Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The ER door sprang open. A doctor pulled off their mask, voice tired.

“He’s out of the woods. He’ll wake up in a bit.”

“No more scares like this, ever. He’s just a kid, he can’t handle it.”

Menu

James shuffled two steps forward, cane thumping. He saw Lucas’s pale little face on the gurney, breathing finally steady. The breath he’d been holding finally released.

Lucas didn’t wake up until dawn.

He opened his eyes to James’s grim face. His tiny body flinched, eyes darting to Olivia.

Lucas saw Olivia’s pale face, her eyes red and puffy from crying. He quickly spoke up, “Grandpa, please don’t be mad at Auntie.”

“It was my fault. I wanted the mango cake. Mom never told me I was allergic, and Auntie didn’t know either.”

“Your mom never said you were allergic to mangoes?”

James clearly didn’t buy it.

Lucas’s eyes darted, then he lowered his head.“She really didn’t. Mom never said a word. Please don’t blame Auntie…”

James frowned.

Kids don’t usually lie. So, was Clara really like Margaret claimed? Upset about Ethan, Lucas, and Olivia getting close, holding a grudge, and deliberately keeping quiet about the allergy?

Margaret carefully watched James’s face.

“Dad” she said, “Clara actually never mentioned it.”

“I’ve actually wanted to say this for a while. Clara just looks sweet and innocent, but she’s got a manipulative streak.”

“Whenever I’d try to talk to her, she’d just freeze me out, give me the cold shoulder. And that whole mess years ago? Everyone knew she was the one pulling the strings.”

“It’s only ‘cause you’ve always got her back that I kept my mouth shut.”

“Ms. Bennett’s entire world revolves around Lucas. That kind of bond? Unmatched. So, you know, this incident, you can’t really blame her.”

Grandpa James’s face was grim. He turned to Ethan.“Did you call Clara?”

“Yeah.”

Ethan’s fingers traced the edge of his phone case.“She didn’t pick up.”

“Go make it clear to her!”

Grandpa James felt a surge of resentment towards Clara.“Even if she’s pissed, the kid’s like this! What kind of mother doesn’t show up to take care of her own son?”

Olivia glanced at Lucas.“Grandpa James, whether it’s my fault or not, it happened because of me. I’ll take care of Luke.”

“You’re older now, your health is more important. You and Auntie should go back and rest.”

James opened his mouth. He was about to say she didn’t need to babysit. They could just call a nanny from home, and Ethan could stay with

Luke.

The next second, Lucas’s eyes lit up.“I want Aunt Olivia to stay with me!” he beamed.

James couldn’t bring himself to spoil his great–grandson’s fun. He noticed the red in Olivia’s eyes. His tone softened. “We’re really putting you out. Please take care of Luke.”

Early the next morning, Ethan still had work. He had David drop off a fresh change of clothes.

He grabbed the clothes, changed quickly.“Has Clara contacted you lately?” Ethan suddenly asked.

“No, boss.”

David blinked.“Do you need me to contact Clara?”

Ethan’s hand, mid–button, froze.

Ever since Clara saw him and Olivia together, her attitude toward him and Lucas had been icy.

“Contact her. Find out when her next prenatal checkup is. Once you get the time, clear my schedule for that day.”

“Tell her,” Lucas whispered, his eyes on Olivia. “I’ll go with her.”

< Chapter 16

Menu L

The assistant handed her the schedule. “Ms. Bennett has a prenatal checkup next week. I’ve already had the nurse’s station coordinate the time.”

“Got it, boss.”

David scribbled it onto the schedule, then trailed behind Ethan as they left the hospital room.

Lucas was in the hospital room, just waking up, beaming at Olivia.

“Auntie, you’re so nice. So sweet and soft, way gentler than Mom.”

Olivia didn’t bite. She just ruffled his hair, smiling.“What’s for breakfast?”

“I want yam porridge.”

Lucas thought for a beat.

Every time he got sick, Clara would make him yam porridge. She’d also whip up tons of other yummy dishes, always making sure he ate plenty.

Olivia pulled out her phone and ordered takeout.

“Okay, Auntie’s ordering that for you.”

Ten minutes later,

Lucas stared at the gooey mess in the bowl, his brows knitting together.

The porridge Clara used to make always had finely sliced yam, mixed with that warm rice aroma. He could easily down two big bowls of it.

But this porridge? Just plain white rice with a few yam chunks tossed in. And the yam had these gross little black spots. Totally killed his appetite.

He really didn’t want to touch it, but then Olivia’s voice cut in,“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?”

