The woman's hoarse, trembling voice echoed in Rachel's ears. She sounded like she was on the verge
of breaking down.
The man stepped back in frustration, lowered his head, and remained silent, while Sheila stepped
closer to her mother, looking deathly pale.
Rachel was at a loss for what to do next.
Fortunately, her leader had entered the room just in time to hear those hysterical questions from the
woman, which had clearly revealed that the reason for the dispute was personal affairs and money.
Since it was not a medical dispute, it could be solved easily.
Rachel's leader winked at her, hinting that she was free to go.
Understanding his gesture at once, Rachel prepared to leave the room.
However, she had barely taken a step forward when Sheila nervously pulled at her sleeve.
Rachel glanced sideways at Sheila, who was staring at the woman with fear.
Swallowing hard, Sheila leaned over to Rachel and whispered in her ear, "Doctor, I think this woman
has mental problems..."
Her voice was shaky with panic. As she spoke, she stole a glimpse at the woman, who made eye
contact with her, causing her to tremble in fear.
Rachel pursed her lips in confusion. Who was wrong in this situation?
Anyway, it was clear that there were a lot of unstable emotions and unresolved problems in the room.
Rachel patted Sheila's hand and whispered in a comforting voice, "She's just a little emotional. I'll call
security. Meanwhile, you should have a good talk with her."
Upon hearing that security guards would be here soon, Sheila finally relaxed and loosened her grip on
Rachel's sleeve.
Rachel nodded to her leader and then walked to the door.
As she exited the room, she brushed past a director of the hospital, who was so anxious that he didn't
even bother to greet Rachel before slamming the door close behind him.
Anyway, Rachel felt that this was a complicated situation.
That woman might be mad in everyone's eyes, but if what she had said was true, then there was
nothing wrong with her behavior.
Of course, she wouldn't be able to stand what was happening. For a mother, nothing was more
important than the life of her own child.
Moreover, the matter became even more complex when considering the identity of the person that the
man had spent the money on.
First love?
In the end, Rachel decided to stop thinking about this matter and just put it out of her mind. After all,
she didn't know much of the details, so what she was doing was no better than idle gossip.
Besides, there was always something or other happening at the hospital. It was possible that such
disputes happened frequently and that she just hadn't come across any of them before because they
were kept under wraps.
The only reason she had personally come to see what was happening this time was because it
involved the patient she had rescued. Fortunately, the matter was not a medical dispute, so she put it
behind her for the time being and went about her business.
Rachel had been waiting for Jack for more than an hour when he finally arrived at the hospital well after
7 p.m.
Just as she looked at her watch and hesitated over whether to call him,
she saw him get out of his car and walk toward her.
Mendes, who was standing next to her, shyly hid behind her once he saw Jack. However, as soon as
Jack came up to them, he squatted down in front of Mendes.
It was all because of Mendes that he had to run back and forth in such a hurry, so he reached out to
flick Mendes' forehead.
Of course, it was also because of this boy that he had an excuse to see Rachel again.
Mendes closed his eyes and cried out before Jack's finger even touched his forehead.
When it finally did, he realized that Jack hadn't put any strength into it at all. Then, he touched his
forehead and giggled.
"It didn't hurt."
"Do you want me to flick your forehead again? Let's see if it hurts this time," Jack said in a mock-
menacing tone.
"No way!" Mendes giggled and hid behind Rachel.
Rachel watched the exchange between Jack and Mendes quietly,
half-surprised and half-annoyed to find that they had become closer than before.
"Let's go," Jack said, straightening up and looking at Rachel.
Although there was barely any traffic, it would still take them an hour to get Jonathan's place.
Jack looked at his watch and found that it was already quite late.
As if on cue, his stomach let out a low growl. He cleared his throat in embarrassment, but fortunately,
the noise from his stomach had been so soft that Rachel and Mendes hadn't heard it.
"Have you had dinner yet?" he asked calmly.
"Yes, we have," Rachel said, but then she squinted at him as if realizing something. As if he hadn't
noticed her expression, Jack covered his mouth with his fist and coughed softly.
"I'll take him back then," he said.
Just as he took the little boy's hand, Rachel suddenly asked, "How about you? If you haven't had
dinner yet, you should before you leave."
