Ch. 2241..2250

Chapter 2241

"Okay," Annabeth Cates nodded gently, feeling a contraction in her abdomen as her face perspired from the pain. Josh Batton, Xyla Quest, and Sharon Lindt started to feel nervous when they saw her like this.

Josh held her hand tightly. "I'll get a nurse to check on you right away."

He pressed on a button to get the nurse. "Can you send someone in here? My wife is in pain."

Annabeth clenched his hand while dealing with the unfamiliar pain that felt significantly worse than her period cramps.

She knew how painful childbirth could be, but she didn't expect to feel like she was being run over by a truck.

Her stomach was in excruciating pain.

Her usually calm husband began to panic along with Sharon and Xyla.

At that moment, Josh could feel his heart aching.

Soon, a nurse walked into the ward to check on Annabeth's condition.

"How is she? Can you give her a shot of anesthetics?" he asked right away.

Removing her single-use gloves, the nurse shook her head at him. "Not for now when the opening in her cervix isn't wide enough. We can only safely give her anesthetics when dilated enough. It's the safest way," she explained.

He panicked further at her words. "She's already in so much pain! Won't it worsen if we wait any longer? Can't you give it to her now? I'll do anything for you to stop the pain."

The nurse was a fan of his, and she had only seen his steady demeanor. She couldn't quite get used to seeing him behaving like this.

Josh was usually calm even in front of an audience of thousands, but here he was, panicking like a child when his wife was about to deliver.

Annabeth must have rescued the galaxy in her past life to be with a man like Josh in this one.

After being stunned for a second, she shook her head. "Your wife would have to bear with it for a while longer. We can't do much at the moment." "How much longer will it take?" he wondered.

"I can't be sure because the speed of

dilation differs between each individual," she responded with a

shake of her head, carefully pulling a blanket over Annabeth before

walking aside to wait silently.

Right then, Annabeth experienced an even stronger pang in her abdomen.

She felt like dying when she could barely withstand it.

She subconsciously bit into her husband's arm, wailing intensely.

Sharon felt even more sorry for her when she saw her distress.

Meanwhile, Josh gazed at her with a tortured expression. "Honey,

bear with it for a while

you're in a lot of pain, my

"It hurts, Darling. I'm in a lot of pain," she breathed out helplessly after slowly letting go of his arm.

At that moment, she did feel as if she was about to die.

"Annabeth hang in there. It normally takes around ten more minutes for your cervix to widen. Just bear with

it

while," Sharon told he even

she couldn't be sure, either.

Every childbirth experience was different for every pregnant woman, but she had to provide some words of comfort for her daughter-in-law.

Chapter 2242

Chapter 2242

Annabeth Cates was drenched in sweat and wearing an apprehensive look in her eyes as she looked at Sharon Lindt. "Really? Will it really be over in ten minutes?"

Sharon nodded.

She continued to grit her teeth and tolerated the pain upon hearing that the duration wasn't all that long.

Time went by very slowly.

Ten minutes felt like ten centuries.

After ten minutes, she felt the pain intensifying, so she turned her attention to the nurse. "Hurry, I think it's hurting even more now. Is it almost time?"

The nurse quickly approached while putting on another pair of gloves to check her progress.

Then, she nodded. "Yes, it's time. You've dilated pretty quickly. Please wait a moment, Ms. Cates. I'll page for the doctor to give you anesthetics right away." She took her phone out and called the director of obstetrics, who arrived five minutes later with a tray of some medical equipment for the anesthetic injection. There was a needle as thick as a knitting needle on the tray and a tube of medicinal fluid.

After the director pulled on his gloves, he promptly filled the syringe with fluid and removed the needle cap before addressing the nurse. "Help her turn around, please."

The thick needle glistened under the light, terrifying Annabeth as she glimpsed at the pinhead that would soon penetrate her waist.

However, she was willing to let it happen to stop the pain.

Before the nurse even helped her,

vol.net

she had turned around and surrendered herself to the doctor,

allowing the nurse to position her, with the injection.

ani

Josh Batton and the others all felt goosebumps on their bodies when they witnessed this.

treating his wife right than this moment, figuring that he would never forget the image of hengiving birth to his child.

He had never felt more sure a

Annabeth was such a strong woman.

Soon, the doctor inserted the pinhead into her waist, making her wince in a muffled tone, biting her lips hard.

Josh witnessed everything from her side, feeling goosebumps erupt all over his body as he wished he could bear all the pain for her.

