“My parents are back…”
Nana sounded a bit nervous.
Although Jerry and Tracy’s attitude towards Carl had improved compared to before, they still didn’t want him to have too much contact with Nana.
“Oh, then I’ll go back to the apartment first.”
A gentle light gathered in Carl’s eyes as he understood Nana’s meaning.
But just as he stood up from the bedside, Jerry and Tracy pushed open the door and walked into the ward.
Seeing Carl there, the elderly couple didn’t say much and directed their gaze towards their daughter.
“Nana, we got safety charms for Janelle. We also got one for you, hoping that both of you will be well.”
Tracy took out the safety charm carefully from her bag and handed it to Nana.
“It’s a very delicate safety charm! Hopefully, it will bless Janelle!”
Nana carefully examined it in her hand, her lips curving into a faint smile.
Jerry chimed in from the side, “Today, besides getting the safety charm, your mom and I also consulted a Master. He said that you and Janelle are in a challenging year, but everything will go smoothly next year.”
Noticing that the elderly couple had been ignoring him, Carl didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, so he silently turned around and headed towards the door.
But before he left the ward, he suddenly heard Jerry’s voice from behind.
“Wait a moment, I have something to discuss with you.”
Carl raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Alright.”
He responded calmly and watched Jerry walk over.
Afterward, the two of them came to the window in the corridor. Jerry looked at Carl and went straight to the point, “Although we were angry before, we are still grateful that you are willing to donate bone marrow for Janelle.”
Carl still didn’t know the purpose of Jerry’s conversation with him, so he politely replied, “Mr. Lawson, please don’t say that. Janelle is my daughter, and I would give my life for hers without hesitation.”
This was Carl’s heartfelt words. Since Nana gave birth to their child, he felt the weight of two responsibilities on his shoulders.
A strong sense of duty drove Carl. He realized that Nana and their daughter were the two most important people in his remaining years.
Jerry smiled upon hearing Carl’s words. Although he couldn’t forgive Carl for betraying Nana, he was moved by his concern for their child.
“Carl…”
Jerry paused for a moment and solemnly told him, “Earlier, I discussed it with my wife. We plan to have the child take our surname.”
Upon hearing this, Carl furrowed his brow unconsciously.
He had already negotiated this matter with the elderly couple before, but he didn’t expect Jerry to bring it up today.
Carl didn’t yet understand Jerry’s intentions, so he responded cautiously, “Mr. Lawson, go on.”
Jerry sighed softly, speaking with earnestness, “Actually, we wanted to name the child Lawson as well because we were holding a grudge. But through this incident, to be honest, my opinion of you has changed.”
Carl was relieved to hear these words. He felt hopeful about getting back together with Nana and gaining forgiveness from Jerry and Tracy.
“I’m just doing what I should do. Despite the misunderstandings between Nana and me, we still have a child between us.”
Carl responded calmly, unable to help but imagine the day when they would be together again.
“Yes, that’s also my consideration.”
Jerry expressed his agreement and made a firm promise, “Alright, as long as my granddaughter’s illness is cured, I agree to let the child be named Waters.”
In the past few days, Carl spent most of his time at the hospital and had multiple conversations with the doctors.
He learned that as long as the surgery was successful, there was a high probability that the child would recover.
Therefore, he understood the premise behind Jerry’s words-to give the Lawson family a way out.
Both sides knew very well that once the bone marrow transplant was successful, the child would completely recover after the recovery period.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you, Mr. Lawson,” Carl said without any reservations.
He readily agreed and thanked Jerry, “Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Lawson. Last time, when we argued, it wasn’t because I cared about the child’s surname. I just didn’t want you to keep hating me.”
Upon hearing Carl’s words, Jerry chuckled and spoke with a broad-minded sentiment, “In this short life of ours, there’s no room for so much hatred!”
Indeed, whether it was Carl, Jerry, or Tracy, their common wish was for the baby to grow up healthy.
They understood the importance of safety and well-being.
After chatting with Jerry in the corridor for a while, Carl bid farewell and went home.
The nurse reminded him to rest well these days as it would be beneficial for the bone marrow extraction.
So, as soon as Carl returned to the apartment, he lay down early, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
He had been exhausted these past few days and needed this chance to catch up on sleep.
The next morning, when Carl walked into the ward with nutritional supplements, he saw Nana holding a novel and reading.
“Nana, are your parents not here?” Carl asked gently, placing the purchased supplements aside.
Nana put down her book and replied in a cold tone, “Yesterday, your mom broke my phone. They went to buy a new one for me.”
Carl felt guilty when this matter was brought up.
“I’m sorry, Nana. Let me buy one for you. Consider it as compensation.”
“No need,” Nana rejected him directly, her tone tinged with mockery. “Just make sure your mom doesn’t come to the hospital again.”
Hearing this, Carl felt even more awkward. He approached the hospital bed and apologized to Nana once again.
“Nana, I’m truly sorry about yesterday. I promise it won’t happen again.”
Before Carl reported his mother to Nana, he had made a serious statement. If Mrs. Waters couldn’t get along with Nana, he would never return to the old house.
Despite Mrs. Waters’ fierce temperament, her greatest hope was Carl.
The more fierce someone is, the more fragile their heart is. Mrs. Waters didn’t want to lose her only son and feared being left with no support in her old age.
However, Carl’s promise didn’t give Nana much reassurance.
“Forget it. Even if she comes to cause trouble again, I can’t do anything to her anyway!”
Nana sarcastically shrugged her shoulders, pointing to the chair beside the hospital bed.
Then she spoke calmly, “You can sit down. I have a few things I want to talk to you about.”
It was rare for Nana to take the initiative to have a heart-to-heart conversation with him, and Carl was both surprised and delighted.
He obediently sat down like a well-behaved child, legs together, waiting for Nana to speak.
Looking at Carl sitting upright, Nana inexplicably found it amusing. She covered her mouth and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Why are you so nervous? I’m not going to interrogate you.”
It had been a long time since Carl had seen her smile. He was captivated by her beautiful face.
“What do you want to tell me?” Carl dared not look directly at her and spoke cautiously.
Nana changed her posture, leaning against the hospital bed, and slowly began speaking.
“Last night, I thought about it all night. I think we should respect that you are our daughter’s father. After all, blood ties cannot be changed.”
“So, I intend that once the child’s illness is cured, the two of us…” Nana paused and raised her eyes to see Carl attentively listening.