to her parents’ simple, heartwarming words, Wren Sutton leaned against her mother’s shoulder again as her eyes slowly filled with tears.

The exhaustion and anxiety that had built up over this period all melted away in the warmth of her family’s embrace.

There were no flowery words, no forced sentimentality.

Wren Sutton held her parents’ hands tightly, the warmth from their palms filling her with strength.

With her family by her side, she could walk any path, no matter how difficult, one step at a time.