“Okay, President.”
Nanci sighed helplessly, glancing at the mother and child sitting on the sofa. The woman whispered something into the child’s ear before placing him down and walking toward her.
“Thank you, Ms. Ross, for helping me find my child. I’ll turn myself in and accept the punishment I deserve. I’m leaving this child in your care. I have a bank card with all my savings for my lifetime. I’m giving it to him. Once you treat his illness, he will turn it over to you.”
“I promised I’d do my best to heal him, and I will. You can rest assured and reflect on your actions while you’re in jail.”
“I will. Goodbye, Ms. Ross. Son, Mommy has to go far away to earn money now. You have to be good…”
The little boy rushed over, hugging his mother’s leg and crying, “Mommy, I don’t want you to go! I can skip treatment. Please don’t leave me alone. I’m really scared. I’ll be very obedient. Just stay by my side!”
Seeing the vacant look in the boy’s eyes, the woman couldn’t help but cry as well, comforting him, “Mommy will come back. But before that, you need to take care of yourself. You must remember what I’ve taught you, okay? When you’ve learned them all, Mommy will return.”
“But I really don’t want you to leave! Waaaah, I don’t want you to go. I want you with me. If you’re here, I can learn everything!”
With a heavy heart, the woman pushed her son down to the ground and ran out. The boy accidentally twisted his ankle and tried to chase after her, but he couldn’t get up. Nanci prepared to help him.
But the boy shouted, “Don’t touch me! You’re all bad people! My mommy must have left because of you! What did you do to my mom? Why do you have to separate us? She’s all I have…”
Nanci remained calm and replied, “Didn’t your mother tell you she was leaving you with me? She has things to do outside and asked me to help treat you. Is this how you treat the person who might save your life?”
“I’m not a little kid! I know what’s going on! You must have said something to make my mommy leave me!”
Nanci chuckled lightly, “Well, think whatever you want. If you don’t want treatment, that’s your choice. It has nothing to do with me. If your mother finds out, it will just make her sad.”
Hearing that his mother would be sad made the little boy hesitate, unsure of what to do. He angrily sat on the floor and refused to get up. Nanci continued, “Those eyes are indeed beautiful, but if you don’t want them, let them go to waste. I won’t interfere. You can go wherever you want. It’s your choice.”
Maggie looked at the boy with pity and tentatively said, “Nanci, are we really just going to…”
“He made his choice. It’s not my problem. What if someone reports us for abducting a child?”
Edward looked at the boy and said, “Wipe your tears. A man shouldn’t be this weak. Your mom had her reasons. Otherwise, she wouldn’t leave you alone. You won’t find her now. She asked us to treat you well. It’s up to you whether or not to trust us.”
Nanci quietly asked, “Do you think he can understand what you’re saying? He is just a child. He probably doesn’t know the difference between a man and a boy.”
“I am a man! I won’t cry anymore! Please treat me! My mom gave me money. Once my eyes are better, I’ll give it to you. I won’t lie. I’ll wait for my mom to come back.”
Nanci silently gave Edward a thumbs-up, thinking it was surprising that he would listen to what Edward said. She felt a bit more fondness for him, wishing that her future children would be as smart as he was.
Edward leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Are you thinking that your future kids should be as smart as me?”
Nanci’s face flushed suddenly, unsure how he knew, and quickly denied, “I’m not! Who’s thinking about having kids with you?”
“Silly girl, your emotions are written all over your face. As a qualified boyfriend, how can I not understand my girlfriend’s thoughts? Don’t you think my position in your heart has grown a bit more significant?”
Nanci pouted and ignored him, turning to the little boy. “Do you know where your home is?”
“No… I didn’t remember the way…”
“Alright, from today on, I’ll treat you. You should come home with me. But there’s one condition I need to clarify-once I heal you, you’ll have to rely on yourself for the future. I won’t be helping you anymore. I just want to help because I’m a doctor.”
The little boy calmly replied, “Okay, I understand.”
