The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

It's perfectly normal for a nurse to ask about the relationship between an adult and a child.

When Autumn heard the nurse mention "grandma," she almost blurted out, "I'm the kid's..... grandma." But before she could finish, the nanny who'd gone to fetch water came back and jumped in, "Mrs. Walker's just being helpful. I'm the nanny -Daria's grandparents hired me to look after her. Nurse, how's Daria doing?"

The nurse replied, "The doctor's prescribed some medicine. We'll get her started on an IV soon to bring the fever down. Nothing serious. Are there any other family members here?"

The nanny shook her head. "Daria's grandparents are out of town, and her dad's away on business. I was the only one who could bring her in."

"Alright then. Just make sure she drinks plenty of water," the nurse said as she finished up the paperwork and left.

The hospital arranged a room for Daria's IV. Autumn refused to leave her. The nanny tried to reassure her, “Mrs. Walker, really, everything's fine now. Thanks so much for your help-I can take care of things from here."

Autumn looked at Daria, who was pale and listless, and her heart ached. "I'm not busy anyway. I'll stay here with her. Why don't you get some more hot water for Daria?"

She was clearly trying to get the nanny to leave-she wanted a moment alone with Daria.

Once the nanny stepped out, Anastasia snuck around the corner, hiding outside the hospital room to watch. Just then, she spotted Joseph coming down the hall. Not wanting to get caught up in anything, she slipped away.

Outside in the parking lot, Monica was waiting by the car, phone in hand. "Ana, where'd you go? I told you to wait in the car."

Anastasia shrugged as she got in. "I saw the nanny from Salstrom Manor bringing Daria in. I just wanted to check on them. Let's go."

Monica grinned, "Heading home to Southridge Estates, or...?"

"No, swing by Elysian Technologies first," Anastasia replied.

Monica joked, "Doing a surprise inspection on your husband?"

Anastasia smirked. "Busted. Somebody has to keep him in line."

Back in the hospital room-

Daria's face lit up when she saw Joseph. She immediately reached for him, whining, "Daddy, hold me. I don't feel good."

Seeing his daughter so miserable, Joseph's heart softened. He scooped her up, feeling her forehead-still burning with fever.

"Mary, how did Daria end up like this?" he snapped at the nanny. "She was perfectly fine before. What happened?"

Joseph might be a notorious flirt, but he doted on his daughter. Ever since Daria was born, he made sure any of his girlfriends took precautions—one child was enough for him.

The nanny tried to explain, "The weather's been all over the place. Daria wouldn't put on her sweater, ran around and got sweaty, then wanted to take her clothes off. She caught a chill."

Before Joseph could say more, Autumn jumped in, scolding the nanny. "She's just a child-she doesn't know any better! If she refuses to wear a sweater, yougust let her? Now she's sick, and @high fever can be really dangerous for kids. You need to be more careful!"

Joseph finally realized Autumn was there. He turned to her, frowning “And who are you? My daughter's sick and that's family business. If Mary needs to be told off, I'll do it. She works for us, not you." noveldrama

Joseph had never seen Autumn before. She was older-not the type of woman who usually tried to get close to his daughter. He couldn't figure out why someone old enough to be a grandma cared so much about Daria.

He'd always had a rebellious streak-he could yell at the nanny if he wanted, but he wouldn't let anyone else do it.

What's more, Joseph still carried guilt over what happened to Julie-Autumn's daughter. Autumn had never forgiven him, and seeing him now just made her want to slap him.

Autumn held back her anger. "I'm Autumn, Mr. Walker's new wife. I happened to see Daria was sick and brought her to the doctor. As her father don't you think you should be more involved? She's just a little girl, and when she needed you, the nanny couldn't even find you. Don't you think you owe it to her mother to step up?"