Chapter 36: Flood, High Temperature 2

Evelyn Ford’s words left all three of them stunned and speechless.

Judging by the expressions on Mrs. Doyle and Nana Doyle, it was clear they had no idea either.

"Dr. Ford, are you sure about your diagnosis? Am I really pregnant? Four months, even? But I haven’t felt a thing, and my belly hasn’t gotten any bigger."

"My diagnosis is correct. As for why your belly hasn’t grown, it could be your constitution, or it could be malnutrition."

Mrs. Doyle touched her stomach, her expression dazed. "No wonder... I haven’t had my period in so long. I just thought it was because I’m getting older and it had stopped for good."

"Mom, you should have it removed," Nana Doyle said, grabbing Mrs. Doyle’s hand and looking at her with concern. "It’s already dead. Once it’s out, the pain will stop."

Mrs. Doyle looked at Evelyn Ford, her expression a mix of grief and pleading. "Ford, please help me get it out. I’m in so much pain. I’m begging you, please help me."

"Your condition is dangerous. Delivering a stillborn fetus can be very complicated. If something happens to you, it has nothing to do with me."

"What do you mean by that? How can you say something like that at a time like this? You’re a doctor!" Nana Doyle confronted Evelyn Ford, her voice a mixture of anger and anxiety. Evelyn Ford just smiled, her attitude unchanged.

"I’m a doctor, not a saint, and certainly not a god. I can save people, but the old rules still apply. It requires payment in supplies."

"You’re so cold-blooded."

"I’m just cold-blooded. You’re the one with a problem."

Evelyn Ford glanced at Lauren Keller, her expression cold.

"I’m going home. From now on, don’t bother me unless it’s important."

Startled by Evelyn Ford’s sudden coldness, Lauren Keller hurried to block her path when she saw her actually turning to leave.

"Ford, don’t be angry. Nana’s still just a kid. With her mother in this condition, she was just overly anxious. Please don’t hold it against her. How about this? You treat her mother, and I’ll pay with my supplies."

Evelyn Ford raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "So, how much are you prepared to give me? The fetus in her womb... it has to be removed little by little."

Lauren Keller hesitated. She glanced at Nana Doyle and noticed that neither Nana nor her mother had looked at her or said a single word. A wave of discomfort washed over Lauren. It wasn’t that she needed them to be eternally grateful, but their attitude still hurt and disheartened her.

"I’ll give you five cans of food."

Evelyn Ford nodded readily. "Deal."

’Since someone’s willing to be a sucker, there’s no reason to turn down five free cans.’ Evelyn Ford opened her case and took out the Silver Needles.

Once all the Silver Needles were inserted into Mrs. Doyle’s abdomen, her pain vanished instantly, and her expression relaxed considerably.

Lauren Keller pulled Nana Doyle aside and whispered something to her. Nana watched Evelyn Ford’s busy figure, her expression conflicted.

"Nana, Ford is a good person. She’s just very professional and never wavers when it comes to saving lives. No matter how anxious you were, you shouldn’t have spoken to her like that."

Nana Doyle picked at her fingers without saying a word.

"Nana, I have a camping tent I can lend you. Once your mother is a little better, you two should move to the rooftop."

Nana Doyle’s head snapped up to stare at Lauren Keller, her eyes wide with shock.

"You’re kicking us out, too? Lauren, my mom and I are just two helpless women. How are we supposed to live on the rooftop? There are still scorch marks from where they burned the bodies! What will we do if there’s another downpour?"

"Are you kicking us out because you’re angry about what I said to Dr. Ford? I can apologize to her! I’ll get on my knees and beg for her forgiveness! Just don’t make us leave, please!"

Nana Doyle immediately dropped to her knees. Startled, Lauren Keller scrambled to pull her back up.

"Don’t be like that. Fine. Just apologize to Ford, and I’ll let you stay a while longer."

Nana Doyle’s tears turned into a smile. "Thank you, Lauren! You’re such a wonderful person, and Dr. Ford is too! Don’t worry, I’ll never speak out of turn again."

Lauren Keller patted her on the shoulder. The moment Nana Doyle lowered her head, her smile vanished.

A few minutes after the Silver Needles were removed, a sharp pain seized Mrs. Doyle’s abdomen again. She broke out in a cold sweat, the veins on her neck bulging from the agony.

"When you feel a bearing-down sensation, push hard and fast. You just need to expel everything inside you. I’m going home now."

Evelyn Ford had no desire to stick around for the stench. Lauren Keller went to her room and brought out five cans of food, which Evelyn accepted without a second thought.

Nana Doyle approached Evelyn Ford, bowed deeply, and offered a solemn apology. Evelyn shot Lauren Keller an unreadable glance before deciding not to press the issue with Nana.

’Let go of the savior complex, respect the fate of others.’

Back home, Evelyn Ford removed her mask and gloves and washed her hands several times over.

The cans contained the braised pork they had collected from the food factory on the trip with Lauren Keller. Evelyn Ford had tried it twice before; it was quite good mixed with rice or eaten with steamed buns.

She took out two steamed buns, opened a can, and called it breakfast.

It took Mrs. Doyle the entire day to finally expel everything. That evening, Lauren Keller and Nana Doyle came to ask Evelyn Ford to check on her. To Evelyn’s surprise, they had actually kept the... remains. Suppressing the urge to curse them out, Evelyn first examined Mrs. Doyle. After confirming there were no complications, she administered a few more needles.

"Dr. Ford, can we throw this away now?"

Evelyn Ford looked at Nana Doyle, truly sizing up the young girl before her for the first time.

’Lauren Keller said she was just a child. She’s fifteen, only four years younger than me. Is that really a child?’

Evelyn couldn’t read anything amiss on the girl’s face, but her intuition screamed that Nana Doyle had done it on purpose—deliberately leaving the filth out to disgust her.

"If you want to keep it as a memento, I won’t stop you. After all, that was your little brother or sister."

With that, Evelyn Ford took her Silver Needle case and left Lauren Keller’s home.

The moment she got back, Evelyn Ford heated some water and scrubbed herself clean from head to toe.

In the middle of the night, Evelyn Ford lay in bed, wearing headphones and watching a movie she had downloaded onto her tablet.

It was a romance. The main characters were childhood sweethearts who endured countless hardships and misunderstandings, only to end up marrying other people. When they reached their seventies and eighties, after their respective spouses had passed away, they reunited. They finally cleared up their old misunderstandings and got back together. The story concluded with the two white-haired lovers holding a wedding, where they confessed their deep affection and declared each other their one true love. Everyone in attendance was moved to tears. The movie ended there.

Evelyn Ford finished the movie, turned off the tablet with a blank expression, and found herself in an even worse mood.

’Didn’t they have mouths when they were young? Couldn’t they have just talked through their misunderstandings? And if it was "true love," why did they have to go and ruin other people’s lives? The poor souls they married died young, but these two shameless bastards got to live long, happy lives.’

’What a moronic plot. Absolutely insane.’

Evelyn Ford tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She ended up working herself into a hungry rage. She pulled out a container of fish head with chopped chili, a box of crawfish, and a bottle of Coke, then put on a cartoon.

After one episode and a satisfying meal, Evelyn Ford’s good mood was restored.