Ch. 2001..2010

Chapter 2001 Chapter 2001 "Okay. Honey, get in touch with Yaksha and your grandfather tomorrow," Xyla Quest told her husband, thinking of those two who were more knowledgeable. They could provide some insight into this. "Yeah, I was thinking of doing just that," Stanley Batton said.

Knock, knock, knock- A nurse pushed the door open before standing hesitantly next to it. "Mr. Batton? Ms. Quest? You may see your children now."

As soon as Xyla heard this, her thoughts were instantly interrupted, feeling joyful as she grabbed Stanley's hands tightly.

"Honey, don't worry about me now. Go and check on our babies."

Compared to his wife, he appeared much calmer.

He nodded slightly before looking at the nurse. "Stay here and look after Xyla, please."

Out of urgency, Xyla started nagging again. "Don't mind me. Hurry up and check on our children."

Stanley smiled and gently caressed her cheek. "I'll check on them, but I won't neglect you, either. There has to be a difference in terms of priority."

Xyla instantly felt moved. "In that case, let our children be your priority over me."

"It should be the other way round," he countered with a grin before standing up to walk out of her ward.

As he was about to walk past the nurse, he came to a halt and looked at her. "Make sure to take good care of my wife, or you would be in trouble." With that, Stanley walked away.

Once he had left, Xyla felt her heart melting again.

She had seen too many examples of men ignoring their wives once children came into the picture.

Most of them would check on their children first after both wives and babies came out of the labor room. However, Stanley wasn't like them.

He never stopped worrying about her from the start, proving that he loved her more than anything else.

Once he had left, the nurse chuckled as she walked over to Xyla, carefully covering her with a duvet as she spoke. "Ms. Quest, you're a very lucky woman. I'm so envious of you. en.swhovels.net "Mr. Batton is a great husband. You have no idea how worried he was when you were in the emergency unit.

"Not only that, but he kept checking in on your condition when you were brought out before he even asked about the children.

"It's almost impossible to find a man like him."

By now, these facts had already spread within the hospital, that Xyla was the apple of Stanley's eye.

Her heart swelled with pride and joy again, but she merely beamed and said nothing.

The ed before explaining her health , while she took a t note of everything she said, Stanley was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit, surrounded by transparent glass panels where he could see everything from the outside.

The neonatal intensive care unit was divided into several sections of different sizes, each with its own equipment.

Right then, Stanley's babies were in the largest room in the center.

Chapter 2002 Chapter 2002 The babies were placed in a transparent, round-shaped thermal compartment. Miniature duvets covered their bodies with various tubes connected to them.

From far, it appeared as if they were sound asleep as they barely moved.

Due to the distance, Stanley Batton couldn't see their faces clearly. Even so, he could feel his heart breaking for his two children.

If it was possible, he hoped his children could survive.

He wished he and Xyla could take care of them and watch them grow.

Right then, a transparent door slowly opened and a nurse clad in a sterile gown approached him with another pair in her hand.

"Mr. Batton? Please come in and put on this sterile gown. You'll be able to enter and take a closer look at your babies after you put on a face mask and get disinfected." Stanley nodded slightly before walking in, following her instructions.

He changed into a sterile gown and slipped on a face mask to cover his lower face before undergoing a full-body disinfecting process.

After a long while, he was finally allowed to approach his children.

The light within the thermal case they were in had a warm hue.

Under the warm, yellow light, their appearance became etched deeply in Stanley's mind.

They were tiny, measuring only around four inches.

They appeared so scrawny, their skin wrinkly and slightly reddish.

Right then, they had their eyes shut and were sound asleep.

All the tubes connected to their bodies emanated a cold glimmer under the light.

When Stanley saw those tubes, he could feel his heart squeezing in pain.

He couldn't help but place his hands on the outer surface of the thermal case, gently caressing the cover as if he was caressing his children. His children were adorable but looked so pitiful.

He wished he could hold them in his arms and make them feel safe.

"You must keep them alive at all costs," Stanley said while he looked at the two nurses responsible for looking after his children.

They instantly nodded. "Don't worry Mr. Batton, expertise is the best in the world. We'll do our utmost to keep your children alive."

Uton, our medical He frowned deeply. "Does this feel painful for them?"

