Chapter 874: In Manuel’s Ward

Manuel, recovering from a serious car accident, had been moved from the ICU and was under close observation. Justine and Susan were at his bedside when Hannah arrived with her baby. Their excitement was palpable.

"Hannah! Is that your baby? He doesn't need the isolette anymore! Oh, I want to see him!" Susan exclaimed. Justine, though equally thrilled, felt comparatively reserved, even cold. Nevertheless, she immediately approached Hannah and gazed at the infant. The beautiful boy captivated them all.

"Let me hold him! I'm the godmother," Susan declared, taking the baby despite her evident unfamiliarity with infant handling. The baby, thankfully asleep, remained undisturbed. Oscar’s throat tightened, but he masked his emotion.

"He's so soft," Susan murmured. "Like a cotton ball! Hannah, is it a girl? Look at her delicate skin; she'll be a beauty!"

"It's a boy," Hannah corrected.

"A boy! That's fine! I like boys too!" Susan’s fondness was evident. Hannah chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Let me hold him," Justine requested.

Susan, disgruntled, protested, "I want to hold him longer."

"A little while is enough. How can you hold him so long?" Justine countered.

"That's unreasonable!" Susan retorted.

Justine firmly repeated, "Let me hold the baby."

Startled, Susan reluctantly relinquished the baby, adding, "Don't be so rude. You'll scare him."

Justine remained silent, unconvinced of her rudeness.

"Be careful!" Susan cautioned again.

"I'm more careful than you. Remove your hands," Justine snapped, finally taking the baby. Tears welled in Justine's eyes. Having previously seen the infant in the isolette had filled her with sadness; his safety now evoked a complex mix of joy and sorrow.

Hannah was taken aback by Justine's tears. The baby was the child of the Wells family; Justine, while Oscar's aunt, wasn't a close relative.

"Aunt Justine, it's okay," Oscar reassured her.

"I know... what if something bad... something bad had happened?" Justine whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

Susan, witnessing Justine's tears for the first time, was surprised. Though she briefly considered reclaiming the baby, she reconsidered. Privately, she resented Justine using this as a pretext to hold the baby longer.

Hannah moved toward Manuel’s bed, the baby drawing everyone's attention away from him. Manuel smiled at her arrival.

"Feeling better?" Hannah asked.

"Mhm, much better," he replied. He'd been out of the ICU for two days, showing significant improvement.

"I'm getting out of the hospital today."

"That's wonderful," Hannah replied.

"Manuel, thank you so much," Hannah said earnestly, expressing gratitude for his actions during the accident.

"Don't mention it," he replied, his tone understated.

His near-fatal experience seemed to carry little weight on his demeanor; his concern was focused on others.

"Honestly, I didn't expect you to try so hard to save me," Hannah admitted.

"Don't feel guilty," Manuel said. "Oscar cares deeply for you. As his cousin, I'd do anything for the one he loves. Theodore would too."

His words subtly shifted the thanks to Oscar.

"Well, I also did it because you're Susan's best friend," Manuel confessed quietly, avoiding being overheard. Hannah glanced at Susan, who was observing the baby. Manuel also looked at Susan; he’d asked her to leave the car that day, knowing he couldn't protect both her and Hannah. Susan’s tearful plea to ensure Hannah's safety remained etched in his memory.

"Susan's into you," Hannah observed.

"I know," Manuel acknowledged. Susan’s straightforward affection was easily readable, despite her attempts at concealment. Hannah smiled, believing Susan would eventually return to Manuel.

Justine’s arrival with the baby interrupted their conversation.

"Look at Oscar's son! Look at him!" Justine exclaimed, presenting the baby to Manuel with pride. He smiled at the adorable infant. "He's lovely!"

"He resembles his father. He's as handsome as his dad," Justine declared.

Susan countered, "I disagree. He takes after Hannah. Her genes make him so good-looking."

"If you disagree, just be quiet," Justine snapped.

"I have to speak up if you're lying!" Susan retorted.

"Susan!" Justine warned.

"Boys resemble their mothers. It's a genetic law," Susan insisted.

"There's no such genetic law," Manuel stated.

Susan, aware of Manuel's agreement with his mother's views, felt a surge of anger.

Hannah intervened, "People say Oscar and I resemble each other," subtly suggesting the baby resembled both parents.

Her words sparked a flicker of hope in Oscar; the word "couple" was a significant development in their relationship. He dared not to imagine Hannah as his wife, let alone voicing it.