Could it be possible that ruthlessness was a valuable quality that an independent woman must
possess? If that was the case, Charles would rather not yield to a ruthless and liberated woman such
as Nancy.
At noontime, Erin happened to be on duty when she saw Charles approaching with Nadia bolstered in
his arms. She hastily greeted him, "Mr. Fu, it's nice to see you. Where is Director Nancy?"
He flashed a wink at her. "Erin, haven't you heard that she is performing surgery in the operating room
as we speak? That's why I took little Nadia here, so we could wait for a while. If the operation takes too
long, I'll take Nadia home first."
"Ah, of course... I almost forgot," she said with a faltered reaction.
"Erin, please keep Nadia company. I'm going out to buy us some lunch," said Charles.
"Well, Mr. Fu, no problem." Erin smiled and straddled Nadia into her arms.
Charles then strode off.
"Auntie, what did the child that Mommy is treating today looked like?" Nadia asked innocently.
"What? Well… it happened to be a little girl like you, but she was disobedient. She injured her tiny toes
badly, so your mommy had to perform an operation on her." Erin took out a random folder in the file
drawer beside her and pretended to read it. She had no other choice but to coax the little girl.
Alas, she was taught to tell the truth. Now, she lied to a guileless child which made her feel guilty.
"She is so pitiful. It must be painful to have an operation, right?" Tears welled up in Nadia's little eyes
as she imagined the pain.
"But don't worry, Nadia. It won't hurt at all to have an operation because an anesthesiologist will use a
numbing medicine called anesthesia. She will be fine. She wouldn't even feel a thing." Erin comforted
Nadia with a reassuring smile.
"My Mommy is so awesome! She can perform surgeries for children. When I grow up, I want to be a
doctor just like Mommy and be as good as her," Nadia said proudly.
"Yes, your mom is an excellent doctor. You will definitely become a very good doctor just like her in the
future. Come on, come on!" Erin and Nadia bumped their fists.
A nurse hurried over and asked, "Erin, when will Director Nancy come back? There is a patient in the
emergency department who wants to see her,"
"My Mommy is performing an operation right now," Nadia abruptly responded before Erin could say
anything.
"But I saw the schedule for today, sweetie. It seems that your mom didn't perform any operation today,"
the nurse said endearingly. "What's going on, Erin? Am I wrong?" the nurse asked in confusion.
"Actually…" Erin was so anxious that her temples started to perspire. She was faced with the moment
she feared the most.
"She didn't have a scheduled operation today, but something came up. A patient needed immediate
attention, so she decided to treat the patient herself." Erin was quicker to react this time. The more she
lied, the more natural it felt to her.
"Oh, I see. That's so unlikely. There had never been such an instance. Logically speaking, even if the
director had to add a new operation abruptly, it should have been marked on the duty schedule. No one
mentioned a thing in the front desk. I'll just tell the patient that Director Nancy's unavailable and refer
her to someone else. Anyway, if you wouldn't mind, check if there is a vacant bed at this side. If there is
one, please arrange it quickly. After the patient finishes the physical checkup, she would be transferred
here soon. They said the injury was very serious. It seems that she twisted her ankle for 180 degrees.
The poor child is so young. She can't help but groan in pain." The nurse blurted a lot and left
immediately.
"Okay, I heard you." Erin took a deep breath, feeling relieved that the nurse already strode off.
"Why hasn't Mommy's operation finished yet?" Nadia questioned anxiously.
"Yeah, what's taking her so long?" Erin was praying that Nancy would come back as soon as possible.
She was afraid of the possible dissatisfaction that it would cause to the patient's family if she failed to
arrange everything the patient needed.
There was this invisible tension between doctors and patients in hospitals. Everyone was nervous
when they were working, fearing that they would commit a mistake that would cause the patients'
families to file a complaint.
The complaint box placed at the doors of the hospital was embedded like a curse on the heads of
doctors and nurses. Whenever a family member would write profanity against them, their anxiety would
build up, and they wouldn't know what to do anymore.
Every day they trembled in imperilment like treading on thin ice.
"Daddy is back!" Nadia suddenly shouted.
Erin turned around and saw the little girl's father approaching with an armful of bags.
"Daddy, what did you buy?" Nadia slipped off Erin and came running towards Charles.
"These are all your favorite food, look!" He squatted down and said, "But remember what your doctor
said, Nadia. You can't eat for the time being so these are for Mommy, and of course, Erin."
"Oh, I don't want to eat. I just want to have a look." Nadia licked her drooling lips and stepped back.
She was in pain the entire morning, and her stomach still felt uncomfortable.
Indeed, she was a little hungry, but she was obedient to the doctor's advice and didn't dare to eat
anything.
Nadia's pediatrician specifically instructed that she had to endure her hunger, and she was not allowed
to eat until tomorrow morning.
"Mr. Fu, you know that Nadia can't eat for the time being, yet you still bought so much food, and most
of it are her favorites," Erin complained with a smile.
"Yes, I guess I got used to it," Kevin replied calmly.
His care for his children became instinctual to him. No matter what he bought, the first thing he thought
about was his beautiful children, and then himself.
As a father, he felt that everything he did for his children was worth it. A responsibility he gladly signed
up for.
But what about Nancy? Didn't the children's existence hold a special place in her heart?
"Daddy, why hasn't Mommy come out yet?" Nadia grew restless as minutes felt like hours, but her mom
still hadn't come out of the operating room.
"Mommy hasn't come out yet which only means one thing. She is not yet finished with the surgery. If
she's done, she will come out, right?" Charles explained patiently.
"You're right, Daddy." Nadia turned around and anticipated as the doors of the operating room creaked
open. She suddenly shouted in excitement, "Daddy, the door of the operating room is open! Has
Mommy finished the operation?"
Charles and Erin quickly turned around, but to their disappointment, it was Jessie who they saw coming
out.
It shouldn't really be a surprise because there were a few operating rooms. There were three in total.
Today, Jessie performed a surgery for a child who had a fractured bone. Things went smoothly, so she
was able to finish the surgery in just an hour.
As soon as Jessie walked out of the operating room, she immediately saw Charles.
"Mr. Fu?" Jessie greeted politely.
"Ah, Director Jessie, is Nancy's operation about to end?" Charles hoped that Jessie would react fast
enough not to tell Nadia that her mother was not in the operating room all along. If Nadia knew her
father was lying to her, she would never trust him again.
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