The door is pushed open and Eric Chan, dressed in a suit, walks in slowly and stands at the edge of the bed.
Seeing his serious face, Alex Brown wanted to laugh, but found himself more nervous than him.
“Do you think it’s too late for me to regret it?” Alex Brown suddenly asked. Seemingly casual, but in fact how much he really meant, he himself knew best.
Eric Chan was suddenly shocked, hesitated for a long time, but did not give an answer.
In all honesty, he didn’t care whether Mr. Brown regretted it or not, he only hoped Mr. Brown could live well.
No longer waiting for his answer, Alex Brown continued to look out the window, repeating the question to himself, as if to himself.
This time, however, someone else gave the answer.
“It’s too late to regret it!”
Tina Everard led two nurses to approach, gave him an unpleasant glare, and pushed him out of the room together with the nurses.
On the way to the operating room, Tina Everard couldn’t help but caution, “After the anesthetic injection, you won’t know anything, it’s useless to think about it now, just empty your brain, keep your heartbeat and breathing at a normal rate, and don’t do anything meaningless.”
It is really a doctor, such moments can still maintain calm.
Alex Brown smiled lightly and promised to listen to her for once.
.
“I don’t know if I’ll see you later, but I’d like to apologize and thank you at the same time.”
Alex Brown looked at her sincerely, seemingly for the first time, without rejection, and put her into his eyes.
The tip of her nose tingled, and Tina Everard turned her face away, deceiving herself by hiding the tears in her eyes, and scolded in a deep voice: “Don’t give me that, an apology and you want me to forgive you? Let’s see how you perform later!”
“But I’m not sure if I still have to…”
“Shut up!”
Realizing what Alex Brown was going to say, she interrupted with a grimace: “You better be quiet, or I’ll fall in love with you and you’ll never get rid of it!”
As she spoke, she reached the entrance to the operating room.
Tina Everard straightened up, took two steps back and stood side by side with Eric Chan.
The three of them looked at each other, their pretended relaxation on the surface, and no one said anything until Alex Brown was wheeled into the operating room.
The red light goes on and the operation begins.
Tina Everard and Eric Chan sat on the bench, time seemed to freeze, the corridor was silent, and occasionally, in a trance, they even forgot what they were waiting for.
A man’s voice broke the silence.
Paul Johnson’s wheelchair slowly approached, glancing into the operating room, knowing who was inside, but deliberately playing dumb: “Who are you waiting for?”
Eric Chan had never come into direct contact with Paul Johnson, but knew of his presence and was acutely aware of the hostile aura surrounding him. When he saw him talking to Tina Everard, he was vaguely suspicious, but with Alex Brown’ life and death at stake, there was no time to think too hard.
“Dr. Everard, you’ve been busy all morning and haven’t eaten, I’ll go downstairs and get some food.”
Tina Everard nodded cooperatively, “Thank you.”
Paul Johnson’s eyes followed Eric Chan and asked, “This appears to be Alex Brown’ assistant, does Dr. Everard know Mr. Brown as well?”
Tina Everard looked at him expressionlessly and suddenly asked, “What about you? And what is your relationship with Alex Brown?”
The murder case in the country was still incomplete, and Marisa Miller’s whereabouts were unknown, so Paul Johnson did not dare to reveal his identity for the time being in order to protect her, and he was afraid of attracting the attention of others if he behaved too aggressively.
So he laughed dryly and pretended to be surprised: “Dr. Everard looks like she’s interrogating a prisoner.”
“Not answering my question?” Seeing that he was trying to change the subject, Tina Everard pressed the issue.
At that moment, a nurse suddenly ran over to take Paul Johnson to rehab.
The tension is broken and Paul Johnson waves goodbye to Tina Everard and walks away with the nurse.
On the other hand, late at night.
Tired and exhausted, Emma Rosy came out of the operating room, took off her mask, leaned back against the wall, and slowly closed her eyes.
It wasn’t the first time she had watched a life pass away, but each time, her heart ached with remorse.
As a medical professional, you should always be prepared to say goodbye to life, not this kind of mentality, she understood, but could not.
After a frightening resuscitation, the red number on the display in the hospital lobby had turned to “3”.
At three o’clock in the morning, there were no patients, the whole building was surrounded by cold silence, and the dark night sky outside added a bit of low depression.
Emma Rosy met the only relative of her grandmother who had just died in surgery, a little girl, at the payment desk. She helped her through all the procedures and learned from the conversation that the little girl and her grandmother lived in a neighboring county, and that in the evening her grandmother had a sudden attack and was taken to the hospital by neighbors.
“Where are your parents? Can’t make it back in time?”
The little girl’s family did not look well-off, so Emma Rosy guessed that her parents were probably working in other cities.
