Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 552

“Absolutely. If you drive, Frank will be really concerned. Go ahead, Frank is waiting for you,” Natalie said as her

slender legs gracefully entered the vehicle. She glanced at Frank, and he nodded in agreement. Natalie started the

vehicle with a loud sound.

As Natalie put on her black helmet, Ava reluctantly started to shift her feet. “Goodbye, sister. I will return tomorrow

afternoon,” she said, bidding her farewell.

Natalie half-squatted and propped her legs on the ground as she spoke, “I’ll see you off tomorrow.”

“I don’t think so,” Ava replied with a shrug and a smile. “You’ve already given me so many send-offs, and besides,

Frank will accompany me this time. Hehe.”

Natalie nodded at Frank, who had just exited the car, understanding his intentions. She twisted the accelerator and

quickly sped away, leaving behind a fading roar in the distance.

Athana Hospital.

After parting ways with Natalie, Ava didn’t immediately return to the hospital. Instead, she spent a few hours

shopping with Frank and purchased some clothes for Rose’s newborn baby.

Rose was asleep in the hospital ward, as was the baby. Grace was prepared to let Ava and Frank leave and go

home. “You guys don’t have to stay here. You can go home,” she suggested.

Ava glanced towards the cradle and whispered to Grace, “Can I sleep here tonight?”

Grace was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this. Then, Edward turned to his mother and said, “Mom, since

Frank and Ava are here, you can take the day off today. Come back tomorrow.”

Juana was not oblivious to the fact that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law desired some alone time together. It

was true that Rose didn’t need an excessive number of people looking after her.

Understanding this, Juana agreed willingly and said, “Alright, I will head back first. Please take care of

Rose.”

Edward had accepted the fact that Ava was his sister-in-law.

Since Ava wanted to stay in the hospital at night, Frank did not object. It was fine as long as he could be with her.

Grace spoke up and said, “We are both mothers, and our ultimate desire is to see our children doing well.” Juana

nodded and added, “Indeed, indeed. Well, I’ll be taking my leave now. Goodbye, Ava and Frank.” Ava said,

“Goodbye, Mrs. Landor.”

The ward consisted of three rooms: Grace’s room, Juana’s room, and Edward’s room. However, in order to provide

better care for Rose, Edward opted to sleep on the sofa instead of his bed. As a result, Frank occupied Edward’s

room.

Edward grabbed his coat and spoke softly to his mother-in-law, saying, “Mom, I’ll take my mother back first.

Grace responded, “Yes, take your time. Drive safe.”

Edward replied, “I will.”

Frank had already made his way to the cradle and was now standing beside it. His gaze was fixed intently on his

sleeping nephew, not even blinking once. The little one looked so peaceful in his sleep. Grace took a quick glance at

her son but chose not to say anything. Instead, she walked over to check on her son’s

room.

Eagerly following behind Grace, Ava held onto her wrist from behind and whispered, “Grace, did you notice how

much Frank loves babies? Look at his gaze just now. It was so warm and full of joy.”

Grace had indeed seen it, although her son did not show any particular reaction. Perhaps he was worried that Ava

might feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable. Knowing how his son’s friends were either already pregnant or had

several kids, Grace reassured Ava, “Don’t worry about it too much. Just focus on

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completing your studies first.”

“Alright.”

Grace helped them tidy up their blankets and went to the bathroom to take a look. “You and Frank stay here. I’ll go

out for a while.”

“Oh, and at what time does the baby usually feed?” Ava asked, realizing that while she liked her mother-in-law, she

didn’t want to constantly rely on her for every small detail. If her mother-in-law had something to say, she would

naturally take the initiative to share it.

Grace said, “I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.”

As Grace emerged from the master bedroom, she had barely pushed open the door and was preparing to leave

when William confidently walked in and knocked into her. Fortunately, it was Grace. If it had been Ava, it would have

been rather awkward.

William’s eyes widened with surprise at the sight of Ava. His voice suddenly rose as he exclaimed, “Ava! When did

you get here?”

Ava turned to Frank, her eyes silently questioning whether William had spent the previous night at the Roberts

family residence.

Frank remained by the cradle as Rose slept soundly like a pig. The hushed conversation between the others didn’t

seem to disturb her slumber in the slightest.

“Last night,” Frank said simply.

William’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. “Last night?” he repeated, turning to Ava for confirmation. Ava simply

nodded in agreement, her expression serious.

Grace was speechless. “You weren’t at home last night?”

“Yes,” William replied. But he didn’t see any luggage this morning, so perhaps his son had already taken care of

removing any signs of Ava’s arrival.

Grace glared at William, utterly speechless. She had asked him to stay at home and take care of things, yet he

didn’t even realize that his daughter-in-law had spent the night there. “Just how soundly were you asleep?” she

asked in disbelief.

“Hehehe, it’s because I’m older now and my sense of alertness has diminished a bit. Moreover, this house feels so

safe that I can sleep soundly. It seems like I arrived here at just the right time. Are you planning to go out?”

William swiftly changed the topic, attempting to conceal the fact that he had dozed off and wasn’t paying

attention.

“Yup.” Grace was concise and did not intend to continue talking about him.

“Let’s go together. I suddenly remembered that I also need to head out,” William offered as he put his arm around

Grace’s shoulder and closed the door. “I’ll drive you.”

