Chapter 257 Worried
The doctor said you're fine, just a little blood loss, and you'll be able to go home in a couple of days. Dad will take you home, okay?
Xiuye lowered her head, buried her face in his shoulder, sniffed, and her tears soaked his clothes.
She took a while to catch her breath before raising her head, her voice as soft as the wind, almost dissipating into the air: "Where...where is she?"
Dong Wenxuan's body stiffened for a moment, and his eyes instantly dimmed.
He slowly straightened up, placed his hands on the edge of the bed, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, as if trying to press down the heavy stone in his heart.
He looked at Xiuye, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "The baby... has no heartbeat. When it was brought in... it was already... and now... they're having surgery to take the baby out."
Xiuye gasped, her fingers gripping Dong Wenxuan's arm tightly, her nails digging almost into his flesh.
Her eyes widened, filled with shock and pain. Tears streamed down her face, trickling into her ears, making her shiver. "Oh my god... how could this be... how could it have turned out like this... I was perfectly fine this morning..."
Dong Wenxuan watched her cry her heart out, feeling as if his heart was being cut by a dull knife, the pain almost suffocating him.
He raised his hand and gently patted the back of her hand, his voice soft as cotton, tender to the point of being cautious: "Don't cry, baby... You need to take care of yourself now. If you're so sad, the baby in your belly... will suffer too. It knows... It can't bear to see you cry."
These words were like a spoonful of warm honey, slowly flowing into Xiuye's parched heart.
She paused, her sobs gradually subsided, and her shoulders stopped heaving violently.
She slowly released her grip on her father's hand, looked down at her thin palms, her knuckles white, as if she had just escaped from a nightmare.
Her voice was hoarse and barely audible: "Dad... I want some hot water."
Dong Wenxuan immediately replied, "Wait here, Dad will go buy you a cup and pour you some hot water. Don't move around, and don't get out of bed, understand? I'll be right outside, there's a water dispenser at the end of the corridor. If you need anything, just shout for me, I'll be right at the door, I'll come in as soon as I hear you!"
He repeated it three times, while still checking to make sure the IV tubing wasn't kinked, the thermometer was still there, and the pillow was properly placed.
Finally, he squatted down and, just like when he used to coax her to sleep as a child, carefully tucked the corner of the blanket in tightly, leaving no gaps.
He moved very gently, afraid of hurting her.
Only after confirming that everything was alright did he slowly stand up, take a deep look at his daughter, and then turn and leave.
Xiuye stared at his tall but slightly hunched back as he walked away step by step until his figure disappeared through the doorway.
She didn't move, but her hand, which was gripping the blanket tightly, remained clenched, her knuckles turning white.
She turned her head and slowly shifted her gaze to the empty hospital bed next to her.
The sheets were freshly changed, clean and smooth, without a single wrinkle, yet she seemed to see a person lying on them—her recently lost child, tiny and soft, who had left this world before even opening his eyes.
She bit her lip, tears silently streaming down her face, soaking her pillowcase.
Four beds were neatly arranged in the ward, each occupied by a pregnant woman whose belly was high and round, as if each of them was carefully holding a huge watermelon.
Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the window, casting its light on the pristine white sheets, creating an atmosphere of quiet tension.
The three husbands were each busy with their own things: one sat on the edge of the bed, head down, intently peeling an apple, the peel curling off in circles and landing on the newspaper on his lap; another sat in a chair, flipping through an old newspaper, his eyes occasionally glancing at his wife, a gentle smile on his lips; and the third leaned against the wall, chatting quietly with the family member in the next bed, his tone relaxed, occasionally letting out a few soft laughs that echoed gently in the room, like ripples on the surface of water.
Xiuye lay quietly on the bed, her gaze slowly sweeping over the heartwarming scenes. As she looked, her nose suddenly stung, and her eyes uncontrollably welled up with tears.
This wasn't her first time being a mother, but her previous experience felt like a heavy stone weighing on her heart for many years.
After the child was born, she didn't even have the courage to look at it. She felt completely drained, left only with numbness and a desire to escape.
If it weren't for Bian Jiang, the man who always stayed by her side, never saying a word but never leaving, she really doesn't know if she could have survived those days.
Those nights of sobbing, that despair with no response, were all brought back to her by his silent companionship.
Thinking of this, she suddenly gripped the blanket tightly with her fingers, her knuckles turning white, her nails digging deep into the flesh of her palms, as if only such pain could confirm the reality of this moment for her.
This time, we must not repeat the same mistakes.
This time, she would never allow Bian Jiang to slip away from her, and she would never allow herself to wake up in regret again.
After buying the water cups, Dong Wenxuan did not return immediately.
He first squatted in the hospital's public restroom and carefully rinsed the two newly bought cups several times, not even missing the rims, until he was sure there wasn't a single stain left.
Then, he quickly walked to the hot water room, silently waited in the long queue, and patiently waited for the boiling water to flow from the tap.
He held a cup in each hand, carefully protecting it as if afraid of spilling a single drop; fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
Once he had filled two cups with hot water, he held one in each hand tightly and almost ran back, his steps hurried yet steady.
Xiuye's eyes remained fixed on the crack in the door, her gaze never leaving it.
The moment the door was pushed open, her eyes lit up, like a lamp suddenly lit in the dark night.
She hurriedly braced herself against the edge of the bed, trying to sit up. Though her movements were slow, they were filled with urgency: "Look at you, why are you all sweaty just from getting some water? It's not raining outside, why are you running so fast?"
Before she could finish speaking, her gaze involuntarily fell on his other hand—the hand that wasn't holding the glass of water for her was firmly gripping another steaming cup.
At that moment, her heart seemed to skip a beat.
The cup was clean, new, and steaming hot; it was clearly not something that had been hastily put together.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind—was it for that woman?
He bought an extra one on purpose, and waited in line for so long, not for her, but for someone else.
She felt a sudden emptiness in her heart, as if something had been violently ripped out. Her chest felt tight, and even the thirst she had felt vanished without a trace.
She grabbed Dong Wenxuan's hand tightly, her fingertips icy cold, her voice trembling: "Bian Jiang, I want to go home... I really can't bear to leave Niu Niu behind. She's so young, she always looks for her mother at night, and even Grandma Wang can't soothe her... I have to go back."
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