His eyes reddened with emotions then.

Soon after the anesthetic inject

was complete, the pain in her abdomen started to fade, and she finally felt alive again as if she had been reborn.

Instantly sighing in relief, Annabeth lay down and glanced at the doctor. "Thank you. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's great," he smiled.

Although she was smiling, Josh, Sharon, and Xyla Quest still had solemn expressions on their faces with reddened eyes. Her husband, especially, had tear-filled eyes.

She couldn't help but feel a little sad to see this, but also felt touched to see the man she'd been deeply in love with all along.

As she gazed upon his face, she felt that it would be worth it even if she had died in the delivery room today.

Chapter 2243 Chapter 2243 "Honey, how do you feel right now?" Josh Batton asked with a panicked expression. "Are you sure you don't feel any pain at all now?"

He was afraid Annabeth Cates was only saying it to console him.

She nodded with a smile. "Yeah, don't worry."

Sighing in relief, he hastily brushed his tears away before peering at the doctor. "Doctor, my wife won't be feeling any pain anymore, or will it still hurt after a while?"

The doctor nodded. "She won't feel any further pain."

"Thank you," he breathed out, finally able to stop worrying.

"You're welcome. It's my job," the doctor told him before leaving some instructions to the nurse and left.

It took quite a while for the cervix to dilate, but it was more tolerable without the pain.

Josh, Sharon Lindt, and Xyla Quest fed her all her favorite food from chocolate, water, and some sweetened snacks she liked to boost her strength.

She felt so moved when she saw them doing all these for her.

It felt great to have people taking care of her when she needed it the most.

Meanwhile, netizens had begun discussing news of her delivery in excitement.

People claiming to be obstetric nurses in Municipal Hospital published on Weibo that Josh Batton was panicking and was even tearful when his wife experienced painful contractions.

They also mentioned that his mother and sister-in-law remained by her side throughout the entire ordeal, almost in tears as well.

Netizens became even more excited on Weibo after seeing these posts.

The topic of Annabeth's hospital stay and delivery continued to increase in popularity- "Oh my god! I feel touched by Josh's reaction. I would've cried if I was Annabeth."

"He didn't even shed a tear when he fell from a horse while filming a period drama, but he's now shedding tears for his wife. He really loves her a lot."

"Annabeth surely has no regrets left in this life. I'm sure she must've felt very touched at that moment."

"The Batton family is such a wonderful family. My heart aches for Annabeth. I hope she'll successfully deliver."

"I don't feel jealous at all about Josh treating that woman so well. In fact, I even feel touched."

"I hope the baby will be delivered successfully."

Xyla and the others in the ward remained unaware of all such comments on the internet.

Sometime later that night, Annabeth began to feel some changes, so she was then brought to the delivery room and placed on a delivery bed in preparation for her delivery.

Josh stayed by her side the entire time since only one person was allowed to accompany her, leaving the others waiting outside the delivery room with closed double doors separating them.

Wilson Batton, who had been silent all this while, had an even more solemn expression on his face.

Everyone was praying in their hearts that nothing would go wrong during the delivery.

In the delivery room, her doctor manually ruptured her amniotic sac while Josh clasped her hand tightly, half-kneeling by the bed.

The anesthetic lost its effect right then, causing her to feel intense pain in her abdomen once again.

It was even worse than before.

Now, it felt as if someone was holding a giant hammer and repeatedly pounding her stomach with it.

Chapter 2244 Chapter 2244 The intense pain caused Annabeth Cates' vision to turn dark and drenched in sweat as if she'd just jumped into a pool of water.

"I can't take it anymore! It hurts so much! What's going on? Didn't you say it wouldn't hurt?" she cried out.

Her face was pale, sending Josh Batton into panic mode.

He immediately turned to one of the medical staff in the delivery room. "What's going on?"

The doctor frowned. "The anesthetic effect must have worn off. We rarely see this happening. It usually lasts until after the delivery process is over for most people." "What do we do now?" Josh asked, unable to stand seeing his wife in distress. "Can we give her another shot?"

The doctor shook his head. "It's too late. The baby is almost out."

He felt hopeless, and his wife felt the same way.

She was in so much pain at that moment that she would soon lose her mind.

"Ahh! It hurts so bad! Help! Help me!" The intense contractions were turning her vision pitch black.

