Chapter 11
Kyan pointed to a dish on the menu, asking, “How about this one?
Cne shook her head, saying. “Nope, Mommy can’t handle spicy stuff.”
Eric’s mind wandered, vaguely remembering that Ashley was no fan of spicy food either.
Ryan then pointed at a pizza and remarked, “This one looks yummy, but Mommy can’t have pepper.
Eric’s focus sharpened. Ashley wasn’t a fan of pepper either. It was crazy. He looked down on Ashley and barely ate with her at home when they were married. Yet, after all this time, he still remembered her preferences. But why would Dr. Garcia have similar tastes? Is it just coincidence, or… he wondered in his heart.
Just as Eric was lost in thought, Ryan piped up. Then how about this? Ryan then turned to the waiter and said, “We’ll take this bisque, but no seafood, please.”
The waiter chuckled at Ryan’s request. “Hey, the star of this soup is the seafood. Without it, the taste might not be q
quite the same.”
Chloe mumbled to herself, “But Mommy’s allergic to seafood, can’t touch the stuff”
Hearing this, Eric tensed up as memories flooded back. Once, when he took Olivia and Ashley out to eat, Ashley ended up in the hospital after eating seafood by mistake. If their tastes were similar, it made sense. But sharing the same allergies? That seemed too coincidental. He glanced at the kids, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within him. If Dr. Garcia was really Ashley, then these two kids..
Ryan and Chloe finished ordering and turned to Eric, saying, “Sir, we’re all set with the foodTM
Eric stepped up, passing his card to the waiter to settle the bill. Then, he glanced down at the kids and asked, “Have you guys eaten?”
Chloe shook her head, replying softly, “Nah, not yet.”
Eric’s heart melted at their cuteness, and he said gently. Fill yourselves up first.”
“But we gotta wait for Mommy to finish before we dig in,” Chloe replied.
Eric was baffled by how the kids had been brought up all these e years.
Then Chloe explained, “Mommy works s show up, and that’s bad for her health”
super hard. She only gets a few minutes for lunch. If she misses it, she won’t have time to eat when patients
Feeling his heart soften completely, Eric turned to the waiter and said, “Can you pack two more servings, please?”
Compared to Chloe’s warm vibe with Eric, Ryan seemed more cautious. He asked, “Why are you being so cool to us?”
Although Eric was eager to confirm the identities of the two children, he decided to tread carefully. He replied calmly, “We’re sorry about what happened to your dog earlier. Think of this as a little something to make up for it.
Ryan eyed him warily, still not totally sold. Chloe, on the other hand, scooped up the puppy and said with a grin, “Joyce is all good now.”
On the way back to the hospital, Eric cautiously asked. “Where’s your dad? Perhaps these kids could provide him with som
some
