For the whole day, Chloe stayed by Ashley's side to look after her.
It was believed that women had to have bed rest for a month after childbirth, otherwise they would be prone to illnesses at an older age.
Chloe also somewhat believed this tradition, so she treated Ashley with the utmost care.
Noticing Chloe's cautious movements, Ashley smiled. "I am not that weak, you know."
"Yes, you are. It is said that when a woman gives birth, she has been on the verge of death. I don't even know how much pain you suffered on your own last night. Just keep quiet and let me take care of you. There's no one else here to do it."
Everything Chloe had said was true, so Ashley decided not to argue.
Instead, she turned and admired her two babies for a while. Then, she suddenly said, "Chloe, I'm thinking of going back to J City."
She longed to see her husband and her friends again.
It had been a long time since she had left J City, and she had no idea how they were all doing now. Besides, she now had some good news to bring to them.
Ashley's words caught Chloe off balance. "You want to go back to J City?"
Ashley nodded. "Yes, I do."
She forced a smile and continued, "I came here because I didn't know what my situation was. That's why I wanted to keep it a secret from him. But I guess I made a big deal out of nothing. So now..."
Although Chloe didn't know who the word "him" was referring to, she could guess that Ashley was talking about her husband.
Apart from the babies' father, who else would Ashley mention so many times?
"Okay, you'll always have me on your side. If you want to go back, you should," Chloe replied.
"Thank you, Chloe." Ashley smiled gratefully at her, feeling glad to have a friend like her.
"Come on, you don't need to
"Yeah, she is. That's why she needs you to protect her."
Richard once again nodded seriously. "Yes, Mommy. I will protect my sister well."
"All right, Richard, let's go and buy some food," Chloe urged.
Richard turned to Ashley and waved goodbye. "Goodbye, Mom. I'll be back soon with some delicious food for you."
"Okay." Ashley waved back with a smile.
As Chloe walked out of the ward with Richard, she thought about how cute his promise to Ashley was.
"What sort of delicious food can you bring for your mommy? You don't have a penny with you now. You are just using my money," she teased.
However, Richard clenched his fists and looked at Chloe earnestly. "Could I borrow it from you, Aunt Chloe? I will pay you back one day."
Chloe shook her head with a smile and rubbed Richard's head. "I'm just kidding. Come on, let's go. We don't want to keep your mother waiting too long."
In the hospital ward, after the two of them had left, Ashley began to feel her eyelids grow heavy with exhaustion. The two babies had already fallen asleep after breastfeeding, so she pulled them closer to her and covered them with the quilt.
Then, she too drifted off to sleep.