CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: GIVE MY CHILD BACK

The next day.

Jean Ellison and Jesse were placed in a six-bed ward at the end of the corridor.

The space was cramped, with six beds almost head to toe, leaving only a narrow passage in between.

The air was stagnant, filled with the mixed smells of food, medicine, and human body.

The boy in the next bed had just had an appendectomy and was groaning in pain after the anesthesia wore off.

Diagonally across was a rural couple with worried faces. Their child had thick bandages wrapped around his head, seemingly seriously injured.

The bed by the door was empty, but the trash can beside it was filled with used tissues and food wrappers, obviously left by someone who had just been discharged, with no time yet to clean up.

Jean Ellison tried her best to arrange their belongings in the little bedside cabinet and under the bed.

She changed Jesse into clean hospital clothes and quickly freshened up herself.

Jesse was very obedient, neither fussy nor noisy, just quietly sitting on the hospital bed, holding the bunny plush she brought, her big eyes curious yet slightly timidly surveying the unfamiliar environment around her.

"Mommy," Jesse asked softly, pointing at the boy across who was whimpering, "What’s wrong with that big brother? Is he in pain?"

"Yes, he just had surgery, so it hurts a little."

Jean Ellison gently touched her daughter’s head and explained softly.

"The doctor uncle gave him medicine, and it will hurt less after a while."

"Oh..."

Jesse nodded with partial understanding, clutching the little bunny even tighter.

As night fell, the main lights in the ward were turned off, leaving only a few dim bedside lamps.

The boy next door’s groans turned into intermittent sobbing.

Suddenly, a heated argument and scuffle erupted in the corridor, seemingly between family members and a nurse over fees.

The man’s angry shouts and the woman’s crying and cursing penetrated the thin door, clearly reaching inside.

Shortly after, a strong smell of alcohol mixed with sweat approached, as a staggering, drunken man swayed past their door, cursing, his murky eyes sweeping over the children on the beds.

Jesse was so frightened she shrank into Jean Ellison’s arms, her small body trembling slightly.

"Don’t be afraid, Jesse, don’t be afraid."

Jean Ellison held her daughter tightly, blocking the direction of the door with her body, and soothed her softly.

"It’s just a drunk uncle who lost his way. The doctor uncle will come for the rounds soon. Close your eyes and sleep, okay? Mommy will hold you while you sleep."

Obediently, Jesse closed her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering nervously, with tiny hands clutching tightly at Jean Ellison’s neckline.

Jean Ellison held her daughter, leaning against the cold iron railing of the bed, unable to sleep.

Her eyelids were heavy, yet her mind was exceptionally clear.

In the latter half of the night, the commotion in the hallway finally subsided.

In the ward, only sounds of breathing and occasional snoring remained.

Jesse fell into a deep sleep in Jean Ellison’s arms, her little face appearing particularly pale and fragile under the dim light.

Jean Ellison stared at the blurred spots of light on the ceiling, wide awake.

Just as dawn was about to break, the door of the ward was gently pushed open.

The night nurse tiptoed in, starting to take the temperature of kids who needed regular vital sign checks.

Jean Ellison had just started to slightly relax her tense nerves, when the ward’s not so thick door was suddenly pushed open with considerable force.

BANG.

The door hit the wall with a loud crash.

The children sleeping soundly and their accompanying parents were startled awake, looking up in confusion or fear.

At the door stood Jules Ellison.

She wore an expensive Chanel suit, draped in a sharply tailored cashmere coat, bare-faced and with slightly messy hair.

She appeared not to have slept all night.

Her eyes were red, filled with bloodshot lines, and her lips were pressed into a cold, hard line.

Behind her stood two tall, burly bodyguards in black suits, expressionless.

Instantly, the ward fell silent.

All eyes focused on the formidable group at the doorway.

Jules Ellison immediately saw Jesse’s pale little face, curled up in Jean Ellison’s arms, wearing an oversized hospital gown.

Her pupils shrank suddenly, her chest heaving violently as if something had pierced her heart deeply.

She stepped forward in her thin, high-heeled shoes, ignoring the startled gazes of others in the ward, walking straight to Jean Ellison’s bedside.

