That evening, with his parents' consent, Eddy stayed the night inside Bob's mother's private room to
keep her company. However, Eddy woke to discover an empty hospital bed, and his innocent face grew
slightly pale.
Bob's mother was not in good shape and had been confined for a while now, with her medical state
unstable and not within normal limits. Eddy checked if she had fallen to the floor on the other side, but
she was nowhere in sight. He wondered where she could have gone at this time.
Worried, Eddy thought of his assurance to Bob's father that he would keep an eye on her.
He immediately got up and hurried outside the room. He winced and pressed his lips together tightly as
he took off to find the nearest nurse on-duty.
The nurse, who was aware of Bob's mother's illness, didn't expect her to leave the room. She
telephoned the hospital's security and promptly sought to sort out the situation. For a brief moment,
there was chaos and confusion.
After Anne showed up and looked at the present situation, she gave a long frown of misery and shook
her head.
"Mom, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I didn't watch over Auntie carefully to make sure she's safe and
okay. I'm to blame because I was too sleepy to stay up." Eddy stood in one corner, slightly lowering his
head. Guilt was written all over his sweet, naive face.
Anne was heartbroken to see him like that. She looked down and held Eddy in her arms. She sighed
and shook her head repeatedly. "Come here, silly. How could this incident be your fault? Who knows,
she might have urgent matters to deal with. Don't worry. She will come back soon."
Although she said so, Anne couldn't dismiss the concern she felt for Bob's mother. After all, her mental
state was unstable now.
"What's going on here? Is there something wrong? Why are you all looking for me? I was hungry, so I
went out to buy some food. There's no need to panic." Suddenly, Bob's mother's voice echoed from
down the hall.
Anne and Eddy simultaneously looked toward the direction where the familiar voice came. Bob's
mother had this helpless look on her face while carrying two plastic bags with both hands to the sides
of her body. She was slowly approaching them with the assistance of two nurses.
The hospital staff knew the reason why Bob's mother ended up in that current state. Everyone was very
sympathetic toward her.
Anne subconsciously lowered her head when she caught a glimpse of her smiling. She instantly
realized that Bob's mother seemed to be high in spirits at that moment, so if the mere sight of her could
trigger Bob's mother's emotional stability, then it would naturally be Anne's fault.
Helpless, she shook her head in despair and was getting ready to sneak out quietly. Unfortunately,
Bob's mother had already cast an eye over even before she could make her exit.
"Anne, hold on a second," Bob's mother called out with a smile.
When Anne caught her name, every muscle in her body stiffened. She gazed up and saw Bob's mother
inching closer to her one step after another. She laid eyes at Anne first before getting a load of Eddy.
She gently ruffled Eddy's hair before saying to Anne, "When I first saw him, I knew you were coming
then. I didn't expect you to hide from me deliberately."
Besides, Eddy was still a kid who couldn't be left alone without adult supervision, and the Fu Family
adored him so much. How could he possibly come to visit on his own?
In Anne's eyes, there was a taint of pity and helplessness. She looked at Bob's mother and gently
spoke, "Hi, Ma'am. It's been a long time since we last saw each other."
Bob's mother nodded in reply, and her loving gaze was hooked on Eddy. She went down on her knees
so that she could speak to him at the same eye level. With a satisfied smile, she took out a steamed
bun and said, "The food in the hospital doesn't taste good, so I bought these for you to enjoy. They are
delicious and freshly made. This used to be Bob's favorite, but since..."
Bob's mother started speaking eagerly, but soon her voice trailed off. She recalled back when her
family was so poor that they couldn't afford to buy many things. Even if Bob loved eating steamed
buns, she didn't have enough cash to buy him some.
Now, despite having enough funds and willingness to buy them, Bob was no longer around to
appreciate it.
A strong sense of loss swept over Bob's mother. She bowed her head, and there was sorrow in her
eyes.
Eddy's eyes grew wide open the instant he heard Bob's name being spoken briefly by his mother.
Despite his gullibility regarding Bob's mother's thoughts, he realized she must be heavy-hearted again.
At that moment, he reacted on impulse by accepting the steamed bun and taking his first big bite. He
gulped it down fast while nodding repeatedly, and in a muffled voice, he said, "The steamed bun is
delicious. It's soft and tasty. Thank you, Mom."
Even in the presence of Anne, Eddy still referred to Bob's mother as Mom.
Bob's mother tensed up, and she inadvertently shifted her gaze at Anne, only to see her smiling
dotingly at Eddy. Either she didn't catch Eddy's words, or maybe the real motivation behind her
action was to encourage her son.
Besides, it didn't upset Anne to hear Eddy calling Bob's mother as his Mom.
Bob's mother's heart ached with longingness, but the sincere affection also profoundly touched her. No
mother would want her child to address someone else as Mom.
Even so, the little boy standing before her was special and dear to her. The heart beating inside the
kid's chest used to be her own son's before the surgery happened.
Aristotle once identified the heart as an essential organ of the body. Following heart transplantation,
recipients themselves accounted for a change in personality by acquiring their donor's characteristics
and memories.
Just now, even for a fleeting moment, Bob's mother considered Eddy as her real son!
"Anne, doesn't this bother you?" Bob's mother inquired, staring at Anne expectantly.
Anne only shook her head and smiled lightly. With great certainty, she answered, "No, I honestly don't
mind at all. To have someone who loves Eddy as much as I do is a gratifying thing for me."
Tears trickled down Bob's mother's cheeks without warning. She hastily raised her hand and
wiped the tears off her face.
Everything was going well.
"Eddy, be careful not to choke. Eat slowly and sip some soybean milk." Bob's mother opened the small
carton of milk and gently positioned the opening in front of Eddy's mouth. He grinned at her and took a
big swig.
Typically, Selma would view this type of breakfast as unhealthy, so she asked the cook to whip
up delicious, nourishing meals for them on purpose. But now, after sampling Bob's mom's food, Eddy
thought the food she bought was more delicious.
He knew right away that it wasn't the taste alone, but it also contained the vital human touch of a
mother's love.
At first, Anne was caught in a flap thinking that Bob's mother might be emotionally unstable and
wouldn't let Eddy go, but that didn't seem to be the case now.
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