Chapter 440 Just Like Raising an Eldest Son
Todd sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his legs like a little kid, with a lollipop in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other, enjoying himself immensely.
Melissa was wiping away tears nearby, while Bruce sighed heavily.
Lori pushed the door open and walked in. Todd's eyes lit up when he saw her. He tossed aside his ice cream and lollipop, jumped off the bed, and ran towards Lori.
"Fairy, fairy!"
Todd grabbed Lori and lifted her.
Caught off guard, Lori patted Todd's shoulder a few times. "String Bean, put me down! Are you causing trouble again?"
Todd was overjoyed, spinning Lori around a few times before finally setting her down. He then stared at her with a goofy smile. "Fairy."
Lori laughed. "String Bean, I didn't expect that after being struck by lightning, your mouth would get even sweeter!"
But he was acting a bit silly.
"Fairy, I want milk." Todd stared at Lori's chest, licking his lips. Before Lori could react, Todd reached out with both hands.
"String Bean, are you out of your mind?"
Lori quickly dodged, aware that Bruce and Melissa were still there.
After being scolded by Lori, Todd suddenly sat on the floor and started bawling, rubbing his eyes. "I want milk, I want milk."
Melissa hurried to comfort him. "Todd, be good. Don't cry. Mommy will get you some formula right away."
She then urgently shouted at Bruce. "What are you standing there for? Go check if the milk has arrived!"
"I'll go check."
Just then, the Smith family’s butler, Neil, arrived.
"Mr. Bruce Smith, Mrs. Smith, the formula has arrived. I just bought it. It's the same brand Mr. Todd Smith liked when he was a baby, and I brought a bottle too."
Before Lori arrived, Todd had already been clamoring for milk, so Bruce and Melissa had sent the butler to buy some.
Melissa quickly prepared the formula and handed the bottle to Todd, leaving Lori bewildered.
A grown man, happily drinking from a baby bottle.
Todd's satisfied expression was identical to Trey and Jax's after they had their milk, making Lori feel like she'd been struck by lightning herself.
Just then, John walked in, and Lori quickly asked, "John, what's going on?"
John replied succinctly, "The lightning didn't give Todd superpowers; it just made him dumb."
"Dumb?"
Lori was incredulous, but looking at Todd now, he was acting like a fool.
Todd quickly finished the formula, and Melissa handed him a pacifier.
Lori was silent, feeling deeply conflicted.
A grown man, still needing milk, sucking on a pacifier, and playing with toys meant for toddlers.
Melissa wiped her tears, saying, "At least he's alive, even if he's a bit slow."
Look at that optimism!
That's the Smith family spirit. Initially, it was hard to accept that their son had been struck dumb by lightning, but they came to terms with it, grateful he was still alive.
Todd played with his toys, smiling at Melissa and reaching out to wipe her tears. "Mommy, don't cry, don't cry."
Melissa cried even harder, sobbing loudly, "Todd!"
Bruce's eyes were red, too.
"Fairy." Todd got up from the floor and smiled foolishly at Lori. "Fairy, play with me."
Todd clung to Lori, refusing to let go, wanting only her.
Gary rushed over from the island overnight to give Todd a thorough check-up, shaking his head. "There's nothing I can do."
John's expression was serious. "Really, no way?"
"I can try with other ailments, but being struck dumb by lightning is a first for me. Maybe another strike would fix him?"
Gary wasn't joking or being sarcastic.
Sometimes, fighting poison with poison works. Maybe another strike would cure Todd.
Lori was the first to object. "Are you trying to kill him? He survived one strike, and you want to risk another?"
"Calm down, I was just suggesting," Gary said, looking at Todd sucking on his pacifier. "This might not be all bad. Look how happy he is."
Everyone fell silent.
Bruce and Melissa didn't agree with Gary's suggestion either. They only had one son, and they'd rather he be dumb than dead.
Aurora was shocked when she heard about Todd's condition. A perfectly normal person turned dumb—anyone would be surprised.
Despite Todd's condition, he only recognized Lori, clinging to her wherever he went. When he was tired or sleepy, he reached out for Lori to hold him, or he would pull her to sit down and then lie in her lap, sucking on his pacifier to sleep.
Bruce and Melissa saw that their son only wanted Lori and politely said, "Ms. Hernandez, please bear with us. We'll handle everything else. Just take care of Todd."
With that, Bruce and Melissa left.
John and Gary were also left to research ways to treat Todd.
Lori felt puzzled.
In the empty hospital room, Lori looked at Todd sleeping in her lap and suddenly felt like she was raising a big son.
Lori groaned, "God, just strike me with lightning, too."
What had she done to deserve this?
Ava brought some food and comforted her. "He got struck dumb saving you. You can't just abandon him. Think of it as raising a son. Look, he's quite obedient."
"Easy for you to say." Lori rolled her eyes. "Are you sure he wasn't struck because he swore too much?"
Ava chuckled. "Maybe ask your sister for parenting tips."
"For a giant baby like this, you think my sister has experience?"
Ava poured Lori a glass of water and suddenly asked, "Do you need to buy diapers?"
Lori spat out the water she was drinking.
"Ava, are you kidding me?"
Ava replied seriously, "Todd's intelligence is below that of a three-year-old. He's drinking formula. Diapers wouldn't be that strange."
Lori wiped her mouth. "Am I really raising a son? I won't use diapers."
"But what if he has an accident..."
"Stop, Ava." Lori licked her lips, holding onto a faint hope. "He can't be that dumb, right?"
Ava said, "You'd better be prepared."
Whether or not Todd would have an accident, he woke up and wanted to go outside to play, feeling cooped up in the hospital room.
Playing is a child's nature.
Children love to be around other children.
Lori took Todd to the plaza next to the hospital, which had plenty of entertainment facilities and many parents with their kids.
Todd saw the children and, feeling like he had found his peers, joyfully ran over.
Lori adjusted her mindset, treating it like taking a child out to play.
She found a bench to sit on, keeping an eye on Todd, who quickly joined the group of kids and played happily.
After a while, a young mother sat next to Lori, smiling. "You brought your child out to play, too?"
Lori smiled awkwardly, neither nodding nor shaking her head, and the young mother took it as agreement.
The young mother said, "Taking care of kids is exhausting. My son is three and very naughty. By the way, how old is your child? Boy or girl?"
Just then, a little boy ran over. "Mommy, I want water."
Todd ran over too, seeing the boy call out "Mommy." he also called out to Lori, "Mommy, I want water."
Lori was silent.
The young mother looked like she'd been struck by lightning, glancing at Todd. "Your child is so big."
Lori forced a laugh. "He... grew fast."
The young mother was silent.
This wasn't just fast growth; it was like he took growth hormones.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
