Postpartum meals are usually characterized by high protein, high nutrition, and a light and easily digestible taste.
As an experienced person, Mrs. Waters understood what was going on as soon as she heard Grace’s description.
After pondering for a moment, Mrs. Waters furrowed her brows and said with a serious expression, “If I’m not mistaken, it seems that Nana has already given birth.”
“Really?”
Grace looked surprised and blinked her eyes as she asked, “Didn’t you say she was over eight months pregnant? It’s still some time away from the due date.”
Mrs. Waters continued to focus on her thoughts and, considering Carl’s early departures and late returns these past two days, coupled with his refusal to reveal his whereabouts last night, she became even more convinced of her judgment.
“Maybe it’s a premature birth!”
Mrs. Waters asserted confidently, and her mood became excited.
Although she didn’t like Nana, she still wanted to know about the newborn child.
Grace noticed that Mrs. Waters couldn’t sit still in the room and eagerly offered, “Mrs. Waters, shall I accompany you to go and ask?”
“No need!”
Mrs. Waters immediately refused, her eyes darting around as she cautiously revealed her thoughts, “Now, my relationship with Carl is not good. Even if I ask, I might not get an answer.”
As she spoke, Mrs. Waters paced back and forth in the room with her hands behind her back.
“Call Emily in. I have something to tell her.”
Upon hearing Mrs. Waters’ instructions, Grace wasn’t sure what actions to take as a supporting role in this situation.
“Alright. Please wait a moment.”
Grace obediently left, and a cunning glint flashed in Mrs. Waters’ eyes.
In the evening, Carl poured the well-cooked herbal soup into a thermos flask and packed the meals in a lunchbox, then drove to the hospital.
Just as he left, Emily ran upstairs to report the news to Mrs. Waters.
At that moment, Mrs. Waters had already changed into her outdoor attire. She lifted her foot and left, secretly following in another car from the house.
After about forty minutes, Carl stopped outside the ward.
It was currently dinner time, and Jerry and Tracy had both returned home to prepare dinner for their daughter, ensuring she followed the postpartum recovery diet.
Carl listened to the silence in the ward and confirmed that the elderly couple was not present. With this assurance, he confidently knocked on the door.
At this moment, Nana was flipping through parenting books, eagerly anticipating the baby’s early emergence from the incubator.
Hearing the knocking from outside, Nana thought it was her parents and casually responded without much thought.
With Nana’s permission, Carl pushed the door open and walked in, smiling and greeting her from beside the hospital bed, “Nana, are you hungry? I’ve stewed some chicken soup for you.”
Seeing Carl’s dusty figure, Nana’s face showed a momentary surprise, and the faint smile on her lips quickly disappeared.
“Why are you here again?”
Nana’s emotions fluctuated, and a hint of annoyance appeared on her face.
However, Carl remained good-natured. He walked to the bedside and put down what he was holding, patiently explaining, “You shouldn’t be angry during your postpartum recovery. I just came to bring you dinner. I’ll leave after you finish eating.”
Unfortunately, Nana didn’t appreciate his efforts at all. When she saw Carl open the thermos flask and the lunchbox, she furrowed her brow and drove him away, saying, “I’ve told you that I don’t want to see you. Could you please leave with your things?”
“Nana…” Carl pleaded helplessly.
Nana refused to compromise and endured the pain from the incision in her abdomen as she suddenly sat up from the hospital bed.
“Don’t bother me anymore. If you really care about me, let me have a peaceful postpartum recovery!” Nana’s tone left no room for negotiation, and Carl had no way to deal with her.
“Fine, I won’t make you angry.” Carl forced a bitter smile, took two steps back, and kept his distance from Nana.
Before leaving the ward, he looked back with reluctance, gazing at Nana’s thin face and smiled reassuringly, “I know I’ve let you down, but the chicken soup hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s good for your body if you drink a little.”
Nana didn’t soften her stance, but she did listen to Carl’s words.
Seeing Nana nod slightly, Carl felt relieved and left the room with a sense of longing.
As the sound of the door closing reached her ears, Nana, who had been looking down, suddenly looked up towards the door.
“He really left…”
For a moment, Nana’s mood became slightly downcast.
The aroma of the chicken soup filled the air as Nana struggled to move her body and took a sip with a spoon.
“It’s so bland!”
Nana frowned. She picked up a piece of lightly stir-fried vegetable with her chopsticks and found that it wasn’t cooked properly.
Without a doubt, Carl had personally cooked these dishes.
Nana knew that Carl had never cooked before, but today he went against his usual habits and cooked both vegetables and soup.
She could feel the thoughtfulness behind it.
Even though the chicken soup lacked flavor and the vegetables weren’t fully cooked, Nana knew that Carl had put effort into it.
However, they had reached an irreparable point in their relationship. Even if Carl gave his all, she didn’t want to set aside her pride and accept it.
Moreover, Grace was still living in the Waters family. What significance did she hold?
As Nana drank the chicken soup with conflicting emotions, Carl entered the elevator.
He wanted to go upstairs and see his daughter. Although he couldn’t hold her in his arms, catching a glimpse of her would be good enough.
Soon, Carl greeted the doctor and, accompanied by a nurse, saw his daughter lying in an incubator, peacefully asleep.
“Baby, Daddy is here to see you!” Carl couldn’t help but smile and waved at his daughter through the glass.
He knew he couldn’t disturb her by going inside, so he stood quietly outside.
After a while, while Carl was watching his daughter and speaking, he suddenly felt that her breathing rate and complexion weren’t quite right.
Of course, Carl didn’t have a medical background, so he couldn’t articulate the reason behind his vague sense of unease.
Out of concern for his child, Carl decided to ask the doctor.
He entered the consultation room and immediately expressed his concerns to the doctor.
Upon hearing Carl’s description, the doctor smiled calmly and answered, “Mr. Waters, don’t worry. Since your daughter was born prematurely, her lungs haven’t fully developed yet. These conditions will gradually disappear after she reaches full term.”
“Really? Maybe we should have her examined, just to be sure…” Carl hesitated, fearing any potential complications for his daughter.
“We have already conducted examinations before, and the baby is relatively healthy in all aspects.”
The doctor dismissed Carl’s suggestion and advised him to wait patiently.
“Alright, I’ll come to see the baby again tomorrow. Thank you, doctor.”
Carl thanked the doctor verbally, but he remained restless in his heart.
Ever since Nana gave birth, Carl had spent a lot of time learning about various aspects of premature babies. He knew that premature infants didn’t have the same level of health as full-term babies, so he was always on edge.
Taking the elevator back downstairs, Carl contemplated whether to tell Nana about this. However, considering that Nana’s own recovery was not yet complete, revealing this information might only add to her worries.
“Let’s observe for a couple more days. I hope the baby is fine.”
Carl comforted himself internally, planning to go back to the ward and see if Nana had consumed the chicken soup he had stewed for most of the day.
He hurriedly walked through the corridor, eager to see Nana.
But before Carl could enter the room, he was startled to hear an argument coming from inside.