"Jean Ellison!"

Jules’ voice was hoarse and trembling as she pointed a finger, almost poking Jean’s face.

"You... you actually, you actually let Jesse stay in a place like this?"

"Is this a place for humans? Six people crammed together, filthy, chaotic, and noisy, the air reeks."

"Who are the people next door? There’s a drunkard staggering by the door. Listen, there’s crying and shouting everywhere. How can you let Jesse rest here, how can he recuperate? Is this how you are as a mother?"

Jean Ellison snapped to complete awareness the moment Jesse was startled awake.

Instinctively, she held the frightened Jesse more tightly to her, using her body to shield him from Jules Ellison’s trembling fingers.

"Cousin, this is a hospital, Jesse needs surgery, and this is the ward arranged by the doctor."

"Please speak quietly so as not to scare the children or other patients."

"Quietly?"

Jules Ellison seemed to hear the biggest joke ever, raising her voice even higher.

"Why should I be quiet? Look at what you’ve done to the child. How many days has it been? How long since you won the lawsuit? And you let her live in a place worse than a pigsty."

"And she’s about to go under the knife, Jean Ellison, is your heart made of iron? Do you even regard Jesse as your child?"

Jesse was terrified, his little face pale, big eyes instantly filled with tears, his lips quivered, clinging tightly to Jean’s neck, burying his face in his mother’s neck, whimpering like a small frightened animal.

"Mom, I’m scared, Auntie is so fierce..."

"Don’t be afraid, Jesse, don’t be afraid, Mommy’s here."

Jean’s heart ached almost to breaking point as she stroked her daughter’s back forcefully.

"You’ve scared Jesse."

"I scared her?"

Jules watched Jesse shiver in Jean’s arms, hiding from her as if she was a monster, fuming with anger.

She suddenly reached out, not to soothe Jesse, but to snatch her from Jean’s embrace.

"Give me the child."

Jules’s voice carried an obsessive quality.

"You are unfit to raise her. Look at the life you are giving her. So what if you won the lawsuit? You can’t even provide her with a decent home. Are you letting her wait to die in this place?"

"Give her to me. I will take her away today."

"Jesse, come home with Mommy. Mommy will take you home. We won’t stay in this horrible place."

Jules was nearly going mad, heedless of any surgery or consequences; she just wanted Jesse back with her.

Days without Jesse were unbearable for her.

The Jennings family, from top to bottom, had their eyes on her, demanding she have children, but she couldn’t, she could never bear children.

Despite knowing this, they pressured her, forcing her to undergo injections and medications; the torment almost drove her insane.

Jesse was her only emotional support; she had a child, Jesse was her child.

"What are you doing? Let go!"

Jean abruptly leaned back, avoiding Jules’s reaching hand.

The sudden pull terrified Jesse, prompting him to burst into loud tears.

"No, Mommy, I want Mommy."

Jesse clung to Jean like a frightened octopus, using all his limbs, crying desperately, resisting Jules’s approaching hand with intense rejection.

"Jesse, look clearly, she is not your mother. She’s a useless person who can’t even find you a proper place to stay."

"Come with me. I’m the one who truly cares for you. We’ll go back to the big house and wear beautiful clothes."

Jules cried out hysterically and reached out again to grab Jesse, her movements rough.

"Jules, are you crazy?"

Jean used all her strength to protect her daughter, her face flushed red, her voice altered.

"Please leave here. Have you forgotten the court’s decision?"

"The court?" Jules sneered, "I don’t care about the court’s decision. I only know I can’t just watch my child suffer in a place like this. I raised her for four years, four years."

"I gave her the best food, clothing, and living conditions, the best educational environment. I made her feel like a real princess."

"And what about you? What have you given her—this cramped, rundown ward?"

She gestured to the shocked patients and families around them, pointing at the squalid surroundings, her eyes filled with disdain and accusation.

"Look, look at this place, is this suitable for anyone?"

"Jesse is precious, how can she suffer like this?"

"Whenever she had a cold or fever, I was eager to bring the best doctors to our home. And you, you toss her in a place like this to wait for surgery. Jean, has your heart been eaten by dogs?"

"This is for the treatment; it’s arranged by the doctor."

