Chapter 42
Chester finally heaved a breath of relief.
The doctors assisting with the surgery were drenched in sweat too. They had assisted on Alexander’s orders, and if they failed to save both Angelina and the baby, they could kiss their careers in this hospital goodbye.
Meanwhile, Gerald and Isadora were waiting outside the operating room. Beads of sweat had broken out over their foreheads, and their shoulders finally slumped in relief when the wail of the flatline from the operating room finally gave in to steady beeping.
Isadora’s legs felt like jelly. She silently vowed never to have children no matter how miraculous the process might be. The experience was too close to death for her liking.
Emily, on the other hand, woke up in the middle of the night. She bolted upright the moment her eyes fluttered open. “Angelina! Angelina?” All she remembered before blacking out was Angelina bleeding out in the ambulance and the doctor trying to stop the bleeding.
“Mom-”
“Angelina! Where’s Angelina?” Emily demanded, making a run out of the ward barefooted.
Isadora yelled incredulously, “Mom, put on your shoes! Why are you in such a rush?”
“Do you really think I care about whether or not I’m wearing shoes when Angelina is lying somewhere, bleeding out?” Emily snapped.
“Mom, calm down.”
“Where is she?” Emily roared, baring her teeth at Isadora like an animal gone feral.
Isadora flinched. Emily had never yelled at Angelina before. She didn’t so much as roar at Angelina when she climbed into Chester’s bed and only asked tearfully why she had done such a thing.
Normally, Isadora would have been heartbroken by Emily’s double standards, but not tonight. Angelina had battled death just to give birth to a child, and that was enough to atone for whatever she did in the past or what she would do in the future.
Isadora was magnanimous enough to even have such thoughts. “Mom!” She held onto
Emily’s arm and urged, “Mom, she’s fine. Put on your shoes first. Angelina’s alright, and so is the baby girl.”
Emily’s eyes widened. “She’s given birth?”
“Yes. There were some bumps along the way, but Angelina made it through,” Isadora reassured her.
“No, I have to see her now. How could I have missed it? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
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“Mom, you passed out after seeing all the blood, Isadora pointed out wryly.
“You could’ve found a way to wake me up! You could’ve stabbed me with an adrenaline jab or something, I don’t know!” Emily snapped.
Isadora fell speechless, and before she could argue, Emily ran out of the ward barefooted. Isadora took a few steps after Emily, shouting, “Mom!”
However, Emily bolted faster than a spooked hare. Isadora turned back to the ward to grab Emily’s shoes, then shouted, “Mom, slow down! You’re going the wrong way! It’s not over there, it’s here! Take this elevator!”
Only then did Emily skid to a stop and turn back.
Inside the hospital ward, Chester urged Gerald to go to work, persuading him that he would only get in the way if he lingered.
Gerald didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay and cuddle the baby, but Chester was possessive and did not give him the chance.
Angelina lay on the bed, drifting in and out of consciousness. Occasionally, she would open her eyes or lift her fingers, but it wouldn’t take her long to fall asleep again. It was as if some intrinsic part.of her had gone into a deep slumber.
Her face was pale, her body still recovering from the blood loss despite the transfusion.
Chester carried the baby girl in his arms and stayed by Angelina’s bedside. The baby was nothing short of angelic, with soft, snowy skin and a little mouth that parted wider as feeding time approached.
Chester did not possess the skills needed to whip up baby formula. He stared at the can of formula for what must have been ages, but by the time he figured out the ratio, the water had gone cold.
With his free hand, he heated the bottle again. The baby in his arm whimpered twice in protest. His heart tightened as he crooned, “Oh, did I hurt you? I’m sorry. I’m sorry, baby…”
He carried the baby with both arms and gently lay her in the small crib next to Angelina. He finished making the formula and scooped the baby up with one arm, then tipped the bottle toward the baby’s mouth.
No sooner had the bottle teat touched the baby’s mouth did she part her lips on instinct, looking hungry.
Chester grinned and tipped the bottle upward. The baby began to drink as if she had known the bottle all her life. She looked adorable as she drank.
At that moment, his phone rang before the sound quickly stopped. He had turned it off
Chapter 42
without bothering to pick it up.
