Health doesn’t guarantee everything. But without it, you truly have nothing.
I hope my mother-in-law recovers soon. I want her out of the hospital as fast as possible.
From now on, I’ll leave work early every day. I’ll take her for walks. I’ll help her sit and exercise. I’ll even take her to the square dance.
More exercise will do her good.
Alexander and Julia came by after breakfast.
“Where’s Gray?” Julia asked.
“He went to the duty room to check on Mom’s condition,” Evelyn answered.
“Alright. After the doctor’s rounds, if you have any questions, tell Julia or me.”
“We have to go to work now. We’ll leave it to you.”
“We’ll see Mom again tonight. If anything happens, call us,” Alexander explained.
“Okay, second sister, third sister. Don’t worry,” Evelyn promised.
Alexander nodded and said nothing more. She and Julia walked toward the elevator.
Gray came out of the doctor’s duty room. He ran into Alexander and Julia on their way out.
After a few words, Gray walked to the ICU ward.
“How’s Mom?” Evelyn asked.
“The post-op response is very positive. It shouldn’t be a big problem.”
“That’s good,” Evelyn nodded. “You go to work first. I’ll stay here.”
“Alright. Ethan will come later. Call me if anything happens. I’ll be back at noon. The doctors are watching her. Don’t worry,” Gray explained.
“Okay,” Evelyn said.
Gray stood at the ICU window for a while. Then he left for the company.
Evelyn sat quietly in the chair for a long time. At first, she was still nervous. She worried something might happen. She didn’t know how to handle it.
Gradually, she calmed down. Just like Gray said, the ICU had doctors and nurses watching 24/7. They were more professional than her. Even if a problem came up, they knew how to deal with it better than she did.
Still, being here made her feel more grounded.
Besides, Ethan would come later.
Just as she thought that, she heard the elevator ding. Evelyn turned her head. She saw Ethan step out and walk toward her.
“Grandma, how is she?” Ethan asked, looking at the ICU ward.
“The doctor said the situation is very optimistic,” Evelyn said.
“That’s good,” Ethan said. He sat down in the empty seat next to Evelyn.
“Didn’t you sleep last night? The dark circles under your eyes are heavy,” Evelyn asked.
“I couldn’t sleep. My mother heard about it last night. She kept asking about my father.”
“I finally got her to sleep,” Ethan said wearily.
“I’ll go back later and see your mother again,” Evelyn said.
“Little aunt, my mother really likes you. When you see her, tell her happy things. Don’t let her act blindly,” Ethan replied.
“I understand,” Evelyn nodded.
“What about my second and third aunts?” Ethan asked.
“They went back this morning.”
“Oh,” Ethan answered.
“Second sister and third sister stayed up all night. They were very tired. They had to go to work this morning,” Evelyn continued.
“They’re not worried about Grandma. If something unexpected happens, they’ll say bad things to them.”
“Ethan, don’t talk about your second and third aunts like that. Do you always have a prejudice against them?” Evelyn frowned.
“It’s not prejudice. It’s the truth. I’ve seen it since I was a child. Do you think it’s prejudice?”
“When my grandfather passed away, my father had an accident, and my grandmother got sick. They never separated their families any time.”
“Maybe this time, they’re waiting for my grandmother. Then they can talk about splitting the inheritance,” Ethan sneered.
“Second sister and third sister aren’t that kind of people.”
“You know people’s faces, but not their hearts. Besides, they’re not my grandmother’s biological daughters. You’re too simple. They’ll cheat you,” Ethan replied.
Evelyn looked at Ethan in dismay.
“Second sister and third sister really aren’t my mother-in-law’s biological daughters?”
Before this, she had heard rumors in the mirror. She thought it was just gossip. She didn’t pay attention to it.
She didn’t expect Ethan to say the same thing.
“Yes. Second and third sisters are the children of my grandfather’s love affair. Later, my grandmother brought them home and raised them.”
“Although they claim to be my grandmother’s biological daughters, many people know the truth. My grandmother raised the children of my grandfather’s mistress.”
“Who did you hear this from?”
“People who know about it talk. The old housekeeper who takes care of the family knows it.”
“Second and third aunts know it very well themselves. But Grandma didn’t allow anyone to talk about it. If someone mentioned it and she found out, she would drive them out of the house.”
“So the old nannies and housekeepers don’t say much.”
“Then why are you telling me?” Evelyn asked.
“Because you’re easy to cheat. I’m warning you first.”
“Ethan, a biological mother isn’t as important as an adoptive mother. Even if what you say is true, my mother-in-law raised second and third sisters. They must be grateful. They won’t do anything wrong to her. Don’t guess.”
“Evelyn, you’re so naive,” Ethan said quietly.
“I’m not. I just think you’re taking things too seriously.”
“It’s not what I think. It’s the truth. At the beginning, my father—forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything,” Ethan waved his hand.
Evelyn looked at him. After a while, she muttered.
“I just hope my mother-in-law is okay. Other problems aren’t really problems, are they?”
“That’s true. I hope my grandmother recovers soon and leaves the hospital,” Ethan said.
Later, Mrs. Sterling woke up for a while. But she was too tired. She soon fell asleep again.
The doctor checked her regularly. He said the situation was better than expected. There was no danger of getting sick.
Evelyn was very excited. She wanted to call Gray and tell him the news. But she thought he might be in a meeting. So she sent a text message instead.
Then she called second and third aunts to tell them the good news.
In the afternoon, Mrs. Sterling woke up again. Evelyn was allowed to visit for ten minutes.
After changing into sterile clothes, Evelyn entered the ward. She said to Mrs. Sterling, “Mom, it’s me, Evelyn.”
Mrs. Sterling opened her eyes and blinked.
Evelyn was happy. She thought her mother-in-law was very witty sometimes.
“Mom, don’t talk. I’ll talk, and you just listen.”
“The doctor says you’re recovering well. You must actively cooperate with the treatment.”
“You’ll recover and leave the hospital soon.”
“When you’re discharged, I’ll go for walks with you. We’ll make tea. We can even square dance.”
“By then, you’ll be in great shape.”
Mrs. Sterling still couldn’t speak. But the corner of her mouth couldn’t help lifting.