Chapter 29

Jonathan couldn't imagine what his old friends would say if they saw him now. They'd probably laugh at him for the rest of his life.

The mighty Jonathan of the Berkeley Family, who could do whatever he wanted in Eldoria, was now being bossed around by a woman.

Luckily, Kathie left after breakfast, or Jonathan would have had a hard time.

At Eldoria Hospital, Kathie had just gotten out of the car when Clayton greeted her warmly, "Dr. Cavendish, thanks for coming."

"No problem, but please keep my identity under wraps," Kathie replied.

Kathie, known as the Miracle Doctor, was sought after by many hospitals for her extraordinary skilIs. She didn't have time to take on many patients,but she had worked with Clayton before and agreed to come.

Clayton led her to the treatment room, where many patients' families were waiting. Kathie was surprised to see Melissa among them, standing in a corner, trying not to be noticed.

But Melissa's sneaky behavior only drew more attention.

"Clayton, are all these people family members?" Kathie asked.

Clayton nodded. "Yeah, they've been waiting all day."

Kathie found it odd. She had reviewed the patient's information on the way over. He was a local with some notoriety in Eldoria. How did Melissa,who came from a remote village,get involved with someone like that?

·It seemed Melissa had a lot of secrets.

Back at Kathie's villa in the Eldoria suburbs, the three kids were clamoring

to go out and play.

"Seven, we've been stuck at home for days. Take us fishing, please,"Zachary said.

Half an hour ago, Zachary had suggested going to the creek to catch fish.Kyle and Eileen eagerly agreed and started persuading Jonathan.

Jonathan pointed to his legs. "It's not that I don't want to,but I'm worried about your safety. If you fall, I can't protect you."

Kyle said, "The creek is really shallow. Mommy has taken us there before.Lots of kids play there. It's safe."

Zachary promised, "Ill keep an eye on Eileen. We've got all our gear ready.Please take us."

Eileen held up a small fishing net and a pink bucket. "Seven, we really want to go."

Jonathan was torn. He had never left the villa and didn't know what it was like outside. If anything happened to the kids, Kathie would skin him alive.

Kyle suggested, "Seven, if you're worried, you can call Mommy. She'll definitely agree,"

That seemed like a good idea. Jonathan had Kyle call Kathie, but there was no answer.

Kathie usually answered the phone immediately unless she was busy.

Kyle tried two more times, but still no answer.

Zachary said, "Mommy is probably saving someone. She said she can't take her phone when she's in surgery." "Yeah, Mommy must be busy. Seven, just take us, and we'll tell her later."Eileen was already impatient.

Jonathan frowned, looking at the kids'eager faces. He didn't want to disappoint them. "Okay, I'll take you, but you have to listen to me. If I think it's dangerous, we come back immediately."

The kids' eyes lit up. "Okay, we'll listen to you."

Jonathan could tell the kids were starting to trust him more.

At first. only Eileen was comfortable around him. The other two were wary. Now they were willing to let him take them out and weren't afraid of him being a bad guy.

The creek was indeed shallow, and the kids played safely. There were other local kids catching fish too.

Jonathan sat in his wheelchair by the bank, watching them.

He reminded, "Watch ouat for the rocks. Don't fall."

"Got it!"

Jonathan found himself getting better at being a dad, taking care of the three kids with ease.

And on the way there, many people commented on how much they looked alike.

Seeing the kids having fun, Jonathan took out a medical book to read.

Eileen cried out, "Don't take my fish! Zachary, hit him!"

Jonathan heard an argument and saw an eight-year-old girl holding Eileen's bucket and pushing Kyle into the water. Zachary rushed to help, but the girl's friends joined in to bully them.

Jonathan shouted, "Hey! Knock it off! Where are your parents?"

A middle-aged woman nearby snapped back, "Why are you yelling? Don't scare my kids. It's normal for kids to fight. Stop overreacting."

Jonathan retorted, "Are you blind? They're stealing from much younger kids and pushing them. You think that's okay?"

"What's the big deal? They're not hurt. Kids play rough. Stop making a fuss. It's annoying." The woman rolled her eyes.

Jonathan was speechless. He couldn't believe there were such unreasonable people in the world.

He finally understood what Kathie meant when she said some people just couldn't be reasoned with.

Seeing another boy about to push Zachary, Jonathan picked up a stone and hit the boy's knee, making him kneel in front of Kyle.

Another stone hit the girl's hand, making her drop the bucket. Kyle quickly grabbed it.

Kyle looked back in surprise. Jonathan winked at him, and Zachary smiled.

"Seven is helping us!" Zachary said.

The girl started crying, "Mommy, they hit me."

The boy cried too, and two women rushed over.

Jonathan called the kids over to avoid them getting hurt. "Come here."

The kids stood behind him as the women approached angrily, "You crippled bastard, did you hit my son's knee? And my daughter's hand is

red. Did you hit her?"

Jonathan smiled. "Do you have proof? Did you see me do it? If not, shut up."

The women were stumped. They hadn't seen anything.

The boy's mother said, "But you said something, and then my son fell."

Jonathan chuckled. "Maybe he's just clumsy and fell on his own."

"You're the clumsy one. You can't even stand." The boy's mother resorted to insults.

Jonathan lifted his leg. "You must be blind. I'm just injured. Otherwise, I'd kick you across the creek."

The kids cheered, "Seven is awesome! Beat the old witch!"

"You... you're too much!" The boy's mother signaled her friend, and the girl's mother stepped up.

She showed her daughter's hand. "She let go of the bucket because something hit her hand."

Jonathan leaned in. "That's an evil spirit punishing kids who steal. This time her hand is red. Next tíme, it might break."

The women were speechless, and the kids huddled closer to Jonathan,feeling safe.