"It certainly would, but it's still bearable," one of the nurses said truthfully.

Despite the reassuring statement, his heart still ached, feeling even more sorry for his children.

He had a flurry of mixed emotions in his heart.

Taking his phone out, he was about to give Xyla a video call until he realized that they had left home in a rush She didn't have honet her.

IMS with So, Stanley turned on the recording function and recorded a five-minute video of their babies.

The longer he filmed them, the more complicated his feelings became.

The ache in his heart grew stronger.

Knowing they were in pain, he still hoped they would survive.

He couldn't help but start imagining how his children would look once they were all grown up.

The more he thought about them, the more his heart softened as if they had a unique power over him.

Each time he gazed at them, he'd love them twice as much.

"These children look much better than I dinary children. I believe they'd grow to be very gol.net e future," the nurse added.

The baby boy was born a minute earlier than the baby girl.

Chapter 2003 Chapter 2003 Hence, he was the older brother to his younger twin sister.

Stanley Batton didn't reply, but his gaze turned even softer.

However, he couldn't bring himself to smile.

After staying by his children's side for half an hour, Stanley finally left the neonatal intensive care unit with his phone and retraced his steps toward Xyla Quest's ward.

On his way back, he kept replaying the video he recorded of his children, feeling a mix of emotions.

Right then, Xyla felt even more worried in her ward, hoping that her husband would hurry back to show her how their babies looked.

For that reason, she refused to rest.

Soon, Stanley opened the door and entered her room, prompting her to perk up immediately.

"Quick, show me how they look," she demanded eagerly.

Smiling, Stanley stepped forward to show her the video on his phone.

Seeing her children's faces, Xyla instantly felt like she was melting on the inside.

She was excited, but her heart ached at the same time.

She was thrilled to see her children, at last, yet knowing how tiny they were with multiple tubes connected to their bodies, it made her heart feel heavy. They shouldn't have been in so much pain.

Xyla couldn't resist lifting her hand and gently touching her children's faces on the screen. "They must be in a lot of pain."

"Yeah."

"My poor babies," she whispered.

While looking at them, Xyla made up her mind.

If someone did poison her, she wanted that person dead.

She would have been fine if the culprit only intended to hurt her, but she couldn't forgive them for hurting her children. Stanley frowned as he thought along the same lines. "If someone poisoned you, I won't let that person off the hook."

He gritted his teeth as he spoke, his entire body emanating a menacing aura.

Xyla didn't reply. Instead, she replayed the video of her children over and over.

The longer she watched it, the more her heart ached.

After twenty minutes, Stanley grabbed his phone and put it away. "All right, stop watching it. The doctor said you shouldn't be using any mobile devices during this period. Otherwise, your vision might deteriorate in the future," he warned.

She knew he was only doing this for her own good, so she nodded obediently.

"Close your eyes and rest for a while," he said. "It'll be morning soon, and my parents will be here to see our children."

Xyla closed her eyes, but she didn't feel sleepy at all.

As a mother, she wished she could bear all the pain on behalf of her children, knowing how small, weak, and helpless they were.

They shouldn't be going through all this pain.

Mean Stanley sat silently by Ph He turned off the volume on her bed his phone and sneakilyon the video of his children.

He felt the same way she did about them.

Xyla finally fell asleep at around six o'clock in the morning.

Two hours later, Stanley, who hadn't slept at all, called the Batton and the Quest the phone, announcing the birth of his children.

Chapter 2004 Chapter 2004 At eight o'clock in the morning, Xyla Quest opened her eyes in a dazed state.

Despite falling asleep, she wasn't in a deep slumber. Her subconscious mind was active, dreaming multiple times all the way through.

Now that she was awake, though, she couldn't remember much other than her children had survived in one of her dreams, even all grown up. They seemed adorable and likable; the older brother looked handsome, while the younger twin sister looked pretty.

They bore all the positive traits of both Xyla and Stanley Batton.

Upon opening her eyes, she was disappointed to realize that it was all just a dream.

She woke up to find Stanley still sitting by her bed, ruffling her hair as he gazed tenderly at her.

He seemed exhausted, judging by his red-rimmed eyes.

Xyla felt sorry to see him like this.

She moved her slightly aching arms. "You look so tired. Didn't you get any rest?"

