Chapter 308: Chapter 308: "Just to Give the Child a Complete Home?

"What do you mean?"

Ryan Sterling looked over, bewildered.

"Ryan, you’re in your twenties and about to graduate. It’s one thing not to focus on finding a job and making money, but why do you insist on pestering someone who doesn’t like you?" Noah Sterling’s expression was serious. "Rory Linden is an exceptional person with such high achievements in her field. She would never be interested in an idler."

Ryan was rendered speechless by the criticism.

Compared to other rich kids, he was definitely one of the more ambitious ones, even among his classmates.

But compared to Rory Linden, his accomplishments seemed insignificant.

"Uncle, this is a genuine misunderstanding. I referred a classmate to Ms. Rory for a consultation. After her outpatient appointment with Ms. Rory today, she decided to be admitted, so I just came to check on her."

Ryan explained.

Afraid Noah would get the wrong idea, he added, "I was also worried she might misunderstand me, so I made a point to explain things to her. I didn’t expect to run into Sean Harrison."

Noah Sterling stopped the car and stared straight ahead. "Whatever the reason, don’t pester Rory Linden anymore."

"Is that really how you see me?" Ryan said, a little indignant. "We’re both single. How is a normal interaction considered pestering?! I’ve never pestered her, okay?"

Ever since Rory Linden had that talk with him, he had been trying to convince himself to let it go.

Still, he didn’t feel he had ever done anything to trouble her.

He was helping every single time!

"She and Sean Harrison will definitely get back together."

"I just don’t get it. Sean Harrison is very rich, but Ms. Rory is doing great on her own. Why would she forgive a man who hurt her? Is it just to give her child a complete family?"

Ryan couldn’t help but ask.

He had secretly asked Leo Linden about it before.

The little boy had told him that he and his mother had a very hard life when they were abroad.

And Sean Harrison, the boy’s father, had never once contacted them!

Noah Sterling looked at his nephew as if he were an idiot. "Did you know that Rory Linden was kidnapped last month?"

"What?!"

Ryan froze.

Noah Sterling recounted the entire story of how Evan Hollis had kidnapped Rory Linden.

A long silence filled the car.

It seemed Ryan finally understood.

"All right, I’ve said what I needed to say." Noah pressed the unlock button. "You can take the car and go. I have to get back to the law firm."

Ryan opened the car door and got out.

He left the car in the hospital parking lot and started walking home.

On this September evening, the weather had already begun to cool.

It had been gloomy for the past few days, as if a storm was brewing but refusing to break.

Ryan replayed his uncle’s story about the kidnapping in his mind.

’If I were in the same situation, I would have left without a second thought.’

’No one is worth sacrificing my life for.’

’Not even my own mother.’

「The next day.」

Rory Linden was in the outpatient clinic that morning.

When she returned to the inpatient department at noon, a nurse told her that Claire Jenkins’s parents had arrived.

She hurried to Claire’s room.

"You... you’re Dr. Linden?"

Claire’s mother’s expression stiffened slightly when she saw Rory Linden.

"Yes, I’m Claire Jenkins’s attending physician, Rory Linden."

Rory gave a simple introduction.

Claire’s mother looked Rory up and down twice, her brow furrowed. "You... how old are you? You didn’t just graduate, did you?"

Hearing this, Rory already knew what the woman was implying.

Her face looked exceedingly young, causing many patients and their families to distrust her.

"Mom! Dr. Linden is a chief physician, she’s amazing!"

Claire knew what her mother was getting at.

Claire’s mother acted as if she hadn’t heard her daughter. "I heard you medical students don’t even finish your doctorates until you’re twenty-eight or twenty-nine. You’ve only been working for a few years, so how much surgical experience can you have? She’s our only daughter. If anything were to happen to her, we wouldn’t be able to go on living."

"Mom!"

Claire was frantic.

She had looked into Rory Linden’s credentials before and was convinced she was an outstanding doctor.

She never imagined her mother would say something like that.

Rory Linden remained perfectly calm. "Trust is the first step between a doctor and a patient. If you two cannot trust me, then I suggest you find a doctor you can trust to perform the surgery."