The little girl’s answer, however, was completely unexpected by Emma Rosy.
“Mom and dad… are gone.” The little girl bit her lip, and the tears she had just held back came rushing out again.
Both parents are dead and living with their grandmother?
Although her heart ached, she had to ask about her family first, so Emma Rosy continued, “And are there any other relatives at home?”
The little girl shook her head.
Emma Rosy said nothing more, and They of them walked to the entrance of the hall in silence. The cold wind was blowing furiously, rolling up a thin layer of snow on the ground, and the dead branches trembled fragilely, as if they were about to be uprooted.
Such weather, time, mood, the little girl left the hospital, where can go?
“What’s your name, little girl?” Emma Rosy suddenly asked as she reached for the door.
The girl froze, seemed to realize something, turned around and bowed solemnly towards Emma Rosy, and then raised her eyes gratefully: “My name is Hope Smith. auntie doctor, thank you for your help today, I will always remember your kindness.”
When she was named Hope Smith, her parents must have pinned all their hopes on her. They wanted her to be healthy, happy and secure.
Emma Rosy leaned down slightly and touched her cheek lovingly: “How old are you?”
“… twelve years old.” The girl was slightly puzzled, but still confused, adding, “Just started my first year of middle school this year.”
After saying that, her gaze flickered a little, pursed her lips and looked at Emma Rosy’s expression, hanging her head down, as if she had something to say.
Emma Rosy noticed and told her not to be formal and to speak up if she needed any help.
“Auntie doctor, I can’t cook and I don’t have money for tuition, can you help me find an orphanage?”
Perhaps because of her motherly nature, Emma Rosy thought of Keira when she looked at her, and then she couldn’t bear to let her suffer from her heart.
Although the orphanage can provide the children with a basic livelihood, it is still a far cry from an able-bodied family. And before entering the institution, the girl had to go through various vetting procedures.
After a few moments of hesitation, Emma Rosy finally made a decision.
“My name is Richard, you can call me Auntie Richard, or Dr. Richard if you like.”
Extending her hand towards the girl, she showed a gentle smile: “Come, Hope, I’ll take you to the duty room for a few hours, and we’ll go home together after work.”
“Richard… Auntie.” Hope was a little uncomfortable and asked with a bewildered look, “Why do you want to take me home?”
“Staying at Auntie’s house must be happier than the orphanage, and there’s a little sister to play with you, will you?”
Emma Rosy’s hand was still raised in mid-air. Hope seemed to understand what she meant and hesitated for a long time before carefully placing her hand in her palm.
Emma Rosy wanted to adopt Hope, Master Wright heard about this, but at first he did not agree.
For one thing, Emma Rosy was busy with work, and even Keira needed Joe Wright’s help to take care of her, and the Wright Family was not a charity.
Secondly, after Alex Brown left the country, she left early and came home late, Keira kept asking for a mommy and daddy, and if a child suddenly came into the family, what if Keira was too upset and thought everyone didn’t care about her?
“Also, you think adoption is that simple?”
Master Wright put the teacup back on the table, his face serious: “If it was just a matter of money, Grandpa would never refuse.”
Emma Rosy had considered all of Master Wright’s concerns beforehand.
She couldn’t live alone, so she could stay with the Wright Family for a while. She is also a few years older than Keira, and she knows how to live without adults.
“Keira is extraordinarily dependent on her parents, which of course is why we didn’t grow up with her, but also because her circle of life is so small and there are no peers at all.”
Master Wright loves Keira, and after listening to Emma Rosy’s persuasion, he finally relented.
“In that case, let’s keep that child for the time being. As for the relevant procedures, tomorrow I’ll ask a lawyer, Joe and Eva are developing well recently, don’t bother him.”
“Then I thank you in advance!”
Emma Rosy was very attentive and went over to massage his shoulders.
Hope started living with the Wright Family, and Keira wasn’t uncomfortable with the new addition, only a little worried.
So after Emma Rosy’s introduction at dinner, Keira called out “sister” as she was asked to do, and then ate her dinner without showing any special emotion.
But this calmness was already an anomaly.
Emma Rosy and Master Wright looked at each other and realized that both Keira and Hope would need some time to adjust.
To calm Keira, Emma Rosy took her into her room before bedtime and laughed and joked for a while before falling asleep together.
The next morning, Keira was still tucked under the covers, so Emma Rosy got up gingerly and went next door.
The door to the guest room was open, the quilt and pillows on the bed were neatly arranged, the new pajamas were folded and placed at the end of the bed, the room smelled faintly of shower gel, she went into the bathroom and saw that it was clean and tidy, all the supplies were in their place and there was not a drop of water on the floor.
The whole room looked as if no one had ever lived in it.