He softly cradled her face. "I couldn't sleep. I was worried that something might suddenly happen to you or our children."

Hearing that, her heart melted again.

Compared to most men, Stanley was undoubtedly the most considerate one.

He appeared cold and emotionless on the outside most times, yet he was a completely different man in front of Xyla and their children.

He would undoubtedly score full marks if he had been graded as a husband or a father.

"In that case, you should get some rest," she told him out of concern.

"I will."

Knock, knock, knock.

The sudden noise disrupted the peace and tranquility in the room while also interrupting their conversation.

Right after that, the door opened to reveal Sharon Lindt entering with a bouquet of white roses.

Several others followed after her, including Jeremy Quest, Betty Starmount, Sophie Kenwick, Wilson Batton, Henry Armstrong, Georgie Clementine, Rachel Wood, Sebastian Brenand, Gary Lakes, Josh Batton, and Annabeth Cates.

Josh was the last to enter, sporting a loose black coat over a black ← loose black pants completed à a pair of black sneak.net A straw hat covered nearly half of his face, as well as a black face mask that covered the rest.

It was a discreet way of dressing that his face could barely be seen at all.

However, his tall and muscular physique made people notice him right away.

Nobody showed up empty-handed; they brought all sorts of supplements and expensive fruit baskets.

Each visitor wore unreadable expressions, though, seemingly sad when it should be the contrary.

Xyla get as subconscious move to soon heir presence, but as tried it, there was a on the surface of her stomach.

Her cesarean wound erupted in pain, causing her to fall back onto the bed in a cold sweat.

Her face turned pale, horrifying everyone when they saw what happened.

Chapter 2005 Chapter 2005 Before Stanley Batton could do anything, Sharon Lindt quickly stepped forward, shoving the bouquet of roses into her son's hands before gently touching Xyla Quest's stomach. "What happened? Did you cause a tear? Why are you so reckless? You just went through a cesarean delivery! There's still a long, deep wound on your stomach that hasn't healed yet."

The others formed a huge circle around Xyla's bed with worried looks on their faces, causing the air around her to become a lot thinner.

Even the lights grew dimmer since there were so many surrounding her.

Xyla felt like the luckiest woman in the world when she saw how concerned they all were.

"Yeah, you're way too reckless," Georgie Clementine said.

"Are you all right? Will your wound tear open again? Maybe I should get the nurse," Sebastian Brenand sounded equally worried.

Seeing Xyla like that, he unexpectedly felt wary about having children. Perhaps, he might not want any after all.

Likewise, Henry Armstrong also felt traumatized by this incident and promptly decided he wouldn't want a second child.

He didn't even know what to do once the first child was delivered.

It involved too much suffering.

"Sebastian, I think you should get the nurse to come and check on Xyla. It would be bad if her wound was torn open," Jeremy Quest told him.

"I think so too," Wilson spoke up. "Xyla, you ought to be more careful and don't move around unnecessarily."

"That's right, Xyla, you're in a fragile state. You must be very careful," Sharon said.

Sebastian wordlessly nodded and was about to find a nurse before Xyla stopped him.

"Sebastian, come back."

He halted in his tracks and looked at her. "What is it?"

"I'm fine. I didn't use much force so I didn't tear anything. You don't need to trouble the nurses," she said with a chuckle.

"That won't do. I need to make sure," he replied.

"I am fine. Just listen to me," she insisted.

"Are you sure?" he volleyed back in a doubtful tone.

"Of course, it's my body. I know better than anyone. Don't forget that I'm a doctor too."

He stopped walking, returning to his spot before he started nagging. "Since you're a doctor, you should be aware of the things to take note of after giving birth."

"All right, all right, I know," Xyla said and nodded.

Everyone already spoke the things that were on Stanley's mind, so he hadn't spoken up until now.

Just as he was about to, Rachel Wood spoke first. "How is your body? How do you feel right now?"

Xyla chuckled. "I'm fine, just feeling a little weak."

Rachel immediately placed a container of bird's nest on the nightstand. "Here's some bird's.net nests. You should eat some to get better."

Soon, everyone began to offer their gifts.

"I brought some bird's nests too. You must eat more of these to help with your postpartum recovery," Georgie Clementine said.

