Gu Xinzhou gently held one of George's small hands.
The back of that little hand bore two small marks left from needle pricks and a slight bruise.
Gu Xinzhou was heartbroken and observed carefully the child's delicate fingers.
She dared not move for fear the child might suddenly wake up.
Time seemed to stand still.
Gu Xinzhou stayed by the bedside until four-thirty.
During that time, George's catheter bag was full, and Shen Shiqing came over to change it once.
Seeing the child still struggling with the catheter, Gu Xinzhou remained silent, tears continuously falling.
Shen Shiqing didn't have time to attend to her.
He simply stepped forward, took George's temperature, and studied carefully the life-sign data provided by the machines.
After confirming there were no issues, he gently patted George's little face, saying meaningfully, "Little pig, you sure can sleep!"
Watching Shen Shiqing's actions, Gu Xinzhou said in a heartbroken whisper, "Don't hit him!"
Shen Shiqing helplessly replied, "I'm just touching him."
Gu Xinzhou responded, "That's not good either. The child is still young, his skin very delicate. You might think your touch is gentle, but it might still hurt him."
Shen Shiqing: "..."
Gu Xinzhou asked, "How much longer does George need to use the catheter?"
"He can have it removed tonight. He's wearing it because he absolutely cannot eat, and his stomach wounds also need him to rest in bed," Shen Shiqing spoke gently: "After ten tonight, I'll remove it. Starting tomorrow, he can have some liquid food, like millet porridge. His stomach needs to heal properly for a while. After he's been on liquid food for a couple of days, we'll go to the hospital for a check-up to see how his injuries have healed, and then adjust his diet accordingly."
Thinking about it, Gu Xinzhou finally felt she could do something for the child, and gently said, "Alright, I'll make him millet porridge first thing tomorrow morning."
Shen Shiqing, watching the child lay motionless, chuckled, "If George had never left you, he would have lived a very happy life. Unfortunately, those villains took him from you right after you gave birth to him. All these years, you've been thinking of George, heartbroken every day. It hasn't been easy for you."
Seeing Shen Shiqing so emotional, Gu Xinzhou became a bit anxious, whispering urgently, "Keep your voice down! George is still sleeping; don't wake him up!"
She had only just gotten the chance to stay quietly with her elder son here.
She did not want Shen Shiqing waking the child and causing her to be sent away by George again.
Shen Shiqing added, "Knowing you are George's biological mother, in the whole world, only you and Mr. Song care for George the most."
Having said that, Shen Shiqing's profound gaze swept over George's little face again before he turned and left.
Gu Xinzhou sat for a while longer.
Reluctantly, she left the room.
She guessed the child might wake soon and feared that seeing her, a stranger, might startle him again.
She didn't know that as she turned to leave, a pair of black, pearl-like eyes suddenly opened, and then closed again as she turned to shut the door behind her.
Gu Xinzhou returned to her room.
Song Zhen suddenly woke up, sat up, and looked at her.
After a moment of stunned expression, he glanced out the window, quickly threw off the covers and got up: "Did George cry? I promised to watch cartoons with him this afternoon."
"No, he's still sleeping," Gu Xinzhou saw him carelessly getting out of bed in his pajamas in front of her, her face turned slightly red, and she awkwardly turned away, opening the door to leave: "I'll wait for you in the living room."
Song Zhen picked up his clothes, about to change.
Seeing her run off with a flushed face, he suddenly understood something and happily curved the corners of his mouth.