"Is it really that bad?" Hayden asked."Your son's weight has shot up, and your dad loves carrying him around. How could his arms not feel sore?" Avery said."Let him rest for a while, and don't let him carry the baby for now.""He can't help it. It's all his fault that your son likes being held by people and being carried around. He cries as soon as you put him down, and, sometimes, he cries even when he's being held without movement. I've had so many children, and none of them were like this. It's all your dad's fault," Avery complained.Elliot sat there sipping his tea, not daring to say a word, as he had never expected Aiden to grow so spoiled.He had helped take care of Robert before, and Robert had not been at all like this."Wah!" Aiden started crying because Hayden was sitting on the couch without moving as he held him.Hayden immediately put his phone down and stood up with the little rascal in his arms.As soon as he stood up, Aiden stopped crying."He already enjoys
Due to her family background, Shelly thought that she had a rather smooth life and was already quite blessed, so she dared not dream about marrying Hayden.If one was greedy, one would eventually end up with nothing, so she only wished to grab onto what was within her reach."Shelly, tell me the truth: What do you think of this?" Shelly's mother wanted her to find a reliable man she could raise Audrey alongside.withAfter all, she would eventually grow old and could not remain by Shelly's side forever, so she wanted a man around to care for Shelly."Mom, I haven't thought much of it yet. I've only met Fergus twice!" Seeing that Audrey was asleep, Shelly returned to the living room. "But Fergus is in quite a hurry. His family has been urging him to get married.""He is almost thirty, so of course his family is in a hurry. I'm supposed to be as well when you get to that age," Shelly's mother said. "Honestly, Fergus seems rather reliable. Maybe you should consider him."They were al
"I happened to walk past a florist and saw that these were on discount," Fergus explained. "It's not like these are roses. Just accept them!"Shelly set the bouquet aside on the counter. "Have you eaten, Fergus? If you haven't, let me treat you to lunch."Since Fergus had paid for the dinner the night before, Shelly felt that she owed him."Will it take you away from work?" Fergus asked."No. I need to go for lunch anyway," she said before stepping out of the cafe with him.The two ran into Hayden on their way out, and Hayden was surprised to see them together."Have they already started dating?" he thought.Fergus froze when he saw Hayden as he had not expected to see him here. Shelly, too, was surprised.Not daring to presume that he had come to see her, she asked, "Hayden, are you here to buy cakes?"Hayden remained expressionless and said, "I'm here to see you."Shelly did not have time to ask him why he was looking for her. Taken aback, Fergus exclaimed, "Shelly, you kno
Shelly was extremely embarrassed by Fergus's words and stole a glance at Hayden to see his expression darkening."What is happening? This is hell!" she thought."Have the two of you already gotten to the point where you are discussing marriage?" Hayden had not anticipated that they would be moving forward with their relationship so swiftly or that Shelly would be so desperate to get married."No, Fergus is just messing around!" Shelly said."Haha! Yeah. I'm pursuing Shelly, but she hasn't agreed to it." Seeing how Hayden seemed interested in the topic, Fergus continued, "Shelly and I come from the same hometown. It's a remote, underdeveloped town. She was the first person that I had met from there since moving to Avonsville. It felt like fate. Moreover, we're around the same age, and, most importantly, our mothers know each other."An unreadable look crossed Hayden's face, one that could be interpreted as displeasure, but Shelly felt like he had a similar expression on most of the
Fergus felt slightly disappointed. "All right, then! I respect your choice. Let's just be friends. If a day comes when you want to start a family with me, let me know.""Sure. I advise you to go and meet other women, though. You will definitely find a better partner out there," Shelly said. "I have a child, so most of my focus is going to be on my child. It's best that you marry a woman who hasn't given birth yet.""With that logic, are you going to look specifically for men who are divorced and have children of their own?" Fergus asked. "It's not the olden days anymore, and there are plenty of couples who live together without getting married so they are no different from married couples. Countless women have gone through abortions after moving in with their boyfriends, and, if you ask me, I think giving birth is a better option over abortion."Shelly was pleasantly stunned, as she had never imagined Fergus to be so open-minded."Fergus, let's not talk about this for now, and let
A while later, Fergus arrived at Shelly's apartment in his car.Shelly stepped outside of her room with Audrey and a bagful of her things.Shelly's mother heard the commotion and stepped out of her own room. "What's wrong, Shelly?""Mom, Audrey is burning up. I'm taking her to a hospital. Go back to sleep! I've called Fergus, and he is waiting downstairs." Shelly did not want her mother to stay up. "It's raining heavily, and I don't know if the hospital is packed. Don't worry. Fergus will help, and I can handle it.""I will walk you downstairs, then." Shelly's mother grabbed an umbrella and exited the apartment with her.Fergus was waiting outside the entrance of their building, and, as soon as he spotted Shelly and her mother, he hurried over to shield them with his umbrella."Aunty, go back and rest! A fever isn't a big deal. I will drive them home once the doctors have had a look at the baby," Fergus said as he helped Shelly into the backseat of his car.He then reentered the
The doctor issued another prescription to Shelly, saying, "Go and get a blood test. Come back here once the results are available.""Okay, Doctor. Should we give her the fever-reducing medicine first or take the blood test first?" Shelly asked, still concerned."Give her the fever-reducing medicine first. Then proceed with the blood test," the doctor instructed."All right, Doctor. My child was fine before. She has never been sick. I don't know why she suddenly got a fever," Shelly said, standing from the chair with her baby in her arms."How old is your child?""She's six months old.""That's normal. Newborns carry antibodies from the mother's body until they reach six months, so they generally don't get sick. After six months, you need to take better care of them," the doctor explained.Realization dawned on Shelly, and she thanked the doctor before leaving the examination room.Fergus took the fever-reducing medicine and checked its dosage."Shelly, go over there and sit do
After examining the test results, the doctor said, "It's a bacterial infection. I'll prescribe some medicine for you to give to your child.""Okay, Doctor. It's not a serious problem, is it?" Shelly asked."We'll see how the situation progresses after she's taken the medicine. If the coughing becomes more severe, you'll need to come back for further examination." The doctor began writing a new prescription.Shelly looked at her daughter, who had already regained her spirits, and silently prayed that the medicine would help her recover.Ten minutes later, Shelly and her child, under an umbrella carried by Fergus who also held onto the medication, walked out of the emergency building.The rain had subsided significantly.Once they got into the car, Shelly asked, "Fergus, how much did it cost in total? I'll transfer the money to you."Since she had been carrying her daughter the whole time, Fergus had handled all the payments."It was just a small amount—""Fergus, if you refuse,