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During the past years, it was Atty. Lewis who kept on checking with the orphanage's matters and dealt with it.
"Sister Ani is the current head of the orphanage but she's rather old now and is very frail so she doesn't go out that much." Atty. Lewis informed them.
"Didn't they find someone younger to help the head in managing the orphanage?" Savannah asked while looking around at the place. It was actually a walking distance from Xavier's Shoe Company and Factory.
The orphanage had a high fence that helped block anyone from intruding and to protect the children as well from the passing vehicles.
When they arrived at the gate, a guard came to open the gate for them to get inside. "Good afternoon Atty. Lewis. Good afternoon everyone." the guard greeted them before closing the gate behind them.
"Good afternoon." Jillyanna and Savannah greeted him back while the men just nodded their heads.
Kids were playing around at the front yard, some were reading books, some were eating, some were planting and some were just sitting, watching everyone play.
There were nuns and social workers around to facilitate the children as well so they didn't have to worry that much.
"I can see that the orphanage is doing well." Jillyanna spoke while looking at the big house in front of them.
"Thanks to your father, these children are having a good time now. Even though they were abandoned before, at least here, they were all taken care of." Atty. Lewis responded to her as they walked inside the huge house.
Compared to the outside, the indoor was very quiet and you can see few children loitering around.
"Why is it so quiet here?" Savanna inquired.
"Some children are having class so no one's allowed to make some noise inside the hall. Let me show you.." Atty. Lewis turned left on the next corridor and showed them a room full of children. "This is the classroom for those who are learning the basics. If you pass the exam after three months, you will move to the next classroom where you will study for another four months and take the exam after. Once you pass that, the orphanage will enroll you to take a placement class and go to regular school like what your father did."
"How about the kids outside?" Travis asked before closing the door so that they won't disturb the students.
"The children outside had their class in the morning. They learn how to read, count and write. They will also have an exam after five months before they can join the class we visited earlier." Atty. Lewis gave them a tour of the large house instead. "We have a library here. We have the huge garden that your parents loved the most. We have a clinic with basic medical supplies. We have a music and art room. Like there are several things that kids can do here."
"Don't the children get the chance to be adopted after quite sometime?" Hawk asked for the first time since they arrived.
"After what happened to Jillyanna's mother, sister Ani became strict when it comes to adoption. She has many requirements that foster parents should abide before they can adopt a child." Atty. Lewis responded. "She'd rather have them stay here than be abused by their family. And children don't mind staying here. Some would even cry when they get adopted because they don't want to leave this place."
Jillyanna totally understand how a child would feel. After all, she had been passed around by her relatives when they couldn't get a penny out of her. The people who sincerely took care of her were even strangers.
As they toured around the house, Jillyanna paused and looked around with a sad expression. "Has this house always been like this?" she asked not sure if she wanted to know another thing regarding her parents.
"Hn. It's renovated to make the space bigger but the design remained the same. Oh? Did you notice?" Atty. Lewis looked at her sadly. "In hope for your mother to remember her past, your father built your house with the exact replica of the orphanage."
Savannah, Hawk and Travis looked at Jillyanna with same sad expression. They didn't know what to say to her. Travis could only pull her close and comfort her with a hug.
"It's alright. Your parents must have met already in heaven. Don't be sad anymore. You have to take care of your heart."
"I just can't help it. My father did so much for my mother but she never once remembered him."
"Didn't your mother love the present him at that time. She didn't dwell on her past and still loved your father."
Somehow, Travis had a point. Yes, her mother didn't remember her past or the promise that she once have with her father but she truly loved her father during their years of marriage. She waited for him. Even when she died, she was clutching on to the necklace that her father gave.
"What is this depressing atmosphere?" an old and gruff voice asked them from the other end of the corridor on the second floor.
An old lady with silver hair and long ash-gray gown came to them. She has a necklace with a cross pendant and when she saw Jillyanna her eyes went wide open.
"Oh Liza! You're here! Anton would be very happy to see you? How are you?" the old lady looked at her from head to toe while holding her hands. "You've grown. Did you see Anton? Oh Where's Anton? Anton?! Anton?!" she started calling for her father which made Jillyanna become sad even more.
But before Jillyanna could react, Atty. Lewis came between them. "Anton left to make shoes for Liza, remember Sister Ani? He'll be home tomorrow."
Atty. Lewis talked softly to the old woman while waiting for the nurse to come and get the head nun.
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble Atty. Lewis." the nurse came and gook the old lady from him. "Come here Sister Ani. Sir Anton and Miss Elizabeth will be home tomorrow." the young nurse urged Sister Elizabeth and brought her back to her room.
"That's sister Ani?" Savannah asked who snapped out first from being surprise.
"Hn. A year ago, she started looking for Anton and Elizabeth. So I had her checked and found out that she has schizophrenia. Instead of putting her in a mental hospital, I just hired a nurse for her and let her stay where she's comfortable at." Atty. Lewis answered Savannah's question. "And she might have really thought of you as your mother. Elizabeth and Anton were her favorite kids for being kind and respectful. Losing them must have been very difficult for her."
"Poor lady." Savannah murmured before letting out a deep sigh.
Knowing all these, plus the truth about her parents' past, Jillyanna felt a twinge of pain on her chest and before she could tell Travis, she collapsed on the spot.
Travis was horrified and shocked to see her faint. "Jill, please hang in there. Jill please." He murmured next to her ear while he carried her down the stairs.
"Send her to the clinic first. I'll call the attending doctor to perform basic aid for CHD." Atty. Lewis guided them back to where the clinic was while calling the doctor.
Good thing that the doctor was actually in the clinic and not on the second floor. Travis laid Jillyanna on the bed and the doctor attached the necessary equipments to her. He performed basic CPR and checked her pulse.
"Call the nurse upstairs to press the oxygen for me." the doctor ordered and urgency was evident on his voice.
"I can do that while waiting for the nurse." Travis volunteered since he had done it several times in the past for his father.
The doctor handed him the oxygen pump and taught him what to do while he did the CPR. When the nurse came, Travis continued to do his task without giving a glance to the nurse. They did it for over three minutes and Travis was covered with cold sweat on his back before Jillyanna began to breath normally.
Her vital signs were back to normal and they all breathed a sigh of relief. 'That was scary! God! It was scary.' Travis thought to himself while he wiped the sweat off of his forehead before looking at his pale wife on the bed.