Chapter 5
I reached out and gently stroked her hair.
Then I looked at my mom.
"Mom, please take Drusilla and the baby and get them discharged," I said.
My mom was taken aback.
"Discharged? But Drusilla's injuries..." she hesitated.
"She'll heal at home," I replied, not giving her any room to argue.
My tone brooked no argument.
"Every second I spend here just makes me sick," I added.
I didn't bother with Harvey, still kneeling on the floor, or Margaret, frozen in shock.
I leaned in and gently took the sleeping baby from Drusilla's arms.
The baby's cheeks were rosy, and his tiny hands were curled into fists.
He was so adorable.
Cradling the baby in my arms, I turned to my mom.
"Mom, go get Drusilla and the baby discharged," I said.
"I'll stay right here and keep watch over Drusilla."
"I want to see if anyone dares to touch her today," I added, my voice cold and unwavering.
My gaze slowly swept over Harvey and Margaret.
My stare was ice-cold, like a knife cutting right through them.
Just as I finished speaking, the door to the hospital room was pushed open from outside.
A nurse in a white coat stood in the doorway, clearly annoyed.
"Why are you making such a racket? This is a hospital, not a grocery store!" she snapped.
"Other patients are trying to rest. If you keep this up, I'm going to file a complaint!"
Margaret, like she'd just found her savior, got all fired up again.
"Nurse, you're just in time!
"He hit my son! Look what he did, my son's bleeding!" she complained.
She pointed at the blood on Harvey's lip, her voice shrill and accusing.
"Are you guys just going to let this slide?" she asked.
The nurse frowned, looked around, then fixed her gaze on me.
My expression was calm as I cradled the baby, looking back at her with indifference.
The nurse hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke up, though clearly reluctant.
"Sir, this is a hospital. If you keep causing trouble, I'll have to call security on you," she said.
I nodded.
"No need to call security, we're leaving right now," I said.
The nurse looked surprised.
"Leave? She just had surgery five days ago, and her incision hasn't even healed yet. How can you let her go home already?" she asked.
"I'll hire a professional caregiver to take care of her at home," I replied.
My tone was calm, but my words left no room for negotiation.
The nurse was about to say something else, but my mom had already hurried out.
"I'll go take care of the discharge paperwork," she said.
Seeing how resolute we were, the nurse knew there was no convincing us, so she just sighed.
"Alright, just wait here. I'll get the doctor to explain the discharge instructions," she said.
With that, she turned and left.
Once again, it was just the four of us left in the maternity ward.
Harvey was still kneeling on the floor, his face covered in bruises, the blood at the corner of his mouth already dried.
Margaret stood beside him, her face livid, but she didn't dare throw another tantrum like before.
She fixed me with a hateful glare, then stared at the baby in my arms.
Her eyes held a look of pure disgust, as if she were staring at something dirty.
I held the baby a little tighter.
I looked at Drusilla on the hospital bed.
She watched me in silence, her eyes red from crying.
"Sis, get your things together. We're going home," I said softly.
My voice was soft, meant to reassure her.
Drusilla nodded and tried to push herself up from the bed.
But as soon as she put any weight on herself, her face went ghostly pale, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
The incision from her C-section was still aching.
I quickly set the baby back in the bassinet and rushed over to steady her.
"Sis, don't move. Let me help you," I said.
I turned to look at the door.
"Mom should be back soon. Just lie down and rest for now," I said.
Drusilla leaned back against the pillow, her lips trembling as she looked at me.
"They're not going to let this slide," she whispered to me.
Her voice was weak, tinged with worry.
I gave her a small smile.
"You worried about me?" I said.
"No need," I assured her.
"If he really wants to call the cops, I'll just tell them exactly what happened today," I said.
"His mom barged in just five days after Drusilla had her baby, started cursing her out, and tried to force her to sign the divorce papers," I went on.
"As your brother, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. If I had to throw a punch to protect you, that's called self-defense."
"We'll see which side the police take when it comes down to it," I added.
Drusilla's eyes grew misty again as she listened.
She parted her lips, wanting to speak, but nothing came out.
In the end, she only managed two words.
"Thank you."
I shook my head.
"We're siblings, sis. No need for thanks," I said.
"You've taken care of me all these years. Now it's my turn to look after you," I said.
Just then, Harvey finally pushed himself to his feet.
He swiped at the blood on his face and looked over at Drusilla.
His eyes held guilt, frustration, and a tangle of emotions he couldn't even put into words.
"Drusilla, are you really going to leave?" he asked.