Chapter 83

When Zoe called out "Mommy," Brynn couldn't help but find it a little amusing. She looked at the little girl gently and softly explained, "Sweetheart, I'm not your mommy. You must have mistaken me for someone else."

"No, you're Mommy!" Zoe's eyes sparkled as she gazed up at Brynn, looking especially happy. She was so excited that she didn't even seem to notice the pain in her arm. She struggled to sit up, then reached her arms out toward Brynn. "Mommy, hug me."

Seeing the eager look in Zoe's eyes, Brynn couldn't bring herself to refuse. She embraced the little girl.

Brynn needed to explain, "I'm really not your mommy. You're Zoe, right? You might be confused because of the coma. Your brain was temporarily deprived of oxygen, so you're having this illusion."

Zoe didn't understand all those medical terms. All she knew was that her 'mommy' didn't recognize her. Her little face immediately turned pouty, on the verge of tears. "Mommy, Zoe missed you so much. I finally found you. Why don't you recognize me?"

Seeing Zoe like this, Brynn felt helpless and unsure of what to do. She didn't know how to comfort a child who was calling her "mommy."

"Miss Everett," Mrs. Johnson softly tugged at Brynn's sleeve and leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Zoe's never had a mother. She's probably just been longing for a mother so much."

Brynn was taken aback. While Brynn was lost in thought, Mrs. Johnson hurried to comfort her beloved granddaughter.

"Zoe, sweetie, don't make things hard for Miss Everett," Mrs. Johnson stroked Zoe's head and tried to lift her. "Let's go home with Grandma, okay?"

But the usually obedient Zoe was suddenly very resistant, wriggling out of Mrs. Johnson's arms. "I don't want to! I don't want to go! I want Mommy!"

As Zoe spoke, she started crying. Mrs. Johnson immediately panicked. She knew that Zoe had grown up without a mother, so it was understandable that she missed her. But why would she call a stranger "mommy"?

Her granddaughter, aside from family, had never shown such closeness to anyone else. It was really strange. Seeing Zoe like this, Mrs. Johnson felt a deep sorrow for Zoe. Although she didn't understand the reason, she just wanted her granddaughter to be happy.

She turned to Brynn, her tone soft yet apologetic. "Miss Everett, I'm so sorry for the trouble."

"I have an unusual request. I wonder if you could help," Mrs. Johnson said, her face full of sincerity. "You can see that my granddaughter's condition is quite serious. Could I ask you to continue treating her?"

Although Mrs. Johnson had initially hoped to find the legendary Divine Doctor, that person was nowhere to be found, and who knew when they would ever come across him. But Miss Everett had managed to stabilize Zoe so quickly, without any equipment at all. It was clear that she was highly skilled!

Plus, Zoe seemed to like Miss Everett so much. That made it even more important to keep her around.

"Well..." Brynn hesitated at Mrs. Johnson's request. This lady's background was clearly not simple, but Brynn had never heard of her in Portmare. This suggested that she might be from Eaglemont. People from Eaglemont were not someone Brynn wanted to get involved with.

"Mommy, you really don't want me anymore?" Zoe's voice, full of sadness, interrupted her thoughts.

Brynn looked at Zoe, and when their eyes met, her heart couldn't help but tighten at the sight of Zoe's pitiful expression. The thought that this child might have never had a mother's companionship began to make Brynn's resolve waver.

Mrs. Johnson immediately noticed Brynn's hesitation and took the opportunity to speak more pleadingly, "Miss Everett, I know this might be asking a lot, but my granddaughter really is so pitiful..."

She sighed deeply, looking like she might cry at any moment. "Because of her illness, she's spent most of her time in the hospital and hasn't had the chance to play with kids her age. All I want is for her to grow up healthy and happy... Please, Miss Everett, help us!"