I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home-Chapter 116: An Extra Baby on the Bed

"Nolan, Mom, why don’t you both head home for now? Go take a shower, change your clothes, and get some rest. I’ll stay here at the hospital with Lily during the day."

After a little while, Grace began urging Irene and Nolan to head home.

The two of them hadn’t rested all night at the hospital, and their exhaustion was plain to see.

Nolan didn’t want to leave at first, but Grace gave him no choice, pushing him right out of the hospital room.

Irene was sent home as well.

The hospital room instantly grew much quieter.

Occasionally, the sound of a baby crying would be heard, followed by a voice trying to soothe it.

Grace sat by Lily’s side, keeping her company.

Lily had slept a lot and wasn’t tired anymore, so she started chatting idly with Grace.

"About that college entrance exam you took—have the results been released yet?"

Grace shook her head. "They just brought it back, so the results are probably slow to come out. It should be soon, though. I’m guessing within the next few days. I’ll just have to call and check then."

"I see. Your brother mentioned you’re planning to go to Coronet, and that Mom and Dad are going with you?" Lily grew pensive. Remembering what Grace had told her about starting a clothing business, she couldn’t help but ask another question.

She was a little worried that Hayley and Brandon would go with them too.

’If I’m left behind in Prospera Town, how will I be able to make clothes to sell?’

"That’s right. I’m going there for school, and my parents are coming with me," Grace admitted openly, not trying to hide anything.

Lily opened her mouth but then hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something.

"Lily, is there something you want to say to me?" Grace asked, looking at her with confusion.

After a long moment of hesitation, Lily couldn’t hold back any longer. "Are your other brother and his wife going with you too?"

"Of course not. I’m going there for school, and my household registration will be temporarily transferred to the university. That’s the only reason I’m able to go."

"Mom and Dad are coming to keep me company, and also to get away from those awful relatives of ours. They’re getting older, so it’s a good chance for them to move there and retire."

"Brandon and Hayley’s business is here in Prospera Town. If they left now, they’d have to start all over again in Coronet."

"Besides, they don’t have good partners over there to source inventory. They’d probably have to come all the way down south themselves to buy stock, which would be exhausting, not to mention a waste of time and money."

"They definitely won’t go. At least, not anytime soon."

Grace answered with conviction.

Lily’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. "Grace, maybe I’m being petty, but I was just so worried... If you all left and Nolan and I were the only ones still here, then..."

"Lily, I understand. Once you’re discharged, you should have a good talk with Hayley. Her business is up and running with a steady customer base. It would be ideal if you two could work together."

"And, we can focus on boutique items. We don’t need to make large quantities of each style; some could even be one-of-a-kind. Scarcity increases value, so we can charge a higher price." Grace explained, pulling Lily closer and lowering her voice to share her plan.

She hoped Lily would eventually get into custom high-fashion.

It didn’t matter if they couldn’t do it right away. They could slowly build a client base, and the business would grow from there.

For now, the main goal was to gain experience.

Custom-made clothing would be very sought-after in the future.

If Lily got the chance in the future, she could even study abroad. Learning new skills and knowledge would only benefit her.

The two of them huddled together, talking in hushed tones.

The ward was very quiet.

After chatting for a while, Lily started to feel drowsy and soon fell asleep.

Grace found the room a bit stuffy. The mix of various smells was unpleasant, so she decided to get up and go for a walk.

The hospital was crowded. Here and there, she saw people wailing over the loss of a loved one.

It was a microcosm of life itself.

Grace took a short walk around, but then turned back, worried that Lily might wake up needing water or something with no one there to help.

The moment she stepped back into the room, she sensed something was off.

She glanced around, her brow furrowed. For a moment, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

Her expression finally changed when she saw the tiny, swaddled infant lying on Lily’s bed.

"This..."

The little one was dark and scrawny, not particularly cute, and was currently sleeping soundly.

She instinctively glanced at the adjacent bed.

The mother in the next bed had already been discharged.

Since she had given birth to a daughter, her in-laws were unwilling to spend extra money to let her stay in the hospital.

After arguing with Irene that morning, her mother-in-law had gone and processed her discharge papers.

And even though their baby was a girl, she had been well-nourished in the womb and was fair-skinned and plump.

But this little girl...

Grace’s gaze shifted to the bed at the far end of the room.

It was now empty.

She didn’t need to guess. The mother clearly hadn’t wanted her child, so she’d abandoned her, leaving her on Lily’s bed of all places.

Grace picked up the baby, planning to find a doctor or nurse to handle the situation.

But as soon as she picked her up, the baby’s eyes fluttered open. She stared for a moment, then, likely not recognizing the scent, let out a piercing wail.

Grace was speechless.

’In both her past life and this one, she’d never had any experience with a newborn this tiny...’

The little one in her arms looked so small, but her lungs were incredibly powerful. Her cries were so piercing they felt like they were going to shatter Grace’s eardrums.

Grace felt a headache coming on. All she wanted was to get this baby to the staff as quickly as possible.

Just as she was about to head out the door with the baby, the crying woke Lily up.

Seeing Grace holding a baby, Lily looked utterly confused. "I thought they said the baby was still too weak and needed to stay in the incubator for another five days or so? Grace, why did you bring her back?"

Grace looked helpless. "Lily, this isn’t our baby. She’s from bed three. Her mother didn’t want her, so she just left her here for us."

"I just stepped out for a short walk, and when I came back, there was a baby in your bed. I’m going to get a doctor."

Grace couldn’t stand the incessant crying, so she carried the baby and rushed out the door.

Just as she reached the door, she ran into Irene and Nolan, who were just arriving.

They both stopped short, stunned to see Grace holding a baby.

Nolan instinctively asked, "Is our Bonnie out of the incubator already? Did a nurse bring her to you?"

"No, she’s from the next bed over." Grace explained the situation all over again.

Irene was so furious she started cursing. "How shameless can you be! If you don’t want to raise a child, don’t have one! How could someone just abandon their baby after giving birth?"

"What’s going to happen to this poor child?"

"Mom, I’m letting the hospital handle it. Don’t you dare get any ideas about taking her home out of misguided kindness," Grace said, shooting Irene a warning look.

Irene opened her mouth, but then swallowed whatever she was about to say.

Grace carried the baby to the nurses’ station and explained the situation. The expressions on the nurses’ faces changed drastically.

They went to check the ward and confirmed that the woman was gone.

"She hasn’t even paid her medical bill in full. How could she just run off?"

"What name did she register under? Look it up, quickly." The nurses huddled together, speaking urgently.

A quick check of the registration revealed that the woman was a former "educated youth" who had been sent down to the countryside. Unable to bear the hardship, she had married a local man and had already given birth to several children over the years.

She had been brought to the hospital by her production brigade this time because of some kind of accident.

And now she had run off, with no telling where she might have gone.