Ava, looking a bit disheveled, was still standing at the door. Finally, she looked up awkwardly and said, “I didn’t even

have a chance to say hi to your dad.”

Ava quickly grabbed a stool for Frank to sit on, and he obliged by taking a seat. Then, he gently pulled her onto his

lap.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Ava was worried about the nurse coming into the ward. Meanwhile, Frank looked at the

person in his arms who kept fidgeting, and suggested, “Let’s sit together so that you don’t need to get another

stool.”

The reasoning seemed somewhat superficial, but Ava chose not to dwell on it. Observing that the little girl had

calmed down, Frank withdrew his arm and wrapped his arms tightly around Ava’s slender waist.

The two of them gazed at the sleeping baby in the cradle. Turning towards Frank, Ava asked, “Isn’t the baby just

adorable?”

Frank leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, savoring the sweetness of her lips. “Yes,” he whispered, as they

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pulled away from each other.

Knowing that Frank would likely reject her, Ava chose not to say anything further. Instead, she asked, “Aren’t you

curious about what Grace is up to?”

Frank had already figured it out. As Grace entered and left the room, he remarked, “She probably went to buy

some toiletries.”

“Ahh… You’re right. How could I have forgotten about that? Why didn’t I consider it when we were out shopping?”

Ava couldn’t help but blame herself for not informing Frank in advance that she wanted to stay in the hospital. She

had only asked Grace to let her stay once she had already arrived at the ward.

“It’s alright. They can go shopping together. William enjoys it,” Frank reassured, rubbing her waist and pulling her

into an even tighter embrace.

As Rose opened her eyes, she beheld her brother and sister-in-law flaunting their affection for each other. “Frank,

did you two come to see me or to show off in front of me? That’s not exactly appropriate, you know.”

As Rose spoke, Ava quickly hopped down from Frank’s lap. It wasn’t that she herself felt embarrassed by Rose’s

words, but more so she was concerned that if Edward and the others returned later and saw her in that situation,

they might feel uncomfortable.

Frank said, “Go back to sleep.”

Rose turned her gaze towards her brother and lay on her arm as she asked, “Frank, do you think your nephew is

good-looking?

“Better than you anyway.”

Rose said, “Of course. He is my son. He got to be better than me.

Observing the baby closely, Ava commented, “He’s definitely your son. He has the same mouth and eyes as you.”

“Grace said something similar. It gives me a real sense of accomplishment,” Rose replied. “In fact, I’m already

planning to have another child next year.”

Frank said, “Why don’t you take a break? Tell me what you want to eat now. Grace is shopping.”

He didn’t want to argue with his sister about having more children. After all, she had just given birth and was still

recovering in bed. Yet, here she was already planning to have a second child. Did she really think she was a hen

laying eggs?

“Another child? Can you? It should take two years to recover, right?” Ava sat close to Rose’s bed.

Worried that Grace might return soon, Rose quickly decided to take care of her dietary needs. “Hold on a minute; I

need to order some food now. If Grace is on her way back, Frank, please help me buy the food,” she instructed.

Rose had no idea that the food she was consuming had been specially prepared by Grace. Every aspect, from the

taste to the ingredients, had been carefully modified to cater to the dietary needs of a pregnant

woman.

Frank didn’t answer his sister’s question because it was nonsense.

Rose sent a message to Grace, [Grace, can you bring back some dumplings?]

Grace replied, [Sure, but they shouldn’t be too salty.]

Rose replied, [Okay.]

Putting away her phone, Rose prepared to answer Ava’s question. “Logically speaking, it usually takes about a year

and a half to recover after giving birth. But look at how I’m being treated like an empress, I’m sure I’ll recover

much faster. I’ve already carefully planned to conceive a child around a year later. See, Edward is about to turn 30.

If we wait too long, I’m afraid the quality of his sperm won’t be as good.” For her final sentence, Rose whispered

and covered her mouth with her hand.

Frank looked at his sister in disdain. He really wanted to slap her. “I’m not deaf.”

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Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the cries of the baby. The little one in the cradle had woken up and

turned his head, seeking attention. Rose, who had been lying on the bed engaged in conversation, was so

engrossed in chatting that she hadn’t noticed the baby’s awakening.

The baby had wet himself, and Frank sat helplessly at the side, not knowing what to do. Rose looked at him and

urged, “Frank, pick him up. What are you waiting for?”

Frank felt a sudden wave of embarrassment, evident in his coughing and stammering. “Um, cough, cough… Quiet

down. You’re being too loud,” he muttered.

Ava remained seated on the bed, feeling unsure of what to do. Rose had already gotten up and both of them

watched in confusion as they awaited Frank’s next move.

Frank leaned down and gently lifted his nephew, placing one hand on the back of the baby’s head and the other on

the crook of his leg. He lifted the little one up into the air, cradling him gently.

Rose kindly reminded Frank, “Frank, please hold him. He’s not accustomed to the vast world yet, and he might feel

quite insecure if you hold him up in the air like that. He might feel as weightless as a pilot, which can be quite

uncomfortable for him.”

Frank coldly scolded his sister, saying, “If you can’t find the right words, just keep quiet.” Despite his harsh tone,

Frank still heeded his sister’s advice and gently embraced the little one in his arms.

His movements were incredibly gentle, almost as if he were holding a ball of cotton in his arms, petrified that he

might accidentally break it if he exerted too much force.