"We will soon leave this ward."

Jean was almost yelling, feeling her sanity near the breaking point.

Of course, she didn’t want Jesse to stay in a six-person children’s ward. She had already contacted the doctor, who said there would be a double room available, though more expensive, by tomorrow morning.

"I don’t believe your words; you, what ability do you have, don’t I know?"

Jules wouldn’t listen at all, seeing Jesse nearly pass out crying in Jean’s arms, pained beyond measure.

She suddenly turned her head and shouted sharply at the bodyguards behind her, "What are you standing around for? Bring the young miss over to me, and be careful, don’t hurt her."

The two bodyguards, expressionless, immediately stepped forward.

One of them extended his hand, targeting the child in Jean Ellison’s arms.

Bam!

Jean Ellison picked up a water cup and threw it against the sturdy forearm of the bodyguard, shattering it; shards of glass and water splattered everywhere.

The bodyguard startled from pain, hesitated in his movements, furrowing his brow. Clearly, he did not expect such fierce resistance from this seemingly weak woman.

"How dare you fight back?"

Jules Ellison screamed, trembling with rage.

"You’re rebelling! Pull her away from me, and take Jesse."

The other bodyguard, seeing this, also reached out his hand, preparing to forcibly separate Jean from Jesse.

"Stop, what are you doing!"

A nurse’s stern reprimand sounded from the doorway.

The noise in the ward had alerted the nurse’s station.

Two on-duty nurses and a young male doctor who had hurried over entered, shocked by the scene in the ward.

"This is a hospital, no disturbances allowed here."

The doctor stood between Jean and the bodyguards, sternly shouting, trying to halt the bodyguards’ actions.

Jules Ellison, seeing the medical staff intervene, regained a bit of rationality.

Pointing at Jesse, whom Jean held tightly and who was crying almost to exhaustion, she accused the doctor and nurses: "Doctor, I am the child’s adoptive mother. I have raised her for four years. I cannot watch her suffer here. I want to transfer her to the best private hospital. I want to take her now."

"Madam, please calm down."

The male doctor tried to soothe her.

"The ward has been arranged by the hospital based on the medical condition and bed availability. Director Thorne personally decided on the surgery plan for the young patient, which is scheduled in a few hours. Transferring now carries great risk, and the child’s legal guardian is this Ms. Ellison. Without her consent, you cannot forcibly take away the child, as it is illegal."

Jules Ellison trembled with anger, pointing at Jean.

"Fine, hold your precious daughter in this lousy place and wait for death. Let’s see how long you can protect her."

"Surgery? Ha, surgery in a place like this? You’re just wishing for..."

"Jules!"

Jean raised her head, sharply interrupting her words.

Her eyes were bloodshot, staring straight at Jules.

"Please take your people and leave here; do not scare my child."

The ward fell into a dead silence. Only Jesse’s repressed sobs and the occasional beeping from machines broke the quiet.

The two bodyguards instinctively paused their actions and looked towards Jules.

Jules Ellison’s face lost all color.

She opened her mouth as if wanting to say something more malicious, but looking at the breathless, crying Jesse, she couldn’t bear to be cruel.

She knew that today, she couldn’t take Jesse away.

At least not while Jean was alive.

She suddenly turned, knocking the nurse at the door aside with her shoulder. High heels clicked against the shards of glass and puddles of water on the floor.

Without looking back, she stormed out of the ward, followed quickly by the bodyguards, whose heavy footsteps quickly disappeared down the hallway.

"Mommy..." Jesse’s voice was hoarse from crying, as weak as a kitten, "Did they leave? Will they come back?"

"They’re gone, Jesse, don’t be afraid. Mommy is here; Mommy will protect you. She won’t dare come back again."

Jean’s voice was severely hoarse as she pressed her cheek against her daughter’s sweaty forehead.

"Mm..."

Jesse seemed to have exhausted all her strength. In her mother’s arms, her sobbing slowly lessened, and her tense body gradually softened, leaving only faint whimpers.

The nurses and doctor began to clear the mess on the floor, quietly soothing other frightened patients and their families.

The young male doctor approached Jean’s bedside, tightly furrowed his brow, and spoke with concern and a hint of reproach.

