On the contrary, Ellen’s heart softened at the sight of Azalea crying and she consoled the younger woman. “Don’t cry. Eugene is fine now.”
Azalea sniffled and mumbled, “I know. I’m glad he’s alright, or I would be too ashamed to face you, Olivia, and North. I hardly slept a wink last night because images of Eugene saving me constantly replayed in my mind. I want to take care of him and be there by his side, but I know I don’t have the right. I don’t even have the right to visit him. Mrs. Nolan, I don’t know if you can understand how I feel. I would rather be the one injured. I don’t want Eugene to suffer even one bit!”
Ellen hurriedly reassured her, “It’s not that Olivia refused to let you see Eugene last night. She was thinking of his well-being. After all, he had just had surgery and needed rest. If you’re worried about Eugene, I’ll accompany you to the hospital later.”
At these words, Azalea suddenly looked up with a glimmer of surprise in her eyes. “Really, Mrs. Nolan? Thank you!”
Ellen only seemed to finally realize something then. This lady probably has feelings for Eugene as well! She wouldn’t have come all the way here otherwise. She probably wants me to take her to the hospital. Upon having that realization, she started. regretting how readily she had agreed to help Azalea.
But since the words were already spoken, she couldn’t take them back. She could only put a bold face on and utter, “Give me a moment. I’ll go get changed.”
Azalea obediently responded, “Sure, Mrs. Nolan. May I know where the bathroom is, by the way?”
After Ellen pointed in the direction of the bathroom, Azalea nodded and went that way. When she came out, she noticed three neatly arranged small toothbrushes and a different toothbrush that was equally small placed on the counter.
She stood there and hesitated. They clearly belonged to North and the Rogers siblings. When Azalea was first rescued by Eugene, she had truly lost all hope and felt undeserving of him.
That didn’t mean that she was happy with how things turned out. How could she give up when she learned how much Eugene was willing to do for her?
Sure, she was taken advantage of by Cameron. But no one would know what he had done to her if he was dead. If Olivia had a child with another man, how would that be any different from my situation?
Therefore, Azalea couldn’t easily admit defeat until the very end. As if bewitched, she slowly approached the toothbrushes and carefully put one of the three into her bag before leaving as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, it was an undeniable fact that Eugene’s recovery was truly remarkable. Just last night, he looked pale and weak, but his complexion had improved significantly today. Of course, it could also be because of his improved mood when he saw his four sons surrounding him.
The four little ones were well-behaved as well. Although they harbored resentment and felt that Eugene shouldn’t have risked his life for Azalea, none of them said a word upon seeing him lying on the hospital bed. With a concerned expression, North held Eugene’s hand and asked, “Daddy, does it hurt?”
Eugene replied, “It doesn’t hurt. I’m fine. It’s just a minor injury. I’ll get better after a few days of rest.” Carter stood with his hands in his pockets, looking cool as he chipped in, “Can you give us a definite answer? How many days until you’re fully recovered?”
Eugene chuckled softly at that. These little rascals were genuinely worried about him, yet they still insisted on being willful and not saying anything outright. He intentionally asked in return, “Are you anxious or concerned?”
Blake responded, “We want to live with Godmother. If you’re not well, we’ll have to stay at Grandma’s.” Eugene’s expression turned dark. “Is that the only reason?”
“Of course, there is another reason,” Terry added. Eugene looked at Terry with hopeful eyes. “Yeah? And what is it?” “We have to discuss whether to hire a nurse!”
Carter nodded in agreement. “Right! Godmother won’t be able to take care of everything alone. Also, we’re too young to be of much help. We should hire a nurse.”
Blake chimed in, “Judging from his condition, he will probably only be discharged after a week.” Upon hearing the children’s conversation, Eugene couldn’t do anything other than blame himself for hoping for the impossible!
