Chapter 201 Emily Washes Oscar's Hair
Oscar watched her bustling around and snapped, "Cut it out. I don't wanna wash my hair."
"Just do it," Emily whispered, way different from her usual bossy self. "After your surgery, you won't be able to wash for a while. Can you handle that?"
Emily borrowed a basin from the nurse. She wanted to give him a dry wash but felt she might mess it up. So, she had him lean his head over the bed to wash it properly.
It was tough for Emily, who'd been pampered all her life, to take care of Oscar.
"Come on. Lean your head over the bed. It's easier this way," Emily instructed.
Seeing her insistence, Oscar sighed and said, "Emily, I said I don't want to."
"Come on. I've got everything ready," Emily pleaded.
Oscar refused, "I'll ask the caregiver to wash it for me tomorrow morning."
"What if he takes another day off?" Emily, now a bit impatient, said urgently. "Can you stop stalling? I've never taken care of anyone before. Just cooperate a little, so I can feel better, okay?"
"No one is forcing you to be here. I don't need you to take care of me. You can leave," Oscar said bluntly, hoping she'd go.
Emily, furious, pointed at him and glared, but after a few seconds, she lowered her hand.
"You're right!" Emily said weakly, like a deflated balloon. "No one is forcing me. I'm doing this voluntarily."
She took a deep breath, gathered her energy, and said, "Oscar, come on. Wash your hair, okay?"
Oscar was surprised she held back! He agreed because he didn't want to be harsh and couldn't stand having dirty hair for days.
Emily smiled, quickly squatted by the bed, and patted the edge, saying, "Come on. Lie down."
The bed was wide. Oscar lay sideways and slowly leaned his head back. Emily moved quickly, wetting Oscar's hair. As she washed, she said, "I've always been spoiled and never had to care for someone. But being here with you these past few days, even though I haven't been taking care of you 24/7, I've had to think about things from your perspective, and it's made me realize how much work goes into taking care of someone."
Oscar closed his eyes and listened. His hair was lathered with shampoo, creating lots of bubbles. Emily laughed and said, "It feels like I'm washing my dog. My dog's name is Lucky. He behaves just as well during baths and loves the shampoo."
Oscar's eyes snapped open, and he glared at her upside down, asking irritably, "Who are you calling a dog?"
"I'm just joking. Don't take it seriously. I won't say it again." Emily's nails gently scratched his scalp, making Oscar feel extremely comfortable and relaxed.
"Oscar, how did you get such a serious heart condition? Was it congenital?" Emily asked curiously.
Oscar, now relaxed, replied more gently, "I don't know how I got it. One day I suddenly had an attack at school, was taken to the hospital, and found out it was a heart condition."
Emily remarked, "You're really lucky to have lived this long!"
Oscar didn't respond.
Emily stopped chatting and focused on cleaning his hair after seeing him pause. After rinsing it once, she filled the basin with fresh water, and washed his hair again. Meanwhile, someone entered through the ward door.
"What are you doing? Washing hair?" Lillian and Alexander walked in, looking surprised.
Emily turned and smiled. "Oscar hasn't washed his hair for days. I thought it might itch, so I offered to wash it."
She rinsed his hair a few more times, wrapped it in a towel, patted his shoulder, and said, "All done."
Then she took the basin and left.
Lillian sat by the bed, still surprised. "Does she even know how to do this?"
Oscar dried his hair and said helplessly, "I told her I didn't need her help, but she insisted. I couldn't stop her."
Lillian looked at Alexander and laughed. "Emily seems genuinely remorseful."
Alexander just smiled.
"Lillian, what are you doing here so late?" Oscar asked.
"We came to see Grandpa and Grandma, and then checked on you. The professor's flight arrives late tomorrow night, so Alexander will be here then," Lillian said, noticing Oscar's condition seemed to be improving.
"Are you scared about the surgery?" Lillian asked.
"I used to be scared, but not anymore," he said, tilting his head to dry his ears. "It used to be just the two of us. If I died, no one would take care of you, so I was terrified of surgery. Now I'm not scared. You have Alexander. He's reliable!"
Alexander shrugged and smiled, feeling appreciated. Lillian felt a mix of sadness and comfort, encouraging him, "Don't be afraid. I'll be waiting for you outside the operating room!"
They chatted with Oscar for a while. Seeing it was getting late, they decided to leave.
"Where's the caregiver?" Alexander asked.
Oscar replied, "He took a leave because of a family emergency."
Alexander frowned but said nothing more.
"Get some rest. The surgery is the day after tomorrow. I'll be here," Lillian said, hugging him. "Good luck!"
As they left the ward, they saw Emily chatting with a nurse at the nurse's station.
"She's considerate, not coming in," Lillian said, retracting her gaze. "I really don't understand her. She used to be so willful, and now she's so understanding. It's surprising."
Alexander said, "People change. Sometimes, one event, one word, or one expression can change everything. She doesn't seem to be pretending, and she has no reason to."
"As long as Oscar is okay, I don't care about her," Lillian said, linking arms with Alexander as they entered the elevator.
In Linda's ward, Beatrice and two other relatives were on duty since Samantha and Ethan weren't there today.
"Mom, do you want an orange? Lillian bought them. They're quite sweet," Beatrice said, peeling an orange with a smile.
After a few days of rest, Justin and Linda were much better and could be discharged anytime.
"If Lillian bought them, I'll try one," Linda said, taking the orange from Beatrice and chewing. "It is quite sweet!"
Beatrice remarked, "Mom, I noticed Lillian looked a bit pale earlier. Is her morning sickness bad? Alexander's family doesn't have a decent cook. I'm worried Kelly might not take good care of Lillian."