Claire’s mother didn’t expect Rory to be so agreeable and quickly said, "Okay, okay."

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to my work."

Rory collected the file she was holding and turned to leave.

As soon as she was gone, Claire got angry. "Mom, do you have any idea how skilled Dr. Linden is? She’s the youngest chief physician here."

"Oh, all right, all right. Don’t be angry."

Claire’s mother first soothed her daughter before saying, "I’m just looking out for your health, aren’t I? Look how young she is. Who knows how she became a chief physician? She probably pulled some strings."

Rory Linden had classic East Asian features, with the corners of her eyes tilting up slightly.

As she aged, her features had gained a more captivating charm.

But they also made it easy for some family members to be biased against her.

"Mom, these certification exams are administered by the state! It’s impossible to pull strings!"

Claire was getting really anxious.

She truly trusted Rory Linden and wanted her to be the one to perform her surgery.

"All right, all right. I’ll go look into other doctors and find you a more experienced one."

After calming her daughter down, Claire’s mother called for the father to leave with her.

The elderly couple took a look around the hospital corridors.

Finally, at a little after three in the afternoon, they ran into Jason Stone in his office. He had just finished a surgery.

After they explained their purpose, Jason Stone said, "I have to go out of town to give a lecture in a few days. I probably won’t be back for about two weeks."

"Could you please recommend an experienced doctor for us? Our daughter is our whole world. If anything happens to her during the surgery, we really won’t be able to live."

As Claire’s mother spoke, her eyes were already turning red.

Claire’s father added, "Don’t think you can fool us with a young doctor just because our daughter is young and agreeable!"

"Understood."

Jason Stone made a call.

Soon, a doctor in his fifties named Crawford arrived.

Jason Stone explained Claire’s situation, and Dr. Crawford accepted the case.

Just as Claire’s parents were about to leave, a doctor rushed in—

"Director Stone, the helicopter is about to land. Dr. Linden is already on her way."

Jason Stone stood up from his chair. "I’m heading over now."

Dr. Crawford asked, "Director, may I go as well?"

Jason Stone glanced at Claire’s parents and said, "Take the patient’s family back to the ward, then come over."

On the way back to the ward, Claire’s mother couldn’t help but ask, "Director Stone heard Dr. Linden was going over and immediately wanted to go too. What’s happening?"

She privately suspected that for Rory Linden to have such a high position at her age, she must have some sort of relationship with Director Stone.

Dr. Crawford explained casually, "There’s a patient being transferred here. Dr. Linden is going to perform the surgery."

"Does the patient know Dr. Linden?"

Claire’s mother asked.

"Not really, I don’t think so." Dr. Crawford quickened his pace. "It’s just that for this particular surgery, Dr. Linden is the only one in the entire northern region who can skillfully operate the machine required. Even Director Stone can’t do it. That’s why not only are all the available doctors going to observe, but many experts from other hospitals are coming as well."

"Dr. Linden... she’s so young."

Claire’s mother said hesitantly.

Dr. Crawford seemed to understand. "You didn’t ask to switch doctors just because you think Dr. Linden is too young, did you?"

"..."

The two elderly parents fell silent.

By now, the three of them had reached the door to the hospital room.

Dr. Crawford didn’t say much more. "I have to get going. I’ll be back for rounds tonight. If you need anything before then, you can contact the nurses."

The two parents looked at each other in dismay.

It seemed neither of them had expected someone as young as Rory Linden to be so incredibly skilled.

Still, Claire’s mother tried to console herself, "I still feel this Dr. Crawford seems much more reliable than that Dr. Linden."

As for Rory Linden,

having one less patient meant a lighter workload, which was naturally a good thing for her.

Her surgery ended a little after eight that evening.

Sean Harrison picked up Leo Linden from kindergarten and brought his son to the inpatient department.

Leo was holding the drawing from yesterday.

The father and son entered Charlotte Rhodes’s room together.

Since returning from their trip, his personality had become much more cheerful than before.

When he saw Charlotte Rhodes, a smile naturally appeared on his chubby little face.

"Grandma."

Leo proactively waved to the elderly woman.

His other hand was still holding tightly onto Sean Harrison’s.