"Wilson and brought you some bird's nests, too. There are also various other supplements for net postpartum recovery. I'll cook these for you in time," Sharon said.

Chapter 2006 Chapter 2006 "Xyla, we brought you some supplements for postpartum recovery too. Mom will get them ready for you," Josh Batton said.

"I brought some here as well. I've got bird's nests and various other supplements. I bought these exclusively from my friends. You can't find these high-quality ones in the open market," Gary Lakes said. Everyone took turns speaking one after another. Soon, their supplements fully occupied the two nightstands by Xyla's bed, making her feel like the happiest person alive.

"Thank you, everyone," she said with a grateful smile.

They nodded and told her not to worry about it.

Sharon Lindt started speaking again after that. "Xyla, I'll be by your side for your postpartum care. To ensure I do a thorough job, I've already hired a few doulas to assist me, and they'll be here by this afternoon," she informed her.

Stanley Batton had previously mentioned his mother hiring doulas before, so Xyla was aware of it. She also knew that she would be hiring ten of them at a monthly salary of 200,000 dollars each.

They were chosen from the best postpartum care centers around the country, each with their unique skills and knowledge in the field of postpartum recovery and care. Money alone wasn't enough to hire them. Xyla nodded slightly. "Thank you, Mom. Since they are all experts, you can leave me in their care. You can proceed with your normal routine of skincare and shopping. Don't overwork for my sake." Sharon instantly shook her head. "No, I have already decided that I will personally be involved. As your mother-in-law, I have to take care of you during your recovery period."

"Honestly, I think it's fine for Xyla to stay with us during her recovery," Jeremy Quest offered suddenly. "I've also hired a few experienced doulas, and Betty happens to be free from work recently as well. We can look after Xyla."

Now, Sharon had an even more determined look in her eyes. "That's it, stop debating with me on this. I want to personally look after Xyla."

Jeremy chuckled. "I only wanted to help relieve some of the burdens so that you won't get too tired."

"I don't need help with that. I want Xyla to myself," Sharon insisted.

Jeremy fell silent, knowing that his daughter had married into the right family.

The quality of a person's in-laws was most apparent during a period of pregnancy and delivery.

Without a doubt, the Batton family was flawless in this aspect.

Xyla found Sharon to be adorable when she behaved like a protective mama bear. "Mom, since we have doulas, I don't think you need to get involved personally."

Sharon wasn't getting any younger, so Xyla wanted her to enjoy life.

"You gave birth to our grandchildren. It's only right that I take care of you," Sharon said before turning to shoot a stern gaze at Stanley.

"Son, you've seen how much suffering Xyla went through to give birth. You should take good care of her from now on. Your father and I will kill you if we hear otherwise!" en.swhovels.net So Sharon could see all that Xyla had sacrificed for the Batton family, she wished that she could offer her the entire world to compensate for all the hardships she went through. en.swhovels.net She even swore she would treat Xyla even better from then on as the only way she could make up for all her sufferings.

When Stanley heard his mother, he instantly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know."

"That's right. Always remember that Xyla comes first in your family," Wilson said.

Chapter 2007 Chapter 2007 "All right, I'll remember that."

When Rachel Wood and Georgie Clementine overheard the family's conversation, they were deeply envious that Xyla Quest had such a great mother-in-law in Sharon Lindt. Meanwhile, Annabeth Cates felt glad and lucky to be a part of their family.

Sharon then turned to look at Josh Batton. "Same goes for you. If you ever treat Annabeth poorly, you're dead."

Josh pinched his forehead helplessly before enveloping his wife in a gentle hug. "Don't worry, I'd never do that."

"You wouldn't dare," Wilson Batton stated.

"Yes, that's right. I wouldn't dare," he replied.

"I finally know why the Batton family has generations of men who love their wives to bits and pieces. It's the strict teaching at home and threat of death," Henry Armstrong said. Everyone laughed.

Once they sobered, Sharon gently rubbed Xyla's stomach again. "Darling, does your stomach still hurt?"

"It's better now," Xyla answered.

"Let me know if you feel uncomfortable, okay?" Sharon asked.

"I will. Thank you, Mom."

"Silly girl. It's my job," Sharon reminded her shortly before thoughts of her brand new grandchildren popped up.