She gripped Josh's arms with even more force with one hand while she kept pounding harder and harder with her other hand on the bed.

"The pain is killing me. What should I do, doctor?" she continued howling.

Sweat poured out of her pores more and more, annoying her further with the sticky sensation of her clothes against her skin.

However, the doctor continued to regard her calmly and issued instructions. "Push harder, Ms. Cates. The baby will be coming out soon. "Take deep breaths and follow my tempo. Now. Take a deep breath."

She began breathing to the doctor's count.

"Good, now slowly exhale. Push harder as we repeat the cycle," he added.

Annabeth nodded frantically and led, but the labor pain in as her stomach continued to continued to intensify.

was losing her strength.

Gripping the bedsheet tightly, she continued breathing through the pain.

Josh was thoroughly panicking with every sound she made, feeling like a knife stabbing into his chest.

"Keep it up, Honey. The doctor says it's almost over. Let's hold on for a little while longer," he urged her softly. "Honey, I'm sorry for putting you through this pain."

He carefully wiped her sweat away as he spoke.

Soon, he couldn't help but start tearing up, feeling helpless for the first time.

The woman he loved so dearly was in pain, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He would be willing to offer his life in exchange for lessening the pain she was going through.

"Hang in there, Ms. Cates. Push! It'll be over soon. I can see the baby's head," the doctor announced eagerly.

The nurses nearby were also cheering her on, but she was in so much pain that her energy was completely depleted. She couldn't push anymore.

Right then, she wished someone would stab her and end her life once and for all.

"Honey, I can't take it anymore. Can you give me a knife and let me end my life? I wish I was dead," she lamented.

"Ms. Cates, please don't say such ridiculous things," a nurse spoke up. "Giving birth is a wondrous thing.

How could you say such a thing."

U Keep it up, and it will be over soon.

"Every mother made it through this process, and I believe you can, too."

Chapter 2245 Chapter 2245 "I don't know how other people get through it, but I really can't take it anymore. Josh, kill me now! I can't stand it. "God, if I did anything wrong, please punish me with death. Don't torture me like this," Annabeth Cates pleaded. At this moment, she could finally understand what it felt like to go through living hell.

She was going mad. She needed release.

It was agonizingly slow as she tried her best to deliver her baby, feeling like she might die on this bed.

"Josh? If I die, please take good care of our child," she cried as she told Josh Batton.

"I can sense I really might not make it. Promise me you'll live a good life with our child after I'm gone," she stuttered with tears falling down her face.

She could feel death approaching her right then and was genuinely afraid that she might leave him soon.

She felt so happy being with Josh all this while, so much so that she was reluctant to leave him.

However, he hastily brushed his tears away to cast a stern gaze at her. "Don't say such things, silly girl. You'll be fine because I won't let anything happen to you."

Outside the delivery room, Wilson Batton, Sharon Lindt, and Xyla Quest were panicking when they heard the voices inside.

Pacing back and forth, Sharon then looked at Xyla. "Why is this happening? Didn't the doctor say it wouldn't hurt?"

"It differs between individuals. Some people are more tolerant toward medicines than others. That's why some medicines wear off much sooner. Unfortunately, Annabeth belongs to the minority," Xyla explained.

"What do we do? She's in so much pain. I wish I could bear the pain on her behalf," Sharon said.

Wilson peered nervously at the closed door with a solemn expression on his face without comments.

Meanwhile, Xyla was also feeling panicked, not bothering to reply when Stanley Batton kept as net about Josh's updates over the phone.

Instead, she carefully held Sharon's hand. "Dad and Mom, you don't have to worry too much. I believe Annabeth will be fine. I checked her pulse earlier, and everything seemed normal. She could deliver her baby without a problem. She just needs to bear with the pain."

"I hope so, but I still feel sorry for her. It's not easy being a woman, Xyla," her mother-in-law said.

She sighed, remaining quiet.

Annabeth was still going through hellish Sorture while the doctor, , and Josh were all chel.net belongs to en.swno her on in the delivery room She was getting weaker and feeling dizzy.

The voices around her were fading into the distance as if they were coming from a tunnel. It all felt surreal. Soon, she began hearing buzzing sounds in her ear, and she instantly knew she was about to pass out.

She began replaying scenes of how pregnant women died during childbirth in television dramas.

She could already imagine how sad her husband would be after she was gone.

Thinking about this made her heart ache.

Meanwhile, Josh started to panic as he felt her condition worsening, sensing that she would soon pass out.

