“Yes, she’s been taking painkillers to hide it from us. She planned to visit us, then go back without us ever knowing.” Evie explained.
“Ah, it’s not easy for Iris.” Amelia sighed, then turned to Evie. “Evie, even though Iris says she was just a nanny for the family, she raised Gray for years. She’s practically a second mother. You and Gray need to treat her well. Let her have some peace at the end.”
“Mom, I know. Don’t worry. Gray and I understand. I need to get back to the baby. I’ll visit Iris later. You and Dad take care of yourselves. I’ll be back in a couple of days.” Evie grabbed her bag.
“Don’t rush back if you’re busy. Your father and I can come see you and the baby. If you need anything from home, just say the word.”
“Mom, I know. I’ll head back now.”
Evie returned from her parents’ house and heard the baby crying from the driveway. But the moment she reached the door, the crying stopped.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Evie changed her shoes and walked into the living room, asking Lily.
“He might be hungry. The nanny just changed his diaper and is feeding him now.” Lily looked up from her cleaning.
“Oh.” Evie felt relieved.
She entered the nursery and saw the nanny holding the baby, bottle in hand.
“Mrs. Sterling, you’re back!” the nanny said.
“Yes. How’s his appetite?” Evie looked at the baby.
“Very good. I just changed him. Now it’s feeding time.” the nanny explained.
“Please continue. I’ll go change and come back down to hold him.” Evie left the nursery and went upstairs to shower and change.
When Evie came downstairs, the baby was full and playing. His round eyes were bright. When he saw Evie, he reached out a tiny hand, wanting her to hold him.
Evie picked him up and played with him. Soon, he was giggling.
Evie looked at the baby and thought about her parents’ hearts. Then she thought about Iris. Iris’s only regret now was that Grace wouldn’t acknowledge her. But Evie couldn’t fix that alone. She didn’t know if she could help in the end. Besides, Iris had specifically told her not to let Gray know. That meant Iris had no one to talk to now. Evie couldn’t help but sigh.
“Mrs. Sterling, is something wrong?”
Evie looked up and saw Lily’s concerned eyes. A wave of warmth washed over her.
“It’s nothing.” Evie smiled and shook her head. After a moment, she said to Lily, “Lily, you haven’t taken a vacation in a while.”
“Nothing’s happening at home, so I didn’t go back.” Lily answered honestly.
“If you have time, you should go visit. If you need a vacation, just tell me in advance.”
“Okay, thank you, Mrs. Sterling!” Lily replied, touched.
Evie nodded and said nothing more. She lowered her head and continued playing with the baby.
That evening, Evie went to the hospital to see Iris. When Iris saw her, she was very happy. She asked the nurse to help her sit up.
Evie wanted Iris to lie down, but Iris said she’d been lying down all day and felt uncomfortable. It was fine to sit up for a bit. Evie didn’t insist.
“I didn’t know you were coming. I would have told you to stay home and spend more time with the baby at night.” Iris said.
“It’s fine. I’ll go back later.” Evie replied. She wanted to ask Iris if she felt better, or if she was in pain. But she felt it was useless to ask. It would only add to Iris’s burden. So she didn’t.
“Evie, this time I’ve come, I’ve caused trouble for you and Gray.” Iris said.
“Iris, don’t say that. If you do, Gray and I will be very upset. Iris, you should have told us the truth earlier. At least we could have treated it sooner.” Evie shook her head.
“I know my body. Staying here now is just a waste of money.” Iris sighed.
“Iris, do you think Gray cares about money compared to your health?” Evie answered helplessly.
“I know Gray doesn’t care about the money. I’m not trying to save it. But it’s useless. Let’s not waste it. I know you and Gray are good children. You both love me. But I know my own body. My time is almost up.”
“Iris, don’t say that!” Evie sobbed.
“Child, don’t be sad. I’ve lived most of my life. I’m satisfied.”
“Iris, do you want me to ask Grace to come see you?” Evie couldn’t help asking.
“No. She doesn’t want to come.” Iris sighed.
“Iris, let me talk to her for you.” Evie said.
“Evie, no. She won’t listen to you. If she was going to acknowledge me as her mother, she would have done it long ago. Not now. Besides, I don’t want to be a burden to her. This is fine. I don’t have to worry about her, and she doesn’t have to worry about me. It’s good this way.” Iris said with a smile.
“Iris—”
“Evie, don’t worry about me. I’ve been content in my life. I have no regrets. This is fine.”
Evie didn’t know how to persuade Iris. Everything she said now felt hollow.
After less than half an hour, Iris started telling Evie to go back and take care of the baby. She also said Evie must take good care of the baby. Never let the baby out of her sight. She should have more children in the future. Gray loved children very much, and the family would be livelier.
Evie felt like Iris was saying her last words. It made her even sadder.
“Iris, tell me these things after you leave the hospital. There are still many things I don’t understand. I need to learn from you. By the way, I haven’t learned how to cook crab yet. Teach me when you get out of the hospital!” Evie interrupted Iris.
Iris looked at Evie with a smile. Finally, she nodded and said, “Okay. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you.”
Later, Evie went home first.
Gray came back very late. Evie hadn’t fallen asleep yet.
“Did I wake you?” Gray saw Evie sit up.
“No. I wasn’t asleep. Did you go see Iris?” Evie sat at the head of the bed and looked at Gray.
“Yes. I just came back from the hospital.” Gray said.
“I went to see her too. She sent me back after a short time.” Evie said.
“She thinks the hospital is a bad place. She doesn’t want us to go there too often.” Gray explained.