She immediately turned to look at Stanley. "Can we go and look at our grandchildren now?"

"You finally remembered that you have grandchildren now," Sebastian said.

She chuckled. "I was only thinking about Xyla earlier and forgot about them." "Yeah, you should be able to now. I'll take you guys there," Stanley offered.

Sharon nodded and then turned to look at Betty Starmount. "You should stay here with Xyla. If everyone goes, nobody will be here to look after her." én.swnovels.net Betty, corner all this while, instantly smiled ene med gloomy in the and nodded at set "Yeah, sure."

After that, Stanley led everyone away to the neonatal ward until Betty and Xyla were the only people left behind.

Betty was very flustered on the inside, kind are you sure you'reeland she had to act gentle and feeling all right?"

"Thanks for asking, but I'm fine, honestly," she replied.

"Okay, that's good. Do you know why you had a premature delivery?" Betty asked.

Xyla shook her head. "I have no idea."

She was feeling weak and didn't want to talk too much. Besides, she didn't want to show her true feelings to just anyone.

"I heard that it's still uncertain whether your children will survive. Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's up to fate. But, I think they should be fine," Xyla declared.

Chapter 2008 Chapter 2008 Betty Starmount clenched her fists tightly upon hearing Xyla Quest's words, then just as quickly, she relaxed her fists before Xyla noticed anything.

She changed the subject and continued to act demurely. "Xyla, have you taken a bath? Shall I help you?"

Xyla shook her head. "No, I haven't. Thank you."

After that, Betty carefully helped Xyla with a bath.

Meanwhile, in the neonatal intensive care unit, several people adorned sterile gowns and went through a disinfection process before they followed Stanley Batton to visit his newborn twins. The children were asleep, still looking pinkish and wrinkly.

From afar, they seemed so vulnerable and helpless, making everyone feel protective towards them.

Everyone seemed to well up with tears in their eyes when they saw them looking so vulnerable and helpless. One couldn't help but feel protective toward such tiny babies.

Sharon Lindt, especially, couldn't resist crying as her heart ached painfully. "Oh my god! My grandchildren are so tiny, and they already have so many tubes connected to their bodies. All those monitoring devices... it's too much!"

Wilson Batton, who stood next to her, teared up as well.

Even a man who had gone through a lot in the business world and never once broke down couldn't stand it.

None of them could imagine how much pain the children were going through.

Most frustratingly, they might not even survive despite going through all that pain.

That was the fact that made them feel even more hopeless.

Watching nearby, Stanley wore a stern expression on his face, feeling like the temperature in the entire intensive care unit suddenly dropped past zero. The air felt frigid.

"My grandchildren, you must live on. I want to hug you both," Sharon cried.

Seeing her like that made Wilson feel even more restless.

Everyone stayed inside for nearly half an hour before reluctantly leaving, looking sad as they exited the room.

As soon as they were out, Sharon wiped her tears away and addressed her son "What caused the premature delivery? Did you do something to Xyla that you shouldn't have?"

At that moment, Sharon trained her steely cold eyes at Stanley, causing him to frown.

St "Do you really think I'd do that?" he asked incredulously. "The doctor said there might have been an external catalyst, but Xyla and haven't figured it out yet."

He didn't want to reveal too much yet, since they didn't have any solid proof.

Sharon's frown deepened. "That's poisoned Xyla? That's not posel.net right?

Any trace would bet She felt confused.

"Is there some kind of poison that's tough to detect?" she went on.

Stanley frowned again. "Stop speculating, Mom. We'll investigate and find out."

"You must get to the bottom of this," she warned.

"Okay."

Soon, everyone returned to Xyla's ward together.

By then, she had already finished her bath, appearing to be much more energetic than before.

Beside her, Betty was feeding her some hospital-issued breakfast as she leaned against the head of the bed.

The entire time, she only moved her mouth while being fed by Betty, taking one bite after another.

Chapter 2009 Chapter 2009 As Jeremy Quest watched them, his gaze became even more tender.

Betty Starmount was a great girl. His heart melted at the thought of how kind she was that he wanted to give her all the wonderful things in the world.

Since Josh Batton still had work to do, he didn't linger too long in the ward and soon left with Annabeth Cates, who was attired in full disguise. Upon leaving the ward, they entered the elevator discreetly, and then quickly stepped out once it arrived on the first floor.

