However, when she thought about how she couldn’t give him a proper family, she had no choice but to shove that desire aside.
“You will be fine. Also, you’re so cute that everyone will be fighting to have you,” cooed Roxanne as she caressed his cheek.
The kid smiled brightly and nodded excitedly. He was so happy that his face was turning a little red.
Jack had participated in quite a few similar events, but his heart would still ache when he witnessed something like that. He had to take a few seconds to compose himself before he could shout at the workers outside. “Get someone to send the kid to a hospital.”
Soon, a man showed up and smiled at the kid before offering his arms.
The boy got out of bed and obediently climbed into the worker’s arms. Before he left, he turned around and waved at Roxanne. “Bye.”
Then he looked at the other kids from the orphanage and bid them goodbye as well.
All the kids became teary-eyed when they saw him leaving. Roxanne also tilted her head down to hide her pain away.
Jack’s voice came to her cars at that moment. “There are many similar cases, and all we can do is help them as much as possible. It is okay to be sad, but don’t let it overwhelm you.”
Roxanne understood the logic behind it, but actually dealing with it was still a little challenging
The kid earlier was extremely polite and kind, so it was even more difficult to accept his unfortunate fate.
Jack didn’t say much else. He left her with a simple sentence. “There are other kids waiting for you.”
After saying that, he returned to his seat.
Roxanne took a deep breath and shifted her gaze down to look at the kids standing next to her.
Every single one of them was looking upward and staring at her with their big, round eyes. They were all on the verge of crying, and within those eyes was the most basic fear of all—the fear of death. They were worried about the boy who left and also scared that they’d meet the same fate.
Seeing how terrified they were forced Roxanne to suppress her sorrow. Crouching down to look into the kids’ eyes, she comforted them softly, “Don’t worry, kids. We’re here to protect you, so everyone will grow up safe and healthy. Your friend will be back soon as well.”
After that, she turned around quickly. She couldn’t bear to keep looking into their eyes, so she fumbled a little when she stood back up. Still, she pretended to be calm as she palled the bed and asked, “Okay, who’s next?”
Quite a bit of time passed before a kid fearfully climbed onto the bed.
Roxanne glanced at him. Her heart was heavy when she treated him.
Fortunately, the rest of the kids she had with her had minor problems, and she could cure them on her own.
The bad news, however, was that the three other doctors there had to deal with quite a few kids in bad condition. Every now and then, someone would leave the place to go to the hospital.
Everyone was understandably upset each time a kid left.
Daniel watched as more and more kids left, and the frown on his face became more intense.
At the end of the day, he was still a traditional medicine practitioner. He might get jealous easily and could be arrogant sometimes, but the kindness every doctor possessed remained alive within him.
They worked until the afternoon when the orphanage served lunch in the cafeteria and had everyone go there.
Roxanne and the others stopped working, but their hearts remained heavy. They handled the remaining kids and took everyone to the cafeteria.
No one knew what had happened. Perhaps the kids who left Roxanne’s and the other’s cubicle had said something, but almost every kid in the orphanage was staring at Roxanne during lunch. The other doctors couldn’t suppress their curiosity and were looking at her as well.
Sensing everybody’s gaze, Roxanne felt as though she was sitting on pins and needles.
“Miss?” asked a kid as he cautiously approached Roxanne while still holding his tray of food.
Hearing that cute voice had Roxanne turning her attention to the kid. She smiled and asked, “What is it?”
The kid stared for a bit before asking, “The others said that the candy you gave out is delicious. Can I have one?”
Roxanne was stunned for a few seconds before she came around. She smiled and grabbed a few sweets from her purse before handing them to the kid. “Here are a few flavors. If you like them, I will bring more the next time I drop by.”
The kid grinned shyly. He grabbed the drumstick from his tray and handed it to Roxanne before speaking in his sweet voice. “Thank you, Miss. I know you have been working hard as well, so here. I love drumsticks, but I’ll give this one to you.”
Roxanne was surprised when she heard what the kid said. When she returned to her senses, she smiled at the kid as a complex emotion bubbled up within her. “Thank you.”
The kid smiled shyly before turning around and leaving
“It looks like the little ones like you a lot, Roxanne.” Alongside Jack, Larry walked over with a plate of food in his hands and sat across from Roxanne. Roxanne greeted him by bobbing her head.
After smiling at Jack, she turned around and teased Larry, “I’ve more experience taking care of kids than you. Besides, I always carry some sweets just in case I need to use them to coax children. It’s effective, isn’t it?”
If it were not for the sweets, Roxanne believed the children would not have cooperated with her no matter how much they liked her.
Jack concurred, “It’s indeed a good trick. We can use it on the children during our medical consultations next time.”
Roxanne froze for a moment and pressed her lips into a thin line. “It’s just something I learned from experience since I need to handle my kids.”
Jack did not continue with the topic as he was more concerned with her mental state. “There will be more children coming in the afternoon. Do you want to take a break, Dr. Jarvis? You must be exhausted.”
Roxanne shook her head and gave a serious answer. “I can handle it. I’d undertaken tougher tasks when I was overseas. These kids need me, and I can’t just walk away from them.”
She came here today because she wanted to win the trust of the Damaris family. She also hoped to take this opportunity to convince the family to collaborate with her.
But after seeing how sickly the children were, Roxanne abandoned all her initial thoughts. She just wanted to try her best to treat those little ones.
All these children were almost the same age as Archie and Benny, and they reminded Roxanne of her two sons and the girl who had passed away at a young age.
Compared to the fate of these frail children, the exhaustion she experienced was nothing
Upon hearing that, Jack was astonished by the woman’s determination.
To Jack, carrying out medical consultations round the clock was already an unbearable burden, even for a man. He could not picture how intense Roxanne’s workload must have been when she was overseas.
Out of curiosity, Jack turned to glance at Larry.
Larry nodded steadily. “You heard that right. The woman standing in front of you is a fighter.”
Roxanne grinned but kept mum.
During the conversation, someone came up and sat beside them.
Roxanne whipped her head around in the person’s direction and saw Daniel awkwardly sitting beside her.
When she saw Daniel’s face, she instantly recalled how he treated her earlier and wondered if he had come to find fault with her again.
All the other doctors looked over. They even wished to bring their plates over and watch the drama unfold.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Dr. Hopp?” Larry initiated the conversation with Daniel as if he was trying to protect Roxanne.
Upon noticing the hostile tone in his voice, Daniel knitted his brows. He looked in Roxanne’s direction and asked stiffly, “Why did you help me just now?”
That question took Roxanne by surprise.
“Why did you help me persuade the children even though I’ve been finding fault with you?” Daniel asked her another question.
Upon hearing that, Roxanne responded with a casual smile. “Because I believe you’re not just a respected expert in traditional medicine but also an ethical doctor. You’ve been picking holes in everything I did, but I know you wouldn’t vent your frustration on the kids. I’m sure you only wanted to give them the best treatment.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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