All of Xavier Fostern’s attention was on Cecilia. He hadn’t even had time to feel sorry for her, let alone spare a glance for anyone else.
At someone’s words, he looked up with cold eyes, giving Song Ying just a brief glance. She looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t place her. “I don’t really remember. Let me take care of my wife first.”
He nodded and helped Cecilia into the resting room next door that had been prepared for her.
Cecilia sat on the sofa while Xavier Fostern pulled a chair to sit right in front of her. The cup of glucose solution was large, three hundred milliliters in all.
After he put the straw in the cup, Xavier Fostern held it for her. “Do you want to drink it now?”
“Yeah.” She felt a bit dizzy after getting her blood drawn and figured she might feel better if she finished it.
The doctor had said she needed to finish it in five minutes. Xavier Fostern checked his watch and reassured her, “Don’t rush. Just take your time.”
Cecilia nodded. She lowered her head and bit the straw; after just a sip, she immediately wrinkled her brow.
It was so sweet that it was almost bitter. She couldn’t help but pull the straw out, gagging slightly, then clamped her hand over her mouth, gasping a few breaths before she felt a bit better.
Xavier Fostern watched her with pained eyes—this child had come by surprise. Cecilia was still so young; he had wanted to wait until she was older and ready before having a baby.
Cecilia tried to pull herself together but couldn’t say a word, afraid she’d throw up the moment she opened her mouth.
Worried about running out of time, she forced herself to keep drinking through the straw.
She endured it in fits and starts, and at last, she finished the glucose. The final swallow was so cloyingly sweet that her throat felt glued together, her stomach churning miserably.
Her eyes were red with effort as she flopped her head on Xavier Fostern’s knee, closing her eyes without moving a muscle.
Xavier Fostern could do nothing but silently comfort her, rubbing her back gently, his heart aching as if pricked by a thousand needles.
It took several minutes before Cecilia finally raised her head. Her face was pale, lips covered with her hand.
Xavier Fostern reached out, gently caressing her cheek. “Is it really awful?”
“I want to rinse my mouth,” Cecilia whispered, shaking her head. The bitter sweetness still filled her mouth, making her voice raspy.
Xavier Fostern had Lao San bring in some water. Lao San set a cup of warm water on the table before quietly leaving.
After rinsing in the bathroom, Cecilia finally felt a little better. But the hospital room felt stuffy. “Zhiyen, can we go for a walk?”
Xavier Fostern helped dry her damp hair and nodded. “Of course.”
“I saw that the ninth floor is for newborns. Let’s go check it out, okay?”
Whatever she wanted, Xavier Fostern had no reason to say no. So the whole group headed down to the ninth floor. Outside the newborn nursery, there was a glass window where you could see all the little babies inside.
Cecilia turned to wave at Lao San. Hmm, he looked a bit fierce; better have him and the other bodyguards wait in the hallway so they wouldn’t scare any babies into crying.
Catching on quickly, Lao San waved, then had the rest of the bodyguards stand quietly against the corridor wall.
The cribs in the nursery were a cozy shade of pink, all lined up in rows. Many tiny babies lay sleeping—some with eyes squeezed shut, snoozing soundly; others chewing adorably on their little fists.
They were so tiny—their hands almost too small to wrap around a single adult finger.
Cecilia melted at the sight. “Zhiyen, will our baby be this cute, too?”
“Of course,” Xavier Fostern thought to himself, Our baby will be the absolute cutest.
Cecilia pressed up against the glass, her eyes sparkling. “Do you want a boy or a girl?”
“Either is wonderful. I’ll love both.”
Cecilia stood up, draped her arms around Xavier Fostern’s neck, and snuggled close, acting spoiled.
“I feel so happy.”
She hadn’t realized how wonderful it was to have someone with her for her prenatal exams, looking after her. Last time, she’d been alone—the blood draw had left her dizzy for ages before she managed to make her way home.
Xavier Fostern lowered his head and kissed her, letting her cling to him as long as she wanted.
After watching the babies for a while, they waited another two hours and had two more tubes of blood drawn.
Having eaten nothing all morning and after three blood draws, Cecilia was so dizzy by the time they returned to their room that she hardly knew where she was. Lao San arrived with an insulated food carrier from the car.
The worse Cecilia felt, the colder Xavier Fostern’s expression grew. When all the exams were finally done, Lao San—looking almost as dark as a thundercloud—hurriedly left the food behind and slipped away.
Inside the carrier were millet porridge and some energy-boosting chocolates.
Cecilia really didn’t want anything sweet, so she settled for some porridge.
Xavier Fostern watched her from the sidelines, feeling his heart twist with ache. He hadn’t realized a simple prenatal check-up would be so complicated, with so many different tests.
He thought about how Cecilia had come alone every other time, without anyone to keep her company. Did she ever feel sad, seeing other women with their husbands?
He felt a deep sense of guilt, watching her with eyes full of tenderness.
After a few more sips of porridge, Cecilia looked up and caught his gaze. “What’s wrong?”
She touched her face, wondering if something was stuck there.
“I was wrong not to be with you before.”
Cecilia saw how earnest he was and shook her head. “No, not at all. As long as I get to see the baby each time, it doesn’t feel hard at all.”
“Dr. Zhao always tells me what the baby’s doing and where her little hands and feet are. It’s really fun.”
She picked out only the amusing parts to share, deliberately leaving out how bad or scared she sometimes felt.
The truth was, every time she worried the baby might have problems. She hated getting her blood drawn and privately envied the women who had company. But that was all behind her now, and she didn’t want Zhiyen to feel burdened.
After eating a bit, the two of them headed back to the old house. Cecilia curled up in Xavier Fostern’s arms, suddenly remembering Dr. Song.
“Zhiyen, do you know Dr. Song?”
Xavier Fostern raised his eyebrows, thinking hard. If he did know her, it must have been years ago—no wonder he couldn’t recall.
“Maybe we went to the same school or crossed paths before, but I don’t really remember.”
Cecilia nodded and closed her eyes. “Okay, no big deal. I can ask next time.”
Xavier Fostern didn’t seem interested. He just grunted, gently rubbing her belly.
Ever since Cecilia had allowed him to touch her bump, he’d become addicted—always reaching out to rub her round little belly whenever he could.
“Maybe next time we can have the doctor visit us at home. It’s too tiring for you to come to the hospital.”
He snuggled her a little closer, making her more comfortable.
A ray of sunlight shone in. Cecilia ducked her head sleepily and murmured her agreement.