Unable to find Alice in the front room, Abigail hurried to the backyard where she spotted Ronaldo holding Larry, who was fast asleep. Abigail approached them and gently touched Larry's cheek, relieved to find that he was no longer feverish.
Squatting down beside Larry, Abigail playfully pinched his face, causing him to open his eyes in a daze and look at her with confusion.
"Larry, are you still feeling unwell?" Abigail asked, playing with his clenched fist.
Larry gazed at her with his bright eyes.
"He's so adorable," Abigail remarked, yawning.
As Larry watched Abigail open her mouth, his eyes widened with curiosity. Amused by his reaction, Abigail yawned again, prompting Larry to mimic her by opening his mouth. His expression was even more peculiar.
"You can make expressions too," Abigail recalled how he was just a pink, wrinkled baby when she first handed him over to Ronaldo.
In just a month, he had become fair.
Ronaldo woke up and saw Abigail squatting beside him, playing with Larry. He took a deep breath and said, "Can you hold him for a while? My hands are sore."
Abigail took over and replied, "Where's Alice?"
"She said she was preparing a prescription for Larry. She told me to tell you that Larry will take a long time to fully recover. If you're busy, you can go back to Capitalis first. We will take care of him," Ronaldo said, yawning.
"I'll head back after two days. Did you tell her to keep Larry's condition confidential?" Abigail asked as she held Larry, gently swaying her body.
"I did. She assured you," Ronaldo replied.
For the next two days, Abigail and Ronaldo took turns taking care of Larry. Alice prepared medicine every day, but unlike when she saved Sean, she rejected the dozens of medicines she had prepared in just two days.
In that moment, Abigail realized that Larry's condition was more severe than Sean's.
On the day of her departure, Abigail dragged her luggage out of the room. She was somewhat surprised to see Alice sucking on Larry's finger. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I let out some of his blood to reduce his fever. It's hard to stop the bleeding, so I had to use saliva. You don't mind, do you?" Alice put Larry's hand into the swaddling clothes.
"Of course not." Abigail looked at Larry, her eyes filled with reluctance. "Alice, I have to go... I have to see his mother."
"May everything go well for you." Alice smiled at Abigail.
Tears welled up in Abigail's eyes. She let go of her suitcase, stepped forward, and hugged Alice. "Alice... I really can't bear to leave you guys. I will always remember what you've done for me, the child, and Sean. Shall I find you an apprentice to keep you company?"
"It's fine. I don't have the energy to take care of you at this age. As for Sean, if it weren't for you staying here with him for half a year first, I wouldn't have taken him in. This kid couldn't handle hardship before and was so annoying to look at!" Alice patted Abigail's back, speaking with disdain.
Abigail couldn't help but smile. "He was overly protected. He hadn't experienced any hardships. Don't hate him. He was just too weak before."
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