Chapter 69: The House

Several similar incidents occurred afterward, and Mr. Lynch explained each one clearly.

It was a bit of a hassle, but he had to admit he’d underestimated Amanda Vance. The prescriptions she wrote today were flawless—better than any student he had ever supervised before.

He wouldn’t say this out loud, though. He only said, "Keep up the good work. In our line of business, we have a responsibility to our patients. We must be diligent."

Amanda Vance nodded. She agreed with that sentiment.

At noon, the hospital had a dedicated staff cafeteria where the food was quite good. After taking Felix Ford to eat, she returned to the consultation room.

Inside was a small cot. It would be a tight squeeze for an adult, but it was suitable for a small child like him.

She had him lie down for a nap while she used her phone to look for apartments nearby. She wouldn’t be able to leave for a while and would definitely be staying here for some time. Jean couldn’t keep making do with her; he needed a proper place to live and rest well.

She quickly found a promising one and arranged with the landlord to see it after work. Only then did Amanda Vance close her phone.

Felix Ford hadn’t slept well the previous night. Lying on the cot now, he tossed and turned a few times. But seeing Amanda Vance by his side, he felt a sense of security and slowly drifted off to sleep.

When Mr. Lynch came in that afternoon, he saw the boy lying there. The cot was actually quite hard, and it was a heart-wrenching sight to see a child sleeping on it.

He had just had lunch with Director Jacobs and had only then learned about the child’s background.

He never paid much mind to rumors. After spending the morning with Amanda Vance, he felt she couldn’t be as terrible as the gossip suggested. Regardless, the child was innocent, and what’s more, he was truly endearing.

He was clever and very attached to his mother, soft and cuddly. Anyone who saw his big, watery eyes would find it impossible to deny any of his requests.

Watching the mother and son leaning there, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He waved for Amanda Vance to come over.

Amanda Vance was confused. She glanced at Felix Ford, saw he was still asleep, and followed Mr. Lynch out.

Mr. Lynch whispered, "Do you have a place to live?"

"I do, but it’s a bit far from the hospital. I’ve already found a place nearby and plan to go see it after work."

Hearing this, Mr. Lynch frowned. "Apartments near the hospital are so expensive. How much is your monthly salary? And you have a child to raise. How about this: I have an old friend who owns a place nearby. His son bought it, but no one is living there now. You two can stay there for the time being."

"Thank you, Mr. Lynch, but that’s not necessary. I have money."

"Don’t be stubborn. With a child, you need to live somewhere decent. You can’t just make do in some basement apartment. It’s settled; it’s no big deal. The place is empty, just sitting there. My friend works at our hospital too. He offered it to me before, but now the hospital has assigned me a single dormitory room, and the conditions are pretty good, so I never moved in over there. I’ll let him know in a bit, and you can just move in."

Hearing this, Amanda Vance felt a little helpless. ’Just how poor do I look to him?’

She was about to offer another word or two of explanation, but just then, she saw a patient arrive and had to swallow her words.

Just then, Felix Ford woke up. Groggy, he saw Amanda Vance outside and tried to get down to go to her. But as he rolled over, he nearly fell off the cot. Thankfully, Amanda rushed over and caught him just in time.

The cot was a bit high, and a fall from it would have hurt.

Mr. Lynch saw this happen and shook his head. ’See? They really do need a proper place to live. This is no place for anyone to stay.’

The scare fully woke Felix Ford. He looked up at Amanda Vance, then broke into a smile, pursing his lips. He reached out, hugged her, and snuggled against her, calling out softly, "Mommy."

Amanda Vance placed him on a chair. "Sit here for a little while longer. There are books in your backpack you can read."

"Okay."

That afternoon, Amanda Vance continued her routine of first taking the patients’ pulses and then writing prescriptions for Mr. Lynch to review. Just like in the morning, there were no issues. In fact, Mr. Lynch found a few of her prescriptions to be even better than what he would have come up with himself.

By the end of the day, Mr. Lynch was increasingly impressed with her.

The traditional medicine department didn’t have an emergency service, so by five in the afternoon, there were hardly any people left. Amanda Vance was leading Felix Ford out and had just reached the hospital entrance when she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw Mr. Lynch hurrying toward them.

"What’s the hurry?" Mr. Lynch said, catching his breath. He handed her something. "Here, the key to the apartment I mentioned. It’s been cleaned thoroughly. You can move in today if you want."

Amanda Vance hadn’t expected him to be serious and was surprised he actually brought her the key. She quickly waved her hands in refusal. "That’s really not necessary, Mr. Lynch. I really do have a place to stay."

Mr. Lynch just assumed she was being stubborn. He took out his phone and sent her an address. "It’s right nearby, very easy to find. Just use your GPS to get there. I won’t see you out."

After speaking, he looked down at Felix Ford, his expression softening. He said to the boy, "Grandpa is leaving now. See you tomorrow."

Felix Ford obediently waved at him. "Goodbye, Grandpa."

The boy’s soft, adorable, and well-behaved demeanor made Mr. Lynch miss his own grandson even more, and his steps quickened as he walked away.

Amanda Vance looked at the key in her hand, feeling helpless. Just then, the agent she had contacted at noon texted to say the apartment had already been rented out. What a coincidence.

She glanced down at Felix Ford. The boy had been with her all day, cooped up in the consultation room, unable to run or play. It pained her to see him like that. After a moment’s thought, she decided to accept Mr. Lynch’s kind offer. ’I’ll just pay him back the rent money later, at the market rate.’

She followed the address and found herself at a spacious, single-floor luxury apartment. It was huge, fully furnished, and decorated mainly in a black-and-white color scheme that was cool and elegant, though it lacked a lived-in feel.

That was probably because no one had lived here for a long time.

When Amanda Vance had been looking at apartments at noon, she’d learned about the property prices in this area. They were much higher than the average in Aethelburg, and this place, in particular, was absurdly expensive. The owner of this apartment must be very wealthy.

She hesitated. She had no desire to get entangled with the powerful and wealthy elite of Aethelburg.

It was still early, so she had enough time to go back to her old place.

But just then, Felix Ford’s stomach started to hurt. With no other choice, Amanda Vance said, "Hold on, let me find where the bathroom is."

"I know where it is." Before she could even look, Felix Ford ran off in a certain direction. Amanda Vance followed him and discovered he was right.

She couldn’t help but be surprised. Looking down at her son, she asked in confusion, "Jean, how did you know the bathroom was here?"

Felix Ford’s gaze flickered for a moment. Afraid she might notice something, he just said vaguely, "I guessed."

Fearing her suspicion, he retorted, "Aren’t bathrooms usually in this direction anyway?"

’That makes sense,’ she thought. This wasn’t the time to dwell on it; Felix Ford looked like he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Next to the toilet was a small stool, which was the perfect height for him to rest his feet on while he sat.

’The owner must have a child around the same age,’ Amanda Vance thought.

Amanda Vance didn’t overthink it. She closed the door and waited for him outside.

Inside, Felix Ford looked at the surroundings and couldn’t help but marvel at how small the world was.

He hadn’t expected the apartment Grandpa Lynch let them stay in to actually be his father’s.

To be precise, it was the apartment his father had bought for his grandfather. His grandfather’s health was poor, so living near the hospital would allow him to get there quickly if he ever felt unwell.

However, his grandfather was now a long-term resident at the hospital, and his father rarely came here. His dad had only brought him here once before. He only remembered the place after coming inside, which explained why the route here had seemed so familiar.

His father hadn’t been here in almost a year. The apartment had everything they needed, perfect for his mom, and he wouldn’t have to worry about running into his dad.

’It’s absolutely perfect.’