There was a large group of people waiting for the elevator outside the door.

A girl in front directly approached Josh as she gave him the once over. "You must be Josh Batton, right?"

The more she observed him, the more similar to her idol he seemed.

Seeing the crowd around them, he wanted to avoid causing a scene. "No."

With that, he held Annabeth's hand and hurried toward the main entrance.

Right then, the ladies among the group became excited as soon as they recognized his voice.

Everyone began screaming like lunatics- "It surely is him! I could recognize that voice from a mile away."

"Who else could that voice belong to? That must be Josh!"

"Ahh, that's right! I remember Josh has an outfit like this."

The girls began running frantically in their direction, prompting him to carry Annabeth up in his arms to run outside.

Annabeth wrapped her hands งอน around his neck, allowing him to carry her as he ran. She could smell his light, orange-scented cologne wafting through her nostrils.

belongs to en.swn.

The cologne was gentle yet refreshing, just like how Josh felt to her.

The fans' crazy behavior drew even more attention to Josh and Annabeth, turning heads of those who hadn't noticed them before they, too, joined the stalking women. en.swhovels.net The crowd was getting bigger, becoming even wilder as they screamed his name loudly, nearly drowning out everything else.

Josh didn't dare to stop running as the sound of cameras clicking grew more rampant.

Soon, Josh and Annabeth arrived in front of their black Ferrari, where he helped her into her seat before getting in from the other side.

The crowd caught up with them as soon as he turned on the ignition surrounding the car as they vel?

frantically took pictures of the couple inside.

Each person seemed crazier than the next.

Due to the large crowd, they could barely see any sunlight from outside.

It became pitch black inside the car.

Chapter 2010 Chapter 2010 "Ahh! Josh, I like you!"

"Josh, you're so handsome! How are you so good-looking?"

"Get out of the way, all of you! Don't block my line of sight. Don't stop me from looking at the most handsome man on earth!"

Josh Batton's fans were all wild, making him feel bothered by what was happening in front of him even though he had gotten used to it since he had encountered such situations numerous times before. Even his wife, Annabeth Cates, who was in the passenger's seat, felt the same way.

Josh pinched his forehead helplessly before honking at the crowd.

However, it didn't help.

Shaking his head helplessly, he then called Georgie Clementine on the phone and told her what was happening before hanging up to wait for help to arrive.

Outside, his fans were still acting crazily, even blocking the road for others.

Many people were complaining about it, but Josh had no other option aside from waiting in the car.

If he stepped outside or opened a window, the consequences would be dire.

"Josh! Josh, we'll always support you."

"Josh! Josh, please look at me."

"Ahh! Josh is the most handsome guy in the entertainment industry. That statement can't be challenged."

"Josh, don't worry. Your fans will always be there for you."

They were still screaming, their voices deafening.

Annabeth calmly held his hand. "It's fine, they'll be gone after a while. Don't panic."

Josh nodded slightly.

Approximately half an hour later, help arrived when Georgie sent over a hundred bodyguards to force the crowd back, creating a pathway for their car so that Josh could make his escape.

Once they had driven out of the hospital, Annabeth felt like the entire world had lit up and was less suffocating.

She released a long sigh of relief and peered at her husband. "You're way too popular. That's a lot of pressure."

Josh smiled affectionately before ruffling her hair gently. "Don't feel pressured. No matter how many people like me, you're the only one for me."

She smiled silently, feeling absurdly happy.

"Oh, right. Come with me to an interview tomorrow evening. It'll only take an hour. The host has been very supportive of me since I first started. It's not nice of me to turn him down," Josh told her.

"Okay. What show is it?"

Ret "It's called 'Celebrity Hangout' by Lychee Terrace. The host, Brandon Collier, specifically invited you and me to participate in it. The taping was supposed to be in the city they are based in, but I told them you're pregnant, and it would be challenging for us to be there. I requested it to be held in Atlantis, and they have agreed.

"I suggested doing it at an exclusive restaurant so we can eat and talk at the same time. They've agreed to it, too. Think of it as a meal," Josh added. Annabeth nodded in agreement.

As long as it was good for Josh's career, she'd do her best to support it.