Chapter 361 The Child Looks a Lot Like Him
Susanna never thought Aaron would be so chill, even offering to track down Lillian's dad for her.
But guess what? Aaron was Lillian's dad!
She couldn't let him find out, so she quickly shut him down, saying, "Nah, once Lillian's stable, I'm taking her back to Novaria for treatment."
Aaron frowned, "Why can't she get treated here in Lindwell?"
"Well, we're from Novaria. Lillian's illness hit outta nowhere, and the follow-up's gonna take forever. We can't just camp out in Lindwell."
Susanna looked him dead in the eye, "Mr. Abbott, thanks for being down to do a bone marrow match with Lillian. Whether it works or not, I really appreciate it."
"If the match works, Lillian's gotta stay in Lindwell for treatment. I don't have time to fly to Novaria to donate bone marrow."
Susanna was shook. If they had to stay in Lindwell, it would be a mess.
She'd have to bring Charles to Lindwell, and that'd be risky.
Charles looked a lot like Aaron. If any of Aaron's buddies saw Charles, her secret would be out.
Susanna hesitated and then said, "Mr. Abbott, donating bone marrow is like giving blood. You don't need to see Lillian. You can donate here, and the hospital will send it to Novaria. It's not a big deal, and you don't need to fly out."
Donating bone marrow wasn't about the marrow itself.
It was about the stem cells in the blood.
So, her plan was to get Aaron to donate the stem cells, then take Lillian back to Novaria, keeping things low-key.
No way could she agree to Aaron's plan to stay in Lindwell.
Aaron squinted at her, "Why are you so jumpy?"
"I'm not jumpy. A lot of people think donating bone marrow is a big surgery. I just wanted to clear it up. I trust Lindwell's medical scene, but Lillian's follow-up will take time. It's better to start in Novaria to avoid too much travel, especially since she's so young."
After that spiel, Susanna looked up at Aaron, holding her breath, hoping he wouldn't push for Lindwell.
Aaron said, "Alright, I get it."
Seeing he didn't push back, Susanna relaxed. "Mr. Abbott, I can handle the hospital stuff. Sorry for taking up your time; I'm sure you're swamped with work."
"It's cool."
Aaron looked a bit off as he said, "I'll head out. Hit me up if you need anything."
"Sure thing."
After Aaron left, Susanna finally exhaled. The plan was on track.
She called Michael right away, "Michael, Aaron's done the blood draw. If the match works, he's down to donate the bone marrow."
"Good, the odds are in our favor. I've been looking for other donors, but the two matches we found didn't pan out. So, it's all on Aaron, but it should be fine."
"Fingers crossed. Is Charles ready?"
"Once the match results come in the day after tomorrow, I'll get things rolling. If Aaron passes the physical, I'll set up Lillian in the sterile room to wait for the donation."
After chatting with Michael about some treatment stuff, he asked, "Wanna talk to Charles?"
"Yeah, put him on."
Soon, Charles's cool voice came through the phone. "Mommy."
"I'm here. Soon, you'll be healthy and can go to school like other kids."
"I don't wanna go to school like those kids. It's a waste of time."
Hearing Charles's cocky tone, Susanna couldn't help but laugh. Even though Charles wasn't in the best health, he was super smart and had already taught himself the elementary school curriculum.
It took her a while to accept that she had given birth to a genius.
Susanna coaxed Charles, "But you need to get healthy first. Do you wanna stay in your room forever?"
"But I don't want Aaron's blood."
Hearing Charles's frustrated voice, Susanna kept coaxing, "He owes you this. Be good, we'll be back soon to be with you."
Even though Charles talked big, his face turned red with happiness at Susanna's gentle words.
Michael glanced at him and asked, "What's the first thing you wanna do once you're healthy?"
"Teach that jerk a lesson!"
Charles was still salty about the last time he hacked into the Abbott Group.
At the hospital, after Susanna hung up, she went back to the ward to be with Lillian.
When Lillian woke up, she was super happy. "Mommy, will Charles be healthy soon?"
"That's right, Lillian. You're the real hero this time!"
Susanna hugged Lillian and kissed her a bunch. "Once the bone marrow donation is done, I'll take you back to Novaria, and we won't come back."
Hearing that, Lillian hesitated and asked, "Mommy, why did Daddy leave us back then?"
Susanna could tell that Lillian still liked Aaron quite a bit.
She thought for a moment and said, "From what I've heard, it was probably because of Vivian. I don't remember the details."
She had just finished explaining when she got a call from Elaine.
Susanna didn't answer, but Lillian spoke up, "Mommy, didn't you wanna teach them a lesson? Why aren't you answering?"
"Because I wanna stay with you at the hospital."
Lillian shook her head and said, "Mommy, I'm strong. You don't need to stay with me. Besides, aren't we leaving soon? If you don't teach them a lesson now, you won't have the chance later."
She had some secrets to share with Charles and didn't want Susanna to hear!
Susanna patted Lillian's head. "Alright, I'll go out for a bit and be back tonight."
"Goodbye, Mommy. Good luck!"
After leaving the ward, Susanna answered Elaine's call, "Hey, Elaine. What's up?"
"Nova, when are you coming to the big show this afternoon?"
"Oh, I almost forgot 'cause I've been busy. Let's meet at the show."
After hanging up, Susanna took a car straight to the show.
When she got there, there were already a bunch of luxury cars parked outside, and a lot of media folks were there too.
Before getting out of the car, she put on big sunglasses to cover most of her face, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans.
Elaine was waiting at the entrance and smiled brightly when she saw her. "Nova, you finally made it."
"Let's go."
Susanna almost choked on Elaine's strong perfume as they walked into the show venue, which was nicely decorated.
"Elaine, are you here for the show too?"
Hearing the voice, Elaine turned around with a changed expression. "Vivian, what are you doing here?"
