Outside Erica's ward, Sheffield lowered his voice and said, "It's okay. Nothing happened. Matthew is with her."
Joshua nodded, and then the two returned to Damian's ward.
When they heard Erica's scream, they thought something had happened. Therefore, the two sleepy men suddenly sobered up and ran out to see what was going on.
But in the end, it seemed that Erica just had a nightmare. And since she had her husband with her, they didn't think it was necessary to worry about it.
By the following day, Erica got the news that all her body levels had returned to normal. Now she only needed more time to heal from her injuries. As the attending doctor made rounds in the wards, he reminded her, "For now, you should breathe into your abdomen to avoid any activity on your chest. Also, you must pay attention to have more nutritious meals such as food high on protein, fruits, and vegetables. And try not to cough so forcefully..."
Erica kept nodding throughout the doctor's recommendations. After he was done, she said, "Thank you, doctor!"
"You're welcome, Mrs. Huo."
As soon as the doctor left, she asked the man standing next to her, "Do you remember anything he said?"
Obviously, she didn't. Matthew sighed inwardly and said, "I could see how carefully you were listening."
"Well, I remember a thing or two. For example, I should eat more fruits and vegetables, but do you remember anything else?" Erica answered confidently.
With no other choice, Matthew answered, "I've asked the nutritionist to arrange your meals according to your physical condition. Don't worry."
"Well, that's good!"
At that moment, the ward's door was pushed open, revealing Wesley and Carlos with Damian in his arms as they came in.
"Mommy!" Damian was really happy to see his mom.
However, Erica's heart skipped a beat once she saw her son in a hospital gown. "What's wrong with Damian?"
Sitting down on the chair by her side, Wesley explained, "He was scratched by an animal. But don't worry, he's fine. You're the only one who's still lying on a bed, seriously injured."
Erica looked at Matthew reproachfully. "Didn't you tell me the children were fine?"
Matthew didn't deny it. "He's indeed fine. I just wanted him to stay here for one more night to observe his condition."
Carlos carried Damian to Erica's side and added, "Rika, don't worry. The doctor has just reexamined him. He'll be discharged soon. We'll just need to apply ointment on him when we get home."
The child leaned over and held her hand carefully.
Erica then raised her free hand and pinched the boy's cheek. "That's good. What was the animal that scratched you?"
"I don't know. It reminded me of a squirrel, but it was black and also much uglier than a squirrel..." Damian reported quite seriously.
Erica was amused by his stern expression but didn't laugh at him. "I'm sorry, baby. I couldn't protect you and your brother. It won't happen again!"
Damian shook her head. "Mom. No, it's our fault. We didn't protect you as we should. You've been seriously injured. Mom, I talked to Grandpa. He'll teach us martial arts in the future so we can better protect you!"
Moved by her son's thoughtfulness, she praised him with tears in her eyes, "Damian, you're so awesome! You're such a considerate young boy!"
Wesley looked at his phone and informed, "Your mother and sister are on the plane with Hugo. I'll pick them up later."
"Why are Mom and Yvette coming here?"
Wesley rolled his eyes at her. "Do you assume everyone is as heartless as you are? Your mother couldn't sleep all night after your accident. She will only have peace of mind once she sees you."
This bad girl was the reason his wife couldn't sleep well at night. Once she recovered, he must teach her a lesson.
"Okay then."
Soon after, Debbie and Terilynn arrived with the other three boys.
For a moment, the ward was quite agitated. As soon as Boswell saw his mother, he ran over and hugged her on the bed. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I didn't protect you!"
"Neither did I!"
"Neither did I!"
Adkins and Colman also approached Erica apologetically.
Lowering his head, Adkins said guiltily, "Mom, as a man, I failed to protect you and my younger brothers. I'm sorry."
"Mom, you must get better soon, or I will always be sad," Colman declared.
Erica was so moved by her sons that she was finding it hard to hold back her tears. "Thank you, my boys. I don't blame any of you. You're still young but have done a good job!"
Boswell shook his head. "No, Mom. Damian and I got you into trouble."
"Yes, Mom. Don't feel guilty..." Colman comforted her.
The ward was noisy, with all the boys speaking simultaneously.
Suddenly, Matthew took a step near them and commanded, "Shut up!"
The four kids immediately became silent as they looked at their father with their eyes wide open. A moment later, Adkins asked in a low voice, "Dad, do you want to say something?"
Glancing at the four kids, Matthew answered, "What happened had nothing to do with you. It's my fault. I was the one who failed to protect my wife and sons..."
"Well, Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't protect you and my brothers," Adkins restated himself.
"I'm sorry. I didn't protect my mom and Damian," Boswell said.
"I'm sorry. I didn't protect my mom and brothers," Colman apologized.
"I'm sorry. I didn't protect my mom and brothers either," Damian echoed.
The adults were all rendered speechless. The four boys were really incredible. They should be praised for remaining united and caring, not to mention for being brave for taking all the responsibility for themselves.
A few minutes later, Joshua came into the ward with a child in his arms, only to find a crowd already present there. "Sorry, I'm late." Last night, he and Sheffield barely had any sleep while they were in the hospital, so this morning they headed home to take a nap. After Joshua got up, he rushed back to the hospital.
The moment Erica saw the toddler in his arms, she asked in shock, "Terilynn, when did you and Joshua give birth to a third child?" 'And why did they shave the baby's head?'
Terilynn burst into laughter.
Joshua waved his hand and quickly explained, "It's not ours. It's a baby girl that your son had picked up. Look how cute she is!"
"What?" Erica was even more astonished.
Boswell explained, "Mom, I got lost in the woods, and then a bear brought me to her."
Debbie took Angelina in her arms and complimented her. "She's such a good girl. Anyone can hold her, and she won't cry. But we can't put her down, or she will crawl all over the floor."
Terilynn said, "It's understandable. After all, the child was raised by a wild animal and didn't learn how to walk yet. Of course, she can only crawl on the floor like a bear."
'It turns out that the baby girl was raised by a wild bear, ' Erica nodded thoughtfully.
Then she looked at Wesley and said, "I guess our family is really good at picking up other people's children, isn't it?"