Nanci thought her tone might be too harsh, so she softened her voice. “But during the treatment, I’ll do my best. You can trust me. There are very few cases I can’t treat.”
Edward complained, “We’re getting a cat, and now we’re adding a new family member? Why does it feel like our home is becoming a shelter, Nanci?”
“We’re just doing a good deed! Our child might be blessed with good luck if they’re born into this family, right?”
Hearing the mention of children, Edward reluctantly agreed and said, “Then let’s go home. It’s getting late.” He then turned to Issac, “The security guards need to step up their patrols. We can’t have another incident like today. If something happens, you all know the consequences. Luckily, Nanci is fine.”
Issac and Jacob exchanged glances and answered in unison, “Understood!”
Nanci looked at the little boy and said, “You should come back with me now. I’ll check on you properly tomorrow.”
As Nanci and Edward walked ahead, the boy closely followed behind. When they reached the car, Edward opened the door for her, but she sat in the back with the boy. This made him feel even more irritated, thinking that both animals and children seemed to be trying to take his girlfriend away.
The car sped along, expressing his dissatisfaction. Nanci exclaimed, “Edward, why are you driving so fast?”
“I want to get home quickly.”
“There’s a kid in the car now. Slow down and drive safely.”
Hearing her, Edward decreased the speed, focusing on driving. Finally, they arrived home. He thought he could spend some alone time with her, but she was busy showing the boy around the house. Frustrated, he returned to his room.
“What’s your name?'”
“Just call me ‘Rhys’.”
“Alright, Rhys. That room over there is yours. You’ll sleep there until you recover, and we’ll all eat in the living room. I’ll get your toiletries for you later.”
“Jenny, this is my patient. His mother has things to do and isn’t here, so I’m temporarily taking care of him. Please look after him while he’s staying here.”
Jenny walked over, smiling at the little boy. “Hey there, you’re quite a handsome little guy! What’s your name? You can come to me if you need anything. I’m just next door. If you want something to eat, just let me know.”
The boy looked at her with wary eyes. Nanci answered, “He doesn’t like to talk. Just call him ‘Rhys’.”
“This is Jenny, our housekeeper. You should treat her with respect. She’s a good person. You don’t need to be so on guard. How exhausting is that for someone your age?”
Rhys coldly replied, “I don’t fully trust you. After the treatment, I’ll pay you back later. Then we don’t owe each other!”
Nanci sighed, “Alright, alright, we don’t owe each other anything. You should go rest in your room now. I need to go upstairs and take a break. Today was quite busy. I’ll come down later to have dinner with you.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Suit yourself. I’m heading upstairs. You go back to your room.”
Once in his room, Rhys locked the door behind him. He sat on the bed, curling up and hugging himself, hoping this would give him a sense of security. He murmured to himself, “Mommy, I miss you. You will come back for me, right? I promise I’ll take care of myself while you’re gone. I’ll wait for you obediently. You have to be well.” Suddenly, he felt sleepy and slowly fell onto the bed, asleep.
Nanci returned to her room and heard water running in the bathroom. She sat on the bed, scrolling through social media. She thought of Olivia’s words from earlier that day, and sadness washed over her.
As a doctor, she understood everyone had to face death, but she really didn’t want to accept the possibility of losing someone who loved her. During those three years, Olivia had treated her so well…
Edward came out of the bathroom and plopped down on the sofa, not looking at Nanci as he busied himself with his phone. Nanci found this strange and asked, “Edward, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then come sit on the bed. Don’t catch a chill.”
“Go take care of your cat and son! I’m fine on my own. I can take care of myself.”
Nanci chuckled, “Are you jealous? Are you really jealous of a cat and a child?! My favorite is definitely you, silly. Come here!”
Edward grunted but didn’t move, simply scrolling through his phone to check on the company’s reports.
Nanci had no choice but to walk up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and starting to act cute. Edward’s irritation faded, and just as he was about to embrace her, she slipped out of his arms and said, “I forgot to check on Bella. Wait a minute.”