His mind conjured up many possible negative outcomes, making him feel as if he was on an emotional rollercoaster.

Chapter 2246 Chapter 2246 Josh Batton's tears fell uncontrollably, although he wasn't the type to cry easily.

No matter how badly he got injured on set in the past, he'd always brush it off with a smile.

However, he couldn't stop crying right now.

He realized how much Annabeth Cates meant to him then.

He could never leave her, not when she was his entire world.

He had no idea what he'd become if he ever lost her.

Right then, the doctor suddenly started shouting. "Hurry and push a little harder! I can already touch the baby's head."

Hearing this, Annabeth pushed as hard as she could one more time, no matter how painful it felt.

Soon, the doctor was able to pull the baby out.

"Waah!"

The sound of a baby's loud wail pierced through the delivery room.

Holding the newborn baby excitedly, the doctor turned to look at him. "Josh, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?"

The baby was wet from head to toe, and the skin and face were slightly reddish and swollen. There were even some wrinkles on the baby's face. It was an adorable child. Josh could tell that they had a baby girl, but she was looking rather thin.

The doctor had informed them that their child was underweight during one of Annabeth's obstetric checkups, but he certainly didn't expect his baby to be this skinny.

He felt his heart aching at the sight of the doctor holding such a tiny and scrawny baby, taking him by surprise at that moment.

He instantly nodded, taking a pair of scissors from a nurse to carefully cut the umbilical cord.

Then, the doctor handed the baby over to a nurse nearby, and she began to wipe her all over.

Meanwhile, Josh quickly turned his attention to his wife.

Annabeth felt that all her efforts were worth it when she finally saw her daughter for the first time She sighed in relief, feeling all the pain disappear at that moment.

She felt as if she had been reborn.

The doctor quickly sorted everything out for her so that she no longer felt any further pain.

At this moment, Annabeth felt that she narrowly escaped death. Even thinking about what happened earlier sent chills down ens.net Soon, she had lost consciousness and had no idea what happened next.

Seeing this, he looked at the doctor in alarm. "What happened? Why did she suddenly pass out? Quick, check on her!"

However, the doctor remained calm.

"Don't worry. She only passed out from over-exerting herself. She'll be fine after a while. Congratulations, Mr. Batton, you have a daughter now."

He his happy at all when was in such a terrible He didn't have it in him to look at his baby.

He didn't reply, but he continued to hold Annabeth's hand tightly.

At the same time, Xyla Quest and the others heard the baby crying from the outside and instantly sighed in relief.

Chapter 2247 Chapter 2247 Next, a nurse cleaned and dressed the baby before wrapping her up in a blanket that Josh Batton and the others had prepared in advance. She then placed her next to Annabeth Cates, where the newborn subconsciously reached out to touch her mother's face with her tiny hand. It was a heart-warming scene.

However, Josh couldn't focus on his daughter when all he could think about was how his wife had passed out from exhaustion.

Soon, the medical staff brought her and the baby back to their ward with his help.

The moment the delivery room door swung open, Sharon Lindt and the rest saw Annabeth unconscious, and they immediately surrounded her without even looking at the baby. "What happened? Why did Annabeth pass out?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, is she all right?" Wilson Batton wondered.

Xyla Quest stood and silently checked her pulse.

"She's fine. She only passed out from exhaustion but will be recovered soon," the doctor spoke up.

Xyla had just finished checking on her pulse, so she turned to address her mother-in-law. "Yes, she's fine. She'll wake up very soon."

Hearing her words made Sharon and Wilson feel relieved.

The nurses nearby couldn't help but exchange glances after witnessing this.

They had witnessed many childbirths while working in the obstetrics department, but this was their first encounter with a family ignoring the baby while only showing concern for the mother.

Usually, only the mother's family would prioritize her over the newborn, while the in-laws often prioritized their grandchildren.

That very thought made the nurses feel even more envious of Annabeth.

"All right, let's put Annabeth to bed so she bene can rest," Xylaet addressing Josh.

move her onto the He promptly complied by carefully lifting his wife before lowering her on her bed.

Meanwhile, Sharon directly walked over to help Annabeth to settle comfortably, still not paying attention to the baby, while Xyla and Wilson did the same.

The medical staff felt even more shocked by what they saw.

After looking at each other, one of the new ses carefully picked the up and placed her in a cradle next to Annabeth's The baby didn't fuss at all. Instead, she continually sucked on her right thumb, seemingly hungry.

