A Heaven-sent Sweet Child Falls Asking for Hugs-Chapter 44: Maybe He’s Blind

Beanie’s haggard little face was so weak it was alarming. His large, normally sparkling eyes had lost their usual clever glint. His listless, sickly appearance made Jasper Ford uncomfortable. He hated seeing Beanie like this.

’Was it because I scared the little guy that night? Is that why he was waiting outside Madam Ford’s door so early in the morning...’

Jasper Ford carefully reached out with his large hands and took the small child from Madam Ford’s arms.

Madam Ford asked anxiously, "What are you doing?"

"I’m taking him to the hospital." As he spoke, Jasper Ford picked up Beanie, surprised to find him startlingly light and limp. His body was scorching, like a little furnace, an unnatural heat.

Seeing him about to leave, Madam Ford said, "You should at least give the boy something to eat before you take him to the hospital."

"We’ll sort it out at the hospital." Jasper Ford felt that he was largely to blame for Beanie’s fever. Perhaps driven by guilt, he couldn’t bear to see the boy sick, so he walked away very quickly.

At the hospital, he went straight to the emergency room. A doctor soon arrived to examine Beanie and start an IV. IV drips weren’t usually recommended for children so young, as they could be harsh on their bodies, but Beanie’s high fever refused to break. The doctor had to resort to medication and physical cooling methods. More than half an hour passed before his temperature finally started to drop.

The little one’s face was still deathly pale as he lay curled up on the bed. He drowsily mumbled, "Mommy." Though his voice was faint, Jasper Ford heard it. Frowning, he placed a call to Wanda Quincy.

Wanda Quincy was overjoyed. "Jasper," she asked excitedly, "is something wrong? Why are you calling me so late?"

Hearing her elated voice, Jasper Ford couldn’t help but frown. His dark eyes fell upon the boy lying listlessly on the bed, and his own handsome face grew increasingly grim...

"Jasper?" Wanda waited for a long time, but Jasper Ford didn’t answer. She had already been asleep, but now she sat up. "Where are you? I can come over."

Her words held not a single trace of concern for the child.

Jasper Ford was certain that Beanie and Wanda Quincy knew each other, but he had no idea what their relationship was.

He concealed the chill in his eyes and said, "It’s nothing." Then he hung up.

Wanda Quincy thought Jasper was acting strange. She tried calling back several times, but he rejected every call. Eventually, she gave up and went back to sleep.

Jasper Ford stayed by the bedside, waiting for Beanie to recover.

Worried that Beanie was starving, Madam Ford had packed some food in an insulated container before rushing to the hospital. She arrived just as Beanie was waking up. Her heart ached for him. "Beanie, you must be famished," she said. "Come, have some porridge to fill your stomach. You need energy to recover quickly."

Beanie obediently took a couple of sips and managed to keep it down.

Madam Ford was immensely relieved. She immediately turned and started scolding Jasper Ford. "You bastard! If you hadn’t frightened the boy late at night, he wouldn’t have caught a cold and spiked a fever. I’ll let it slide this time since you brought him to the hospital, but if it happens again, I won’t let you off so easily!"

Jasper’s thin lips formed a firm line. "What does that have to do with me?"

"How does it have nothing to do with you? From now on, if Beanie’s in this house, you can’t be! Do you hear me?" Madam Ford berated Jasper as she handed Beanie some water.

The doctor, who was removing Beanie’s IV line, couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from twitching when he heard Madam Ford. He had the distinct impression she treated the child with more affection than her own son. Anyone who didn’t know better would assume the little boy was her biological grandson and Jasper was the one they’d found on the street.

After his fever broke, they only needed to stay for another half-hour of observation before being discharged.

Beanie drank half a small bowl of porridge and refused to eat more. He blinked his half-lidded eyes pitifully. Upon seeing Jasper Ford, the little one instinctively burrowed deeper into Madam Ford’s embrace.

Seeing this, Madam Ford’s scolding of Jasper grew even more relentless. She berated him the entire ride home. "Look at you, a grown man! Besides being handsome and making a bit of money, what else can you do? You can’t find a wife, you can’t have children, and you’re the world champion of scaring people in the middle of the night! Tell me, what can I possibly rely on you for?"

In the front seat, the driver’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. His expression was strained.

But the target of this tirade, Jasper Ford, didn’t even bat an eye. It was as if he suddenly felt she wasn’t scolding him at all, looking completely detached from the situation.

Madam Ford only grew more incensed. "What’s with the brooding act? It doesn’t matter how poised you are if no woman wants you. Where did you go tonight? Did you visit Wanda Quincy’s place again? I’m telling you, I will never accept that woman as my daughter-in-law. If you have the guts to marry her, I’ll break your legs!"

"Mom, that’s enough. You’re scaring Beanie," Jasper replied impatiently.

Madam Ford quickly looked down. The poor little thing in her arms was staring with wide, bewildered eyes. She quickly stroked his head and said in a soothing voice, "Don’t be scared, Beanie. I’m just teaching Ford a lesson."

"Mm-hm." The little one’s voice was soft and sweet as he mumbled with a pout, "Miss Ford is right. Wanda Quincy is not a good person. Ford, you should get your eyes checked. Maybe you’ve gone blind?"

"Ahem..." Jasper coughed lightly and glanced back.

Beanie was so scared he immediately pulled his head back, cowering like a little turtle.

Madam Ford was enraged. "What are you glaring at? Beanie is right. You should get your eyes checked."

"Mom, since you like Beanie so much, why don’t you just adopt him?" Jasper retorted coolly. He felt that ever since this child had appeared, his own standing in the family had plummeted. Jasper thought it necessary to remind his mother that *he* was her biological son.

To his surprise, Madam Ford didn’t back down at all. "That’s exactly what I was thinking. If you continue to be such a disappointment, I’ll raise Beanie to inherit the Ford Family’s fortune."

Beanie looked up in surprise. "Miss Ford, that’s not right, is it? Beanie isn’t part of the Ford Family. Ford will be upset if you say things like that."

"It’s his own fault for being a disappointment. Don’t you worry, Beanie, I’ve got your back. If he ever dares to be mean to you in the middle of the night again, I’ll throw him out."

When the car pulled into the Ford estate, Madam Ford got out carrying Beanie, completely ignoring Jasper behind her.

The driver felt Jasper was in a rather pitiful position and couldn’t help but say, "Young Master, Madam Ford is just upset right now. Please don’t take her words to heart."

Jasper shook his head and strode inside on his long legs. He was an adult; it wasn’t worth getting into a spat with a child. But seeing how obviously exhausted Madam Ford looked, he told her to go and rest.

Madam Ford said, "If I go rest, who’s going to look after Beanie? Very few of the house staff have experience with children. What if his fever comes back in the middle of the night?"

Jasper said, "I’ll watch him. If he feels unwell during the night, I’ll take him back to the hospital."

"You?" Madam Ford’s eyes were filled with doubt.

Jasper said, "I’m used to staying up late. Go get some sleep. You’re getting gray hairs."

"What? Gray?" Madam Ford was so startled she immediately ran to a mirror. She did, in fact, spot a few gray hairs. The sight gave her a fright, but she still couldn’t stop worrying about Beanie. "Are you sure you can handle it?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Mm-hm." Jasper nodded.

Madam Ford pressed, "You won’t bully him just because you find him an eyesore?"

Jasper looked annoyed. "What kind of person do you take me for? Am I really like that in your eyes?"

Madam Ford was very serious. "You are!"