Under his raised eyebrows, Jack's eyes twinkled in happiness.
A while later, they arrived at a small restaurant suggested by Rachel.
It was already past dinner time, and most of the customers were leaving when the three of them
entered the restaurant.
A waitress was cleaning one of the tables with her head down. When she saw them walk in, she
shouted passionately, "Welcome!"
Startled by the sudden loud noise, Mendes moved a little closer to Jack, who took the chance to pick
the boy up and hold him in his arms.
As the waitress ushered them to a table, Rachel followed Jack and Mendes with a faint smile on her
lips.
The three of them sat down as if they were family. Soon, Jack ordered some food.
When his noodles were finally served, he picked up his chopsticks to begin eating. He paused when he
raised his eyes and saw Mendes looking at him with unblinking eyes.
His hand stiffened slightly. How could he have the appetite to eat anything when he was being stared at
like this?
Moreover, the boy's eyes seemed to be full of envy.
Rachel slightly pinched the Mendes' cheek and teased him. "Why are you looking at him like that?"
In fact, the little glutton had a craving for the egg in Jack's bowl of noodles, but he shrugged
indifferently and said, "I just want to make sure he eats the noodles without being too picky."
Trying her best to hold back her laughter, Rachel said, "Yes. You should keep an eye on him. He
doesn't behave well during meals."
Jack, who had just begun eating, almost choked when he heard her words. 'What is she talking about?'
Being a stubborn and greedy child, Mendes continued to stare at Jack until the latter finally put down
his chopsticks in resignation.
Rachel glanced at Jack in helpless amusement, then covered Mendes' eyes with her hand and said,
"Don't keep staring at him. If you want to eat something, you should tell me. It's very impolite to stare at
others like that."
At once, Mendes began wailing dramatically, tilting his head and falling into Rachel's arms.
"But he is not some stranger! He's Jack!"
he protested, as if that gave him the right to keep staring at him.
"It doesn't matter who it is. It's impolite to stare at someone else's plate," Rachel said firmly. "Fine," the
boy said.
Then, raising his head with a shy smile, he apologized to Jack. "I'm sorry, Jack."
"Never mind," Jack answered.
Rachel smiled and shook her head as she watched both of them.
Feeling satisfied, Jack lowered his head and continued to eat his noodles.
A few tables away, the waitress curiously looked at this "family of three." The couple was beautiful, but
the child was too chubby.
Jack ate much faster than he usually did, feeling embarrassed since he was the only one eating.
After he was done, they left the restaurant together. Suddenly, Mendes ran up to him, held his hand,
and said that he wanted to walk with him.
After taking a few steps forward, Mendes paused and asked Rachel to catch up to them. Then, he held
her hand with his other hand, and happily kicked forward as he walked with the two adults.
Kids always innocently acted upon their whims. They didn't understand the complex dynamics of adult
relationships.
When they reached the car, Jack opened the door and then looked back at Rachel with a frown. "I
forgot to buy the child seat."
"Oh. Well, we can buy one now."
"Is there any shop here?"
Rachel was about to say that there were many stores around the hospital that they could buy a child
seat from, but before she could,
Jack looked at his watch and continued, "Well, I won't take him back tonight then.
It's already late now. By the time we reach home, it'll be time for Dad to go to bed."
If they started now, they would only reach the Fu family's house at 9 p.m., which was bedtime for
elderly people.
Thinking about this, Rachel hesitated for a moment and glanced at Mendes. "So..."
"Are my things still in your house?" Jack asked suddenly.
Rachel nodded. "Yes, I haven't packed them up yet." It was only a few days since Jack had moved out,
so she hadn't touched any of his things.
"Good, we can stay at your house tonight then. I'll go back tomorrow. Is that okay?" Jack said abruptly.
Stunned, Rachel stared at Jack for a moment and then asked,
"You're going to my house tonight?"
"Yes." Pretending not to see the embarrassment on Rachel's face, Jack opened the car door for her.
"Get in."
Rachel complied and got into the car, not noticing the faint smile on Jack's lips.
He had planned to stay away from her so that he could sort out his feelings first, but he couldn't resist
finding excuses to spend time with her.
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