"Ms. Ellison, the child’s emotional fluctuations are too significant, which is very bad for her heart’s load."

"Try to keep her calm and let her rest; she cannot be stimulated again before the surgery."

"I know... I’m sorry..."

Jean nodded with difficulty, hugging Jesse even tighter.

Jesse seemed genuinely exhausted, tired from crying, and scared.

In Jean’s arms, her sobs gradually weakened, and her breathing became long and rhythmic.

Her tiny body relaxed, sinking into an uneasy sleep.

Yet her frown remained tightly knit, and her little hand unconsciously clung to the front of Jean’s shirt.

Jean didn’t dare move, maintaining her stiff posture as the numbness spread from her arm to her entire body.

She looked down at her daughter’s pale, tired face in sleep, closed her eyes tightly, and forcibly suppressed the bitter sorrow and despair surging within.

Outside the window, the sky gradually brightened from the white of dawn.

The sound of meal carts rolling and doctors making their rounds began to echo down the hallway, interspersed with the low murmurs of family conversations.

Jean had not closed her eyes all night. She carefully adjusted her posture, trying to move her arm.

Suddenly, Jesse’s body jolted.

"Uh..."

An extremely brief, pained gasp escaped from Jesse’s throat.

Jean’s heart jumped to her throat.

She looked down and saw that Jesse’s once-pale face had entirely lost its color in an instant.

Her lips turned a horrifying shade of blue-purple, visible to the naked eye.

Her eyes were closed tight, long eyelashes trembling violently, and her small body began to convulse in Jean’s arms.

Her breathing turned exceedingly weak and rapid, while her little hands unconsciously dug into Jean’s arm.

"Jesse! Jesse!"

Jean screamed uncontrollably, her voice distorted.

"Doctor, nurse, someone help!"

"What’s wrong?"

"Oh my, the child."

"Call the doctor!"

The ward suddenly descended into chaos.

The boy in the neighboring bed was too terrified even to cry.

A rural couple clutched their child in fear.

The button at the nurse’s station was pressed frantically.

Almost simultaneously, the ward door was pushed open.

The young male doctor and two nurses rushed in. At a glance, the doctor’s face changed drastically upon seeing Jesse’s condition.

"Ventricular tachycardia, quick, oxygen, cardiac monitor, push the crash cart, notify Director Thorne, get the operating room ready, hurry!"

The doctor issued commands at high speed, his voice carrying an undeniable urgency.

The nurses moved swiftly.

One immediately placed a portable oxygen mask over Jesse’s mouth and nose, while another quickly connected the wires of the cardiac monitor.

On the screen, where there should have been a steady green line, it now showed a series of erratic peaks and valleys.

The heart rate displayed numbers soaring far beyond the normal range.

"Jesse, hold on!"

"Mommy’s here, the doctor’s here, the doctor’s here."

Jean’s voice trembled uncontrollably as tears poured out. She futilely tried to steady her daughter’s convulsing body, only to be forcefully pushed away by a nurse.

"Family members, stand aside, don’t interfere with the rescue."

The nurse’s voice was stern.

The crash cart was pushed to the bedside; the doctor quickly drew liquid from a vial and grabbed a syringe.

"Amiodarone, prepare the defibrillator, hurry!"

"Jesse!"

Jean let out a heart-wrenching cry. Her legs gave out, and she almost collapsed to the floor, but was caught firmly by a quick-reacting parent nearby.

"Get a hold of the operating room, push her there directly, quickly, no time!"

The doctor observed Jesse’s rapidly deteriorating condition and made a decisive decision.

He swiftly administered medication while directing the nurses.

The nurses quickly detached the temporarily connected equipment and unlocked the brakes on the hospital bed.

The doctor and another nurse together quickly transferred Jesse along with the thin blanket covering her onto a wheeled stretcher cart.

"Out of the way! Move out of the way!"

The nurse shouted loudly, pushing the stretcher out of the ward.

The doctor followed closely, observing Jesse’s condition while running, ready for any emergency.

Jean chased after them.

"Jesse..."

"Family members wait outside."

The nurse’s voice was cold and urgent.