If Keira had grown up to be Hope’s age, she would have been able to save a lot of effort.
With a smile of relief and helplessness, Emma Rosy closed the door and exited the room, going downstairs to find Hope.
“Miss, you’re up.” As soon as the maid saw her, she greeted her with a quick step: “The little girl who just arrived yesterday is in the kitchen and insists on helping us make breakfast, I can’t stop her… You should go check it out.”
“Hope? Doesn’t she not know how to cook?”
At the sound of footsteps, Hope turned her head to look, and when she met Emma Rosy’s gaze, she burst into a smile.
“Auntie Richard, I also help grandma wash and cut vegetables when I’m at home, you can let these aunties go to work, don’t worry about me.”
Emma Rosy approached, sighed silently and took the knife in her hand.
“Auntie…”
Hope stepped off the low stool and watched her face slightly nervously before squatting down and carefully wiping it clean and putting it back in its original position.
As the kitchen continued to get busy, Emma Rosy brought Hope into the living room and just sat down on the sofa to see the steaming tea in front of her.
“Grandpa likes tea, just now I saw him walking in the yard, so I asked the housekeeper grandpa where to put the tea leaves, thinking that now make it, grandpa can drink it when he comes back.”
Hope stood with her head bowed, her hands twisting the hem of her dress uneasily, and the more she said, the more she lost her breath, as if she had made a big mistake.
Emma Rosy could understand Hope’s feelings.
When she held her hand in the hospital, Hope must not have thought that her family was such a sight.
The luxurious villa, the majestic Master Wright, the respectful maids, and the sumptuous dinner yesterday must have made Hope feel deeply inferior and helpless.
But she wanted Hope to know that there is no difference between high and low people, and that those who live at the bottom of the city can also live a life of luxury, and the difference between them is just fate.
“Come sit here.”
Emma Rosy reached out and pulled Hope to her side, only then did she feel her body tense up, a moment of heartache and anger: “What are you afraid of, this is your home ah. You’ll all be my daughter when the adoption process is done.”
“I’m afraid I won’t do well.”
Hope still hung her head low and mumbled, “My previous living environment is different from here, so I have many habits that may cause you trouble. And I don’t have any siblings, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to take care of Keira , and I’m also afraid that…”
In short, it is still the inferiority complex that is at work.
Emma Rosy gently hugged her and warmly reassured her: “There are not so many rules between families. We have not been in contact for a long time, it does take some time to bond, but this is something that both parties have to do, and it cannot be done by you alone, understand?”
Hope answered in a low voice, still not seeming to understand.
Emma Rosy had to continue: “Now you are not yet adult, auntie will assume the guardianship obligations, when you reach 18 years old, after the road of life how to go completely by your own choice. So no need to feel indebted and grateful, auntie adopted you, not for your return.”
“Okay auntie, I remember.”
Hope straightened up and nodded solemnly.
This look, does she look like she understands?
Emma Rosy, however, did not force her any further, thinking that in time, everything would be fine.
Today Emma Rosy had the day off and spent the morning at home with Keira. After lunch, she took Hope back to the hospital to deal with her grandmother’s funeral.
During the preparation process, she received a phone call from Master Wright and learned that once it was confirmed that Hope had no immediate family and volunteered to be adopted, and Emma Rosy herself passed the relevant court checks to confirm that the conditions for adoption were met, the procedure could be done.
This was the only good news in recent times, but Emma Rosy and Hope, who were waiting outside the crematorium, could not feel any relief.
Hope held Emma Rosy’s hand until they left the funeral home, and Hope only wept silently, her eyes forced red, without making a sound.
That night, Emma Rosy was lying in bed, tossing and turning, and finally got up to visit Hope’s room.
Standing outside the guest room door, she heard the suppressed cries of pain inside, and her hand stopped in mid-air as she opened the door, then silently dropped it.
There was no way to comfort the pain of losing a loved one, but to lick the wound alone in the darkness of the night, waiting for the pain to heal.
She leaned against the wall, in a different way, to accompany Hope…
Affected by Hope’s sadness, although she hid it well, the Wright Family was immersed in gloom for several days in a row, and the atmosphere was deepened by the troubles in the adoption process.
Hope’s situation was simple enough to qualify as an adoptee, but when the court reviewed Emma Rosy’s own qualifications, it found that she was currently single with a daughter and deemed her incapable of caring for Hope. Not expecting the hassle of the adoption process and the need to go to court, Hope felt that the future was uncertain and did not want to put Emma Rosy through the hassle anymore, and vaguely wanted to back out.
To no avail, Emma Rosy told her to reconsider, while she went back to sorting out the documents.
Hope sat alone in the room, looking around at her familiar surroundings, her heart full of reluctance.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door and a small furry head peeked in.