Chapter 113 Isabella's Hunger
When Arabella arrived at the hospital, she called Gabriel again to ask for their specific location.
As soon as the call connected, before Gabriel could even speak, Isabella's heart-wrenching cries came through the phone.
Her heart immediately clenched, as if someone had cracked a whip across it. "What's wrong with Isabella?"
Gabriel watched the children crying, his own heart aching as he replied curtly, "Building One, Room 303. Stop wasting time and get over here!"
Without even hanging up, Arabella broke into a jog up the stairs.
Breathless, she found Room 303 and saw Isabella being given infant massage therapy by a doctor. The sight made her chest tighten with heartache.
"What's happening? Why is she crying like this?"
Mary quickly moved aside to make room for her to get closer, reassuring her, "Ma'am, don't worry. The doctor is giving Isabella a therapeutic massage. It doesn't hurt—she's just resistant to it, so she keeps crying."
Arabella knew that medication wasn't typically recommended for infants this young. Experienced doctors used massage therapy to help babies alleviate discomfort and ease their symptoms.
She felt slightly relieved, but watching Isabella continue to cry and struggle was heartbreaking. She felt helpless, not knowing what to do.
Gabriel glanced at her, his eyes complex with emotion. He wanted to make some cutting remarks but held back because of all the people present.
The doctor noticed her arrival. "Are you the mother?"
"Yes, may I hold her? It might help," Arabella asked hopefully.
"Of course. I'm working on her back now, so you can hold her on your lap. Just lift her shirt to expose her back," the doctor instructed while continuing his work.
Arabella immediately sat down and gathered the sobbing Isabella into her arms, speaking to her in gentle, soothing tones.
Poor little Isabella cried even harder when she saw her mother, as if overcome with relief, then gradually began to calm down. She buried her little face in her mother's embrace, continuing to sniffle softly.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, casting the entire room in a golden glow.
Gabriel stood nearby, his gaze fixed quietly on Arabella as she tended to Isabella with such love and tenderness. She seemed to be surrounded by an ethereal light, and for a moment, he was completely transfixed.
After a while, the doctor straightened up and sighed with relief. "That's enough for today. We'll need to do this again tomorrow."
Arabella's entire attention was focused on Isabella, and she didn't notice Gabriel's unusual behavior. She simply thanked the doctor while adjusting Isabella's clothes and asked, "What's really wrong with the baby? Is it gastroenteritis?"
The massage therapist replied, "It appears so, but for the specific cause, you'll need to speak with Dr. Gilbert Harvey."
Dr. Harvey?
Arabella looked at Mary, who explained, "That's the specialist who examined the children this morning."
Gabriel snapped back to his senses and, seeing the woman's gaze turn to him, immediately composed himself, his handsome face showing displeasure. "Isabella and Henry got sick this time because of you."
Arabella was stunned. What did he mean?
Gabriel didn't elaborate further, instead turning to pick up Henry.
Henry had also finished his massage. Since he'd consumed less breast milk, his symptoms were milder. He hadn't cried much and was now sleeping peacefully.
Arabella held Isabella and followed him, pressing for an answer. "What did you mean just now? How is the children getting sick related to me?"
"The doctor said they might have gotten sick from drinking the breast milk you brought home yesterday, which caused the vomiting and diarrhea. Isabella drank more, so her symptoms are more severe—she even has a slight fever. The doctor suspects it might be mild food poisoning." Dr. Harvey had only mentioned this possibility in passing, but Gabriel deliberately emphasized it to frighten her.
Couldn't she just stay home and take care of the children properly?
She insisted on going out to work that demanding job, going through all that trouble to pump milk, and now something had gone wrong in the process, leading to contaminated breast milk.
Arabella was indeed alarmed by the mention of "food poisoning," her face paling as she looked at Isabella with even greater concern.
"Did the doctor actually say that? Are you sure it's a problem with the breast milk?" She wasn't trying to shift blame—she just wanted to understand exactly where the problem occurred so she could prevent it from happening again. What if the children got sick again?
Gabriel, carrying Henry, walked ahead. Only after they entered the elevator did he say, "Samuel went back to get the remaining breast milk. Once it's tested at the hospital, we'll know what went wrong."
After a pause, without waiting for her response, he glanced at her and said, "I still hope you'll come back home and focus on taking care of the children. I'll transfer money to your account every month—consider it your salary."
He thought that maybe she felt uncomfortable spending from his bank cards. If he transferred money directly to her account, she might feel more at ease about using it.
Arabella pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Setting aside whether the breast milk was actually the cause, even if it was, she could be more careful in the future to ensure it didn't happen again. But asking her to come home and focus solely on child-rearing—that was impossible.
Gabriel saw her silent refusal and knew she was resisting again.
With so many people around the hospital, he didn't want to continue this discussion. After exiting the elevator, he headed toward the parking area.
Arabella's entire focus was on the child at the moment, and she didn't want to argue with him either. She obediently followed behind with Isabella and got into the car with him.
When they'd arrived, there had been one nanny van and Gabriel's personal car.
But now Samuel had driven back to get milk samples and hadn't returned yet. One car wasn't enough.
Gabriel had the driver come over to drive the Maybach and instructed Mary to take the other nanny and servants back by taxi.
Once they were seated and the car doors closed, they were left in the confines of the small space.
Isabella kept whimpering continuously. When they'd been walking earlier, Arabella had held her upright, so Isabella couldn't nurse even though she wanted to. Now that her mother was sitting down and holding her horizontally, her little face was positioned right at her mother's chest. Smelling the familiar scent of milk, she couldn't help but nuzzle persistently.
Arabella knew she was hungry, but with the car moving and shaking, she worried that feeding her would only cause more vomiting. She could only patiently and gently try to soothe her, hoping she would sleep until they got home to eat.
But Gabriel couldn't stand watching this. Seeing her refuse to nurse Isabella, he assumed she was deliberately avoiding him, unwilling to undress in the car.
Thinking of how Isabella and Henry had suffered because of her, his emotions surged. He turned back with a stern expression and said coldly, "Isabella is already hungry. Why won't you feed her?"
Arabella was already conflicted, and hearing this, she looked at his cold face and frowned. "What if she vomits again..."
"So because you're afraid she might vomit, you're going to let her stay hungry?" Gabriel's anger grew, feeling like she was impossible to reason with.
This tiny child had been vomiting and having diarrhea, and she'd barely eaten anything from morning until now. How could she not cry and fuss?
Even an adult wouldn't be able to handle this!
As Gabriel scolded her, Isabella's cries became even more distressed. Her little arms and legs were kicking frantically as she pressed her face into her mother's embrace.
Arabella's brow furrowed deeply. With no other choice, she had to give in. "Isabella, don't cry, don't cry. Mommy will feed you right now..."
She spoke soothingly to Isabella while turning slightly away, using her other hand to begin unbuttoning her blouse.
Gabriel watched her awkward movements, feeling even more irritated.
He knew she was afraid of him seeing her, which was why she was heartlessly letting Isabella go hungry.