I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home-Chapter 117: I’ve Seen It All Now

"Well... we probably won’t be able to find this person right away. Could you possibly help look after the child for a few days?"

The nurse flipped through the records, then ran to call the commune the woman had registered with to ask about the situation.

Finally, she looked at Grace Winslow with a troubled expression.

Grace Winslow refused bluntly. "I’m sorry, but it’s not convenient for us to care for this child. We have plenty of children of our own—with the newborn, that makes four. Money doesn’t grow on trees."

"Besides, if she doesn’t want the child, does that mean her husband doesn’t want it either?"

"If all else fails, just send the baby back to its father."

Seeing Grace Winslow refuse so decisively, the nurse didn’t know what else to say.

Grace Winslow handed the baby to them and turned to go back to the hospital room.

A new patient, a mother-to-be, had just moved into the room.

Her whole family had come with her, making a lively commotion.

Her belly was huge, almost frighteningly so.

When they came over, they even gave Irene Lynch and the others some celebratory candy.

"Is everything taken care of?" Irene Lynch asked Grace Winslow in a low voice.

Grace Winslow nodded and briefly explained the situation.

Irene Lynch couldn’t help but sigh. "What a terrible thing to do. If no one wants that child, how is such a little baby supposed to survive?"

"Mom, don’t you go getting soft-hearted. We have more than enough kids in our family already. Raising a child isn’t as simple as just adding another pair of chopsticks to the table."

Grace Winslow wore a serious expression.

She knew Irene Lynch was kind and couldn’t bear to see people suffer. She was afraid her mother might act on a sudden impulse and bring the baby home with them.

Things like this weren’t exactly uncommon in this era.

It wasn’t that Grace Winslow was cold and heartless.

She just didn’t want to invite trouble.

"Ma’am, did you have a boy or a girl?" While Grace Winslow and Irene Lynch were still talking, the middle-aged woman from the next bed, having just settled in, came over to make small talk.

Lily Callahan answered with a smile, "A baby girl."

The words had barely left her lips when the woman’s smile vanished. She even took a few steps back, as if warding off bad luck.

Lily Callahan froze, her own smile gradually fading.

"Hey! Get back here!" a plump middle-aged woman from their group shouted. "Don’t get tainted by that bad luck! We’re carrying twins in here, and they’re definitely both boys."

The plump woman’s voice was so loud it was impossible to ignore.

Grace Winslow was speechless.

But she knew that’s how it was in this era. People valued boys over girls, no matter where you went.

She tugged on Irene Lynch, who looked like she was about to speak, and shook her head.

Irene Lynch was upset. After a moment’s thought, she turned and left the room.

A short while later, she returned with a folding screen she had borrowed from a nurse and set it up between the two hospital beds.

"Daughter-in-law, don’t you listen to that nonsense. A daughter is wonderful! Daughters are caring, a real comfort to their parents. I just love having a daughter," Irene Lynch said, deliberately raising her voice so the family in the next bed could hear every word.

The expectant mother lying in the other bed looked embarrassed.

Her husband just stood by her side, grinning foolishly and saying nothing.

Grace Winslow figured that with this family moving in, the next few days were not going to be peaceful.

She was worried it would affect Lily Callahan’s rest.

And as it turned out, she was right.

She didn’t stay overnight at the hospital; Irene Lynch and Nolan Winslow were the ones who stayed to take care of Lily Callahan.

That very night, the patient in the next bed started having contractions.

She was in pain all night, and she screamed all night.

Since her cervix hadn’t dilated enough, she couldn’t be moved to the delivery room, so she just screamed in the ward all night long.

In the morning, when Grace Winslow went to deliver breakfast to Lily Callahan and the others, she was greeted by three people with dark circles under their eyes.

She paused, glanced at the neighboring patient who was still groaning, and immediately understood the situation.

"How about we move Lily to a private room?" Grace Winslow said as she unpacked the breakfast she had prepared, discussing it with Irene Lynch and Nolan Winslow. "I saw an empty one on my way in. It’s only a few dimes more a day. This way, you and Mom can actually get some proper rest at night instead of being so exhausted."

"Okay, I’ll go ask," Nolan Winslow said and immediately walked out.

Irene Lynch looked drained. She hadn’t slept a wink all night. Just as she’d started to doze off, the woman in the next bed had started wailing like a banshee.

The aroma of the food wafted through the air, and Lily Callahan suddenly felt hungry.

Grace Winslow ladled some soup for her and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

"Sister-in-law, hurry and eat. Eat a lot, you need to regain your strength. I simmered this for a long time." Grace Winslow could tell Lily Callahan was hungry just by looking at her.

Lily Callahan nodded and lowered her head, starting to eat in small bites.

The mother-in-law from the next bed came in from outside. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw the food on the table.

She walked over with a broad grin. "Um, about that breakfast... could you spare some for my daughter-in-law?"

"We live far away, so we can’t bring food from home. The hospital food is terrible. She’s carrying the Lowell family’s precious grandson in her belly, you know. We can’t let him starve."

"It looks like you have more than you can eat. Just give us half."

Without waiting for Grace Winslow’s reply, she reached out to grab the food.

Grace Winslow rapped the back of her hand with her chopsticks. "No."

"My mom and my brother still need to eat. There isn’t even enough for them. If you want food, go buy it yourself."

"Stingy! You city folk are all so stingy! Can’t even spare a bite of food. Ptooey!"

Seeing Grace Winslow refuse, her face darkened. She started cursing at Grace and even tried to spit in the food.

Grace Winslow shoved her away. "What do you think you’re doing? Are you looking for a fight? Let me tell you, I don’t care how old you are, I won’t hesitate to get physical. You spit again and see what happens."

"You... you... how can you be so uncivilized? Are you going to hit me?" The woman was stunned that Grace Winslow would actually push her. After a moment, she straightened her back, ready to brawl.

Just as Grace Winslow was about to act, Irene Lynch stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap. "I gave you an inch and you took a mile! You wanted our food, and when you couldn’t have it, you tried to spit in it? What, you think you can bully my daughter just because she’s young and won’t fight an old bat like you?"

"Well, I’m not afraid of you. We’re about the same age, I might even be a little older. You dare touch me and see what happens."

"You... you..." Facing Grace Winslow, she had some nerve, but facing Irene Lynch, she was genuinely intimidated.

To make matters worse, her son wasn’t around.

The patient’s own mother had also gone home, leaving her all alone in the room.

She shot Irene Lynch a vicious glare, muttered a few curses under her breath, and went back to her daughter-in-law’s side.

Even from behind the screen, they could hear her whispering complaints about Grace Winslow and Irene Lynch to her daughter-in-law.

Grace Winslow rolled her eyes. ’It really takes all kinds.’

Nolan Winslow returned a little over half an hour later.

"It’s all set. I’ve arranged for Lily’s room change. Let’s pack up our things and move now."

"The private room over there is actually quite nice. It has a small kitchenette and a little living area. We can push some chairs together to sleep at night."

"And the bed is bigger, too. Mom, you can sleep with Lily tonight. You can’t keep staying up all night; you’ve already lost weight."

As Nolan Winslow spoke, he began deftly packing their belongings.

Irene Lynch and Grace Winslow quickly pitched in to help.

They couldn’t stand staying in this wretched room any longer.

Moving to a private room would be a huge relief.