She had been lying in bed for over a week. She felt like she was growing mold.
“I just went to see the baby,” Alexander said to Evelyn. “He can drink milk on his own now, and he even laughed.”
“He can drink milk by himself?” Evelyn turned her head and looked at him, her voice bright with surprise.
“Yes,” Alexander replied, looking down at her. “The nurse said he won’t need to stay in the incubator in two days.”
“Oh.” Evelyn avoided his gaze and lowered her head. She answered softly, but she couldn’t hide her joy. Because her baby would be back with her soon.
The next second, her face fell.
“It’s a pity I can’t breastfeed him.”
“Formula is just as good,” Alexander continued. “The nutrition in modern formula is very complete. No matter how much we accompany our baby, he can feel our love and grow up healthy.”
Evelyn looked out the window and said nothing. After she divorced Alexander, could she still give her baby a healthy, complete home? But if she didn’t divorce, she couldn’t do it for her child either.
“You’ve been standing too long,” Alexander said, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Get some rest.”
His words broke her train of thought. Evelyn didn’t argue. She went to the bathroom, then followed him back to bed.
Lily Thompson brought breakfast. Alexander wanted to feed Evelyn. Evelyn wanted to eat by herself. In the end, Alexander compromised. He handed her the porridge and let her scoop it herself.
Evelyn ate quietly, thinking about when the doctor would do rounds today. She wanted to ask about being discharged. Staying in the hospital was truly a hard and irritating thing.
Alexander didn’t go to work until after the doctor’s rounds. He had to make sure he knew her condition first. Since Evelyn had been hospitalized, Alexander had spent a lot of money. He had invited international authoritative doctors to treat her. To invite such doctors, money alone wasn’t enough. It also required connections and resources.
Amelia Vance had told Evelyn more than once that Alexander was responsible for her life. She said Evelyn didn’t know how much Alexander had done for her while she was in a coma. She said it was a blessing for Evelyn to marry Alexander in her past life. She also said Evelyn must treat Alexander well in the future and never let him down.
Evelyn listened quietly. She didn’t argue. She didn’t respond. She didn’t want to say anything more when she already had a plan in her mind.
Charlotte Moore found out Evelyn was in the hospital. She came to visit that day. She also brought some snacks Evelyn liked.
“Can I eat this?” Charlotte asked hesitantly.
“Yes, just eat a little,” Evelyn said. She opened the packaging bag and looked at the delicious food. Her saliva was almost dripping. She stuffed a mouthful of snacks into her mouth and said vaguely, “You don’t know how much I’ve been abused in the hospital. I’ve lost so much weight.”
“You still say that,” Charlotte glared at her angrily. “If I hadn’t run into Alexander yesterday, I wouldn’t have known you were in the hospital.”
“I couldn’t call from the hospital,” Evelyn said with a smile. “How could I have informed you?”
At that time, she was wandering in front of the gates of death. She didn’t have the strength to make a phone call.
“Aren’t you full-term yet?” Charlotte asked, sitting beside the bed. “Why did you give birth now?”
“It’s because she wasn’t careful,” Amelia Vance said. She had just washed some fruit and brought it in. She heard Charlotte’s words and responded.
“What happened?” Charlotte turned to her aunt and asked in dismay.
Amelia told Charlotte the whole story again. She talked about how Evelyn had rescued someone twice a long time ago. She also talked about the premature birth.
Evelyn ate her snacks, listening to her mother’s vivid stories. Charlotte was shocked and couldn’t help but laugh. Even though it had been truly soul-stirring at the time. But after that time, when she looked back, she thought it was nothing. At least she felt like she had a dream. But the dream was too long. She almost didn’t wake up.
“Such a big thing, and you didn’t tell me!” Charlotte turned around and glared at Evelyn angrily.
“Isn’t everything fine now?” Evelyn shrank her head and answered with a smile.
“Fine, fine,” Charlotte said. “Or you look at me—bah bah, out of the mouth of a child, out of the mouth of a child! Nothing is fine, thank God!”
Charlotte put her hands together in prayer. Evelyn wanted to laugh, but she didn’t dare.
“What does the doctor say now?” Charlotte asked again.
“It’s all right,” Evelyn said easily. “I’ll be discharged in a few days.”
“Fortunately, it’s okay!” Charlotte continued. “It’s called ‘after a great disaster, there must be great fortune!’ We’ll be very lucky for Evelyn!”
Then she asked, “Where’s the baby?”
“He’s still in the incubator. He’ll be here in two days.”
“I’ll come back in two days to see the baby,” Charlotte said. “Does he look like you or Alexander?”
“He doesn’t look like Evelyn at all,” Amelia Vance said from the side. “Our Evelyn was beautiful when she was born. But when the baby was born, he wasn’t good-looking at all!”
“Oh, he probably looks like Alexander,” Charlotte said. After she finished, she felt her words seemed a bit wrong.
“Alexander said his eyes are very similar to mine,” Evelyn said with a smile. “The rest is more like him.”
“If his eyes look like yours, they must be beautiful,” Charlotte said. “Auntie, don’t worry. The baby was probably born early. He won’t look good before his features fully develop. When they do, he’ll definitely be like his father. A handsome man who charms thousands of girls!”
Charlotte was exaggerating.
“My mother always thought it was wrong,” Evelyn continued.
“Auntie, you can rest assured,” Charlotte said. “It’s impossible to hold the wrong child now. Now, when a child is born, they put a bracelet on them one-on-one. It’s very difficult to hold the wrong one.”
“I’m just talking,” Amelia replied with a smile. “I won’t hold the wrong one. He’s become much more beautiful these days. He’ll be even more beautiful in a few days.”
From the beginning of her dislike, Amelia had come to love the baby like a treasure. She held him and was reluctant to let go.
Evelyn and Charlotte looked at each other and smiled.
“You two chat,” Amelia said. “It’s almost time for visiting hours. I’m going to see the baby! Charlotte, if you want to eat anything, help yourself. Don’t be polite!”
“Auntie, I won’t be polite!” Charlotte said curiously. “Or I’ll go see the baby with you.”
“It’s still early,” Evelyn said with a smile. “My mother will walk around first, then go back to see the baby.”
“Yes, yes,” Amelia said. “I’ll walk around first. You two have a good chat, Charlotte. Evelyn has been tired of staying in the hospital during this time.”
“Okay, Auntie,” Charlotte said. “You can walk around. I’ll keep Evelyn company here. Don’t worry about it.”
“You two chat,” Amelia said with a smile. She turned and walked out of the ward.