“You’re still recovering. You need to get more food in you.”

Reluctantly, Lucas forced himself to take a spoonful.

But the moment it hit his tongue, he wanted to gag. He pushed the bowl away.“Auntie, I don’t really have an appetite.”

“If you don’t want it, don’t eat it.”

Olivia didn’t push it. She cleared the porridge and dumped it in the trash.

“Whenever you get your appetite back, just tell Auntie what you’re craving.”

A little while later, the doctor came in. After checking Lucas over, he said Lucas needed to stay a few more days for observation.

He heard he was stuck for days. Lucas sniffed himself, wrinkling his nose. Then he looked up at Olivia.

“Auntie, I wanna take a bath.”

“Sure.”

Olivia led him to the bathroom door.“You can wash yourself, right? I’ll be right outside. Just holler if you need anything.”

Lucas just stared. His nanny always bathed him back home. He had no idea how to wash himself.

Before, when he was sick in the hospital, Clara always took care of him. She’d hold him when he wanted a shower, worried he’d slip.

But Olivia? She clearly had no plans to help. He just bit his lip, nodded, and stepped into the shower stall.

Big mistake. The floor was way slicker than at home. The second the water hit, Lucas’s foot slid right out from under him. He slammed down, elbow crashing against the tiles. Tears streamed instantly.

“Auntie, I hurt myself!”

The water was loud. Olivia sat in the hospital room, scrolling on her phone. She heard something, barely, but didn’t get up.

Lucas waited forever in the shower, figuring the water was too loud for Olivia to hear him.

He had to grit his teeth and pull himself up. His arm was already one big bruise, and it hurt like hell with every move. He couldn’t even reach his back to wash it.

His nose burned, tears streaming down his face. All he wanted was his mom.

If Mom were here, he wouldn’t be such a mess.

Finally, he just let the water rinse him roughly, dried off with a towel, and got dressed.

“Auntie, can you help me dry my hair?”

Lucas walked out of the shower, still wiping his hair, and saw Olivia glued to her phone. She clearly hadn’t heard a word he said, and he felt his chest tighten.

< Chapter 16

“Family of Lucas?”

A nurse pushed the door open.“Family of Lucas?” she asked.“Could you please come to the nurse’s station to sign some papers?” Olivia finally lowered her phone, glancing at Lucas. “Luke, be a good boy, okay? Auntie’s gotta step out for a bit.”

With tears in his eyes, Lucas crawled onto the hospital bed. After a beat, he pulled out his phone watch and dialed Clara’s number.

“Hello?”

The moment he heard Clara’s voice, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears streamed down, splattering onto the sheets.

“Mom,” he choked out, “I’m so hungry. Can you make me some yam porridge and bring it to the hospital?”

“And, I miss you. Can you come be with me at the hospital?”

Clara was fine–tuning an Al model. She heard the obvious sobs on the phone and frowned.

“I don’t have time. Where are Grandma and Dad?”

“Great–Grandpa and Grandma already went home. And Dad just left for work.”

The more Lucas talked, the whinier he got.

“You’re alone at the hospital?”

Clara couldn’t believe the Carters would just leave him.

“Uh… Auntie’s here,”

Lucas mumbled, a hint of guilt in his voice.

Menu

Clara’s fingers paused on the keyboard. “I had the nanny make you some porridge and send it over. I’m busy, so be good and listen to your aunt.”

The line went dead. Lucas felt a jolt of confusion.

Why’d Mom hang up so fast?

She used to call him every single day, checking in, nagging him until he was the one who got annoyed enough to hang up.

And whenever he felt sick, she’d always be right there with him. Now she was saying ‘no time‘?

Olivia walked in, instantly noticing Lucas’s tear–stained, red eyes. “What happened?”

Lucas, a picture of pure misery, practically launched himself into Olivia’s arms, sobbing.“Auntie, please be my mom?”

If Auntie was his mom, she’d make all his favorite foods, and even help him with his bath, right?

Olivia watched Lucas’s tears soak into her clothes. A flicker of disgust crossed her eyes, but a smirk tugged at her lips when she heard what he said.

“Oh, honey,” Olivia cooed, “you can’t just swap moms whenever you want.”

Back in her office, Clara stared blankly at her screen for a bit.

Benjamin pushed the door open, setting a stack of files on her desk. “These are the data from Lewis Al’s dispatch system,” he said.“See if there’s anything useful.”

Clara flipped through them casually, her eyes scanning a few lines of core parameters. Then she stopped. This neural feedback algorithm was almost identical to the data she’d worked on in the lab seven years ago