Chapter 4 Same Age as Her Daughter
1015 Words
It was a more luxurious room, with the door left open. Inside, a group of doctors and nurses surrounded a small bed, trying to calm a little girl who was crying loudly.
The girl looked very young, with curly brown hair and green eyes, just like Leah. Her face was pale, and she clutched a bunny plush, crying while dodging the doctors' attempts to comfort her.
"Elisa," the nurses were busy soothing her, "if you take your medicine, you can go home tomorrow."
"I don't want it! I want to go home..."
Leah couldn't help but think of her own daughter. By now, she would probably be the same age as this little girl.
Was her daughter getting sick? Did she have anyone to love her and take care of her?
Just as Leah hesitated at the door, unsure if she should enter, the little girl on the bed caught sight of her through the crowd.
Perhaps her tear-filled eyes blurred her vision, Elisa suddenly called out, "Is Mommy here? Mommy!"
Everyone turned to look at Leah.
Before Leah could figure out what to do, Andrew appeared behind her and stepped in to ease the awkward moment.
"Ms. Molan, you've got it wrong. This is Ms. Gatlin, the lady I told you about who's going to help make you feel better."
Andrew gestured for Leah to join him inside.
Elisa stopped crying, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and curiously stared at Leah. Then, she waved her over. "What a beautiful angel! Come here! I want to get a good look at you!"
Hearing the little girl's sweet voice almost brought Leah to tears. It had been so long since she'd heard anything so pure and beautiful.
Leah walked quickly over to the girl, bent down slightly, and looked her in the eyes.
"Your name is Elisa, right? Hi, I'm Leah!"
Leah wasn't sure how to talk to kids, but she figured starting with an introduction couldn't go wrong.
Elisa studied Leah's face, tilting her head from side to side as if trying to see more clearly.
After a while, she motioned for Leah to bend lower. Then, she gently cupped Leah's face with her hands. The warmth of her touch softened Leah's heart.
"Angel, your eyes look just like mine. I like you! Can I call you Leni from now on?"
Leah's throat tightened, and her eyes stung. She quickly blinked away the tears, not wanting to cry in front of the child.
"Of course, sweetheart. You can call me Leni, and I like you too!"
Leah was about to say something else to cheer Elisa up when she noticed Andrew signaling her with his eyes.
Understanding his cue, Leah gently hugged Elisa. "Sweetheart, do you want to go home?"
Instead of answering, Elisa looked up and asked, "Will you come home with me?"
Leah didn't know how to respond, so Andrew glanced at the doctor. The doctor quickly replied, "Ms. Gatlin has recovered, and she can be discharged anytime. We can arrange for her nutritional supplements to be administered at home."
Andrew smiled at Elisa. "Ms. Molan, Ms. Gatlin can go home with you. But first, you have to cooperate with the doctors."
Leah leaned in and comforted Elisa, "The doctors wouldn't lie to you. If you take your medicine and be a good girl, I'll stay with you, and tomorrow we'll go home together. How does that sound?"
Though Leah had just met Elisa, she felt a genuine affection for the little girl.
Leah stayed with Elisa until she fell asleep before quietly returning to her own hospital room. Andrew had arranged for dinner, but Leah had no appetite.
Her mind kept replaying the image of Elisa clinging to her, crying and refusing to let go.
The girl shared her rare blood type, and the connection between them felt almost magical.
Leah's heart ached when she remembered Elisa's tear-filled eyes and her pitiful longing to go home. The memory of that sad, hopeful face left Leah feeling hollow.
"Ms. Gatlin, Mr. Molan specifically requested this meal to help you recover. Please try to eat," Andrew urged softly, standing next to her.
Leah nodded, picking up her chopsticks and forcing herself to eat, though the food tasted like ash.
Enzo leaned back in his chair, hands loosely folded over his stomach, his intense gaze fixed on Andrew.
"How did Leah and Elisa get along today?"
"She seemed to like Ms. Gatlin a lot. They talked quite a bit," Andrew said.
"No trouble?"
"No, Ms. Molan was very well-behaved. She didn't give Ms. Gatlin a hard time and cooperated with the doctors. She even asked repeatedly if Ms. Gatlin could visit her early tomorrow."
Enzo smiled faintly.
"That's unusual. Is the little one turning over a new leaf? Keep an eye on her over the next few days and see what she's up to. Tomorrow, let Leah go home with her. Until Leah's ready for the bone marrow transplant, she'll stay with Elisa."
"Yes, sir."
Andrew bowed slightly and then looked up at Enzo again.
"Sir, we've finished the investigation you requested."
"Oh? Tell me."
"Ms. Gatlin is the heiress to Gatlin Group. Her grandfather, Baron Gatlin, was the founder."
"Baron?"
Enzo frowned slightly. It turned out she was the granddaughter of his grandfather's old friend.
Back when his grandfather first started the business, a major crisis nearly wiped him out. It was Leah's grandfather who helped him survive.
Of course, the Molan family never left debts unpaid, and Enzo's grandfather had repaid that favor many times over.
"So how did she end up like this?"
"Ms. Gatlin was framed. Her stepmother and stepsister pushed her father down the stairs, but they faked the security footage. After the Gatlin family went bankrupt, Ms. Gatlin disappeared for ten months. Her father was furious and publicly declared that all the family assets would go to her stepmother. Ms. Gatlin was left with nothing. With a clear motive and tampered evidence, she was sentenced to ten years," Andrew explained.
"What a fool!" Enzo exclaimed.
- Writer