She was so tiny and adorable.

The nurses began feeding her some milk as the rest of the family continued to pay full attention to the mother.

Sharon carefully tucked her under the duvet as she lay unconscious.

Right then a doctor approached to attach an anti-inflammatory dripon her hand, with the rest of the family watching like a hawk the entire time. They were worried that something might go wrong.

One of the nurses couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up while preparing milk formula for the baby.

"Look at the baby. She's all alone."

However, everyone ignored her, rendering her speechless.

Chapter 2248 Chapter 2248 It was certainly strange.

Sharon Lindt finally turned away after the doctor had adjusted the needle on the back of Annabeth Cates' hand, taking the bottle of milk from the nurse to feed the baby. Seeing how adorable her new grandaughter looked, she felt her heart melting again.

Xyla Quest and Wilson Batton soon walked over to her and helped her out, while Josh Batton silently went to get some water and began to wipe the sweat off Annabeth's skin.

She was all he could think about at that moment.

'#Annabeth Cates gave birth to a baby girl#' suddenly appeared on the number one spot in the list of hot topics.

Many people, claiming to be nurses at Municipal Hospital, had published posts on Weibo about Annabeth's safe delivery of her baby girl of six pounds in weight.

In the posts, they commented that the Batton family was unlike any of the in-laws they'd ever seen. After the birth of the baby, the family was focused entirely on the mother instead of the newborn. Soon, netizens began discussing excitedly- "The Batton family is wonderful. People who are unfamiliar with them might think Annabeth's parents-in-law are her birth parents instead."

"I can already imagine how the baby was completely neglected. I feel bad for the baby."

"Everyone in the Batton family loves Annabeth with all their heart. One can indeed see how parents-in-law are when a woman gives birth to their grandchildren."

"You're all envious of Annabeth, but I'm also envious of her baby. She is born into a great family."

"I'm envious of the baby, too. Her father, Josh Batton, is a top-notch celebrity, Stanley Batton, her uncle, is the wealthy tycoon, and her aunt, Xyla Quest, also comes from a wealthy family. Oh my god! How lucky!"

"I think you have all forgotten the elget fact that her father's friends are top-notch celebrities in the entertainment industry, as well as wealthy business people."

"That means all the influential people would fight for the baby's attention from the moment she was born. That's impressive."

"Those people I could only ever dream of seeing are people the baby can see whenever she opens her eyes. She must've done a lot of good in her past life."

There was a great commotion on the internet suddenly, causing Weibo to crash again and again because of Josh and keeping their technical staff at the company busy Meanwhile, members of the Batton family in the ward had no idea of the internet's meltdown.

Approximately twenty minutes later, Annabeth slowly opened her eyes, feeling totally relaxed and refreshed.

At this moment, she truly felt alive again.

She genuinely thought she'd end up dead at first.

At the thought of her baby, she instantly peered around.

Upon seeing her baby in the cradle next to her bed, she suddenly felt that everything she suffered was worth it.

She scrambled to sit upright, gazing at her husband. "Honey, will you bring my baby to me? Let me have a look."

Right then, Sharon, Xyla, and Wilson, who were standing around the baby, instantly turned to study her face with concerned expressions.

Sharon carried the baby and handed the baby over to her. "You have to start postpartum recovery now, so you shouldn't carry the baby for too long. Otherwise, your arms and shoulders will be sore after the period. You can only hold her for a short while, understand?" she told her with a smile.

Annabeth could feel how small and soft her baby was.

She was at a loss at what to do, afraid that she might end up hurting her baby.

Chapter 2249 Chapter 2249 Annabeth Cates had experience with babies before this, but the baby in her arms felt far too little.

It felt as if her baby would slip right through her arms if she wasn't careful.

She anxiously changed her position several times before finally having a firm hold of her baby.

She eagerly kissed her baby on the forehead as she held her closer.

The baby was sound asleep and didn't open her eyes.

Everything about the baby was small.

Her face was small, and so were her hands.

She looked scrawny in her arms.

Just one look at the baby was enough to make her want to give her the world.

Annabeth finally understood how it felt to be a mother wanting to treasure her child.

Meanwhile, Sharon Lindt and Josh Batton seemed equally nervous, afraid that she might drop the baby "Be careful, Annabeth. The baby is too small and dainty," Sharon said.

