The Barrister's Love in Town

Aiden wore a mysterious expression as he covered his mouth with his tiny hands and

whispered into Amanda’s ear, “Daddy tells scary stories about ghosts. He even said that if

children don’t sleep after hearing those stories, ghosts will come and take them away.”

She thought in the silence, Why would this man tell such things to a child?

“Aiden, it’s time to take your medicine. We’ll go to bed soon, and the nurse will come for a

check-up.” Amanda took out the pills and a cup of water while gently coaxing the baby to

take the medicine.

“Mommy, I don’t want to take these medicines. They taste so bitter. When can we go

home? When will I finish the homework given by my teacher?”

Aiden had only been in the hospital for two days, yet impatience had already begun to set

in. Throughout these two days, not only did he resist taking the medicines properly, but he

also spat them out secretly.

Amanda didn’t want to deceive her baby or give false hope about when they could return

home, so she said, “I don’t know either, baby. We’re waiting for an update. Can you be a

good boy and take the medicine?”

“Mommy, I’m not even sick. Why do I have to take medicine? I don’t want to… Aiden

pushed away the

offered pills with a disgusted look.

The medicines were undeniably quite bitter. Even adults found them unpleasant, let alone

children. Alas, there was no other choice…

“Aiden, do it for Mommy’s sake. It’s good for your health and can help you grow tall, just

like Daddy.”

Aiden became slightly intrigued, but a hint of doubt lingered in his eyes. “Really? Can I

grow as tall as Daddy?”

“Of course! When has Mommy ever lied to you?” Amanda showed a sincere smile.

Aiden snorted, “Mommy always lies to me.”

Nonetheless, he had a strong desire to grow as tall as Elias, so he grabbed all the pills and

swallowed them with several sips of water.

Amanda couldn’t help but smile at how obedient her baby truly was; every day at the

hospital, she witnessed the heart-wrenching scenes of critically ill children crying and

resisting treatment, even refusing to take their prescribed medications.

Her only wish now was to swiftly find a suitable bone marrow donor for her baby’s

transplant and be discharged as soon as possible. It was evident to her that Aiden

genuinely disliked staying in the hospital.

Just as Amanda placed the cup down, Aiden regurgitated all the ingested pills right at the

next moment, accompanied by a significant amount of blood…

Blood! A horrifying sight of blood!

Amanda was left stunned for a full three seconds, until she heard her baby cry out, asking,

“Mommy, I’m vomiting blood. Why…”

Why? Right! Why is this happening?

Amanda finally snapped out of her trance and cradled Aiden. “There, there, don’t cry,

Mommy is here. It’s alright, don’t be scared…”

He clung tightly to Amanda’s body, frightened by the red liquid that emerged from his own

mouth; he couldn’t comprehend why he was vomiting blood.

While Amanda comforted her son, she pressed the call button and within less than a

minute, a nurse rushed into the room. “What happened? Is something wrong?”

Tears streamed down Amanda’s face as she tightly held her child, pleading, “Please help

me examine why he’s vomiting blood. He just took the medicine, and then he vomited it

along with blood. What’s going on?”

“Give me a moment. I’ll call the doctor.”

Amanda’s tears rolled down her cheeks as she cradled her baby close. Her heart was on

the verge of shattering as she noticed the bloodstains around his tiny mouth.

After the nurse contacted the doctor, they examined the situation and comforted the

crying child. Sometime later, he cried himself into slumber, perhaps due to the

incomprehension of his condition or

perhaps due to his waning strength day by day.

Amanda accompanied the doctor to the corridor and asked with anxiety etched on her

face, “Doctor, what’s happening?”

“This illness has a sudden and severe onset. It’s progressing rapidly. That’s why I

suggested a prompt bone marrow transplant. It’s evident that the child’s condition is

advancing rapidly, and it may worsen. You have to remain vigilant to prevent further harm,

as controlling the bleeding will be challenging.”

The doctor continued speaking, but Amanda seemed to have gone deaf at that moment;

all she registered were the doctor’s words of potential worsening-

Horsening…

Those words weighed heavily on her heart, making it difficult to breathe like she was

being suffocated.

After the doctor departed, Amanda returned to the hospital room alone. As she gazed at

her slumbering baby, she stifled her sobs with a hand over her mouth. Yet, the tears

persisted as she wondered just what other suffering her baby would endure if the situation

worsened.

A prompt bone marrow transplant was imperative, but Taylor would never willingly donate

his bone marrow. Not to mention, finding a new suitable donor would require time. Does

my baby have to continue enduring such agony during our bitter search for a donor?

As these thoughts plagued her, she felt her heart being torn apart. This baby was the

result of enduring ten months of excruciating pain. How could it not hurt her? If she could,

she would willingly bear all the suffering in place of her baby.