"It's fine. She'll gain weight soon after drinking more milk," Wilson Batton voiced.

"She's the smallest and scrawniest baby I've ever seen," Josh whispered as he gazed at his daughter, feeling like she'd won his heart over. Even asleep in Annabeth's arms, the baby could easily make him fall in love with her.

He vowed to be very good to his daughter.

Leaning forward, he carefully held his daughter's hand while he looked over to his wife. "Darling, thank you for giving me such an adorable daughter."

His loving words made her extremely happy. She smiled at him in return. "Thank you for giving me such an adorable daughter, too." "It must've been tough," Josh said.

2 "It's not tough at all. I feel like all the suffering was worth it when I saw our daughter. Josh, I finally understood what it's like to be a mother. I think I've got a weak spot now," she laughed.

"Me too. Blood ties are mysterious," he replied.

With that, he took his phone out and extended a hand to his wife. "Give me your hand and our daughter's hand."

Annabeth nodded, placing their hands on his.

Josh's hand was largest, so it was at the bottom with her hand in the middle, while the tiniest one was on top.

He quickly took a shot of their hands before publishing the photo on his Weibo page in excitement.

He wanted to share the happy news with his fans.

At this moment, he wanted the entire world to know about his adorable daughter.

Once he had uploaded the photo, he added a caption underneath it.

"Thank you for coming into our lives. You make our family more complete. From now on, I'll do my best to protect you and your mother. Annabeth, I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I love you Less than a second after he posted it, there were already countless forwards, likes, and comments.

His top fans were screaming crazily- "Ahh! This is such a heart-warming photo. Congratulations on having a baby girl, Josh!"

"I'm so lucky to have watched you grow in popularity, get married, and have a child. Josh, I wish you all the happiness in the world."

Chapter 2250 Chapter 2250 "The baby's hand is so small. I want to kiss and hold her."

"It must've been tough, Annabeth. Thank you for letting Josh become a father."

"Josh, take good care of Annabeth."

"I like you more and more. Whether it's about you being in love, getting married, or having children, you've never kept anything from us. You've always been open about your life." "I've always known you'd be a good father and husband."

Josh Batton couldn't help but smile when he saw these comments.

He then clicked on the list of hot topics for a peek, only to discover that he'd been on that list for some time now.

There were even livestreams of Annabeth Cates delivering her baby, showing the process clearly.

Everyone on the internet seemed to be celebrating.

Josh felt even happier when he saw how joyful everyone seemed.

Meanwhile, his wife was oblivious to any of this as she was focusing all her attention on the baby, who slept soundly in her arms.

The baby's wrinkly face and the way she pouted were adorable.

Sharon Lindt and the others continued to gaze tenderly at her as if they couldn't get enough of her.

"Annabeth, Josh, have you thought of a name for the child?" Sharon asked.

"We came up with a few previously, but I have something better in mind now," she answered.

Josh sat next to her and gently caressed her face. "What do you have in mind?" he asked affectionately.

"Candice Batton."

"Candice?" he repeated.

"Yeah, Candice. It sounds like candy. I hope her life will be sweet like candy," she said.

He immediately nodded when he heard this. "Yes, that's a pretty good name."

He then looked over at his parents with a quirked eyebrow. "Dad, Mom, and Xyla, too. What do you guys think?"

"I think it sounds good," Xyla said.

"As long as you two like it," Wilson Batton replied. "She's your daughter. You don't need our permission to name her."

"I agree, but we do like the name, too," Sharon said.

"In that case, let's name her Candice Batton. Her nickname will be Candy. What do you say?" Annabeth said joyfully. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"This name suits a girl very well," Xyla smiled.

"Yeah, I think so too," Annabeth nodded. Xyla, our children aren'teet born too far apart. They can go to school and grow up together Isn't that wonderful?"

Xyla was about to mention it, too.

She felt that her kids, Lynette Batton and Leon Batton, were very lucky Apart from having each other, they also had Candice Batton as their cousin. They could all grow up together.

"They can go to the same kindergarten, the same schools, and the same university," Josh said with a grin.

His mother nodded. "That's right, they can look after each other. No matter who gets bullied, the three of them can protect one another Nobody would dare bully them, then."

"Are you promoting violence in schools?" Wilson teased with a chuckle.

"That's not what I meant. I won't encourage bullying, but if other people bully our grandchildren, I'd want them to fight back," she answered.

"Yeah, I think what Mom said makes sense," Xyla said.