Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Several people spoke softly, and Christina stood at the edge of the bassfor a moment, moved closer, and whispered, "Frank, your daughter's features look quite a bit like yours, and your son's resemble Ava's." Frank responded with a simple "Yeah." Christina was never bothered by Frank's coldness. This was just how he was, and if Frank spoke eloquently to her, she might think there was something wrong with him.

Christina and Joseph lingered in the hospital room for a while. Seeing that Ava still hadn't woken up and considering that Frank was not very talkative and seemed adept at killing conversations, even more so than Christina, Christina and Joseph decided to leave.

Before leaving, Christina took out two cards and tucked them into the child's arms. The cards wouldn't touch the delicate skin through the clothes. Her lips moved slightly as she said, "These two gift cards are a gift from my dad for the babies. Remember to tell William about that." Charlie had given Christina two gift cards before she came, asking her to ensure they reached the hospital. He told her that otherwise, William would call him petty.

Although the two of them were both old, and their combined age was over 100 years, they were still childish.

They always wanted to compare and have the upper hand, enjoying showing off like kindergarteners.

Frank naturally accepted the gift cards, saying, "Please give him my thanks." "Alright, you hold onto your son. Christina and | will visit the Yamin family first. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon, and please take care of Ava." Joseph carefully placed the baby into Frank's arms, waiting until Frank had a firm grip before letting go. He noticed that Frank's gestures weren't very standard and kindly helped to adjust Frank's hands.

Frank glanced at his now-reorganized hands, wondering if the nurse's instructions were wrong. He maintained the standard baby holding position and then responded, "Sure, I'll take good care of her." "Great. Then we'll leave first and cover again in the evening," Joseph said, leaving while holding Christina's hand.

Frank didn't say much and just spoke shortly. "Okay." After they walked out of the ward, Joseph felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He held Christina with one hand and used the other to check the message Natalie had sent, [Joseph, why didn't you informwhen you went to the hospital?] Anticipating Natalie's concern, Joseph sent a message with an emoji of a reassuring smiley face, [Ava mentioned that you've been very busy lately, and she didn't want to disrupt your work schedule. Don't be upset. Ava is in good hands, and Frank is keeping her company.] After reading Joseph's message, Natalie sent a message, saying, [I'm heading to Athana Hospital now.] Joseph responded promptly, [Ava is still sleeping now. You're hosting a meeting in the afternoon, right? You can cback after it. Ava is doing fine now, so there's no need to rush.] Aware of Natalie's recent activities, Joseph didn't want to disrupt her plans.

Natalie agreed and sent a message, saying, [Alright then, I'll cback after the meeting, but it might be a little late.] Joseph replied to Natalie's message, [That's fine. Christina and | won't be staying at the hospital either. We're going back to the Yamin family as well.] Natalie quickly responded, [Okay.] Joseph then sent a message to her. It read, [Go for it. | believe that you can make it, and don't put too much pressure on yourself.] Natalie replied to his message with a cheering emoji.

After their conversation, Joseph put away his phone and returned it to his pocket. Christina opened the driver's side door, and Joseph sat on the passenger side as usual.

"Natalie has her ambition. It seems like you put a lot of thought into starting this project in Athana in the first place," Christina remarked as she started the car, operating the steering wheel with familiarity and looking at the front.

Joseph leaned back in his seat and replied calmly, "Natalie carries a lot of emotional weight. But whenever she sees an opportunity to help those around her, she'll go to great lengths to make a difference." Christina nodded without saying anything as they drove towards the Yamin family.

At the Wilson Group.

Trevon had just arrived at the company. He stepped into the special elevator wearing a neatly pressed suit, with Jim following him. Inside the elevator, Jim reported on the day's schedule, holding a folder that he closed after finishing.

"Cancel the video conference with the foreign branch in the evening, or you can go for it if you want," Trevon said.

Unaware of Ava's situation, Jim couldn't understand why Trevon canceled the video conference. "But it's crucial.

Should we really cancel it?" "Then you can hold the video conference for me, and you'll be fired if you can't make it," Trevon said. The elevator opened, and he strode towards the exit, passing by the secretary department.

Jim, who followed behind, had a worried look. "I shouldn't mention the video conference at all, and it doesn't matter if the conference is cancelled. After all, it's not my company, and why would | be so care?" he thought with regret.

He felt the urge to smack himself a few times for being in this situation. People from the secretary department watched as Jim followed Trevon, pretending to slap himself, mouths agape, thinking Trevon was punishing him.

Sympathy filled everyone's eyes.

Entering the office, Trevon took his seat, preparing to message Natalie. Jim, sitting quietly across from him, was in a somber mood.

Trevon sent, [Natalie, Ava gave birth of a twins. When should we go to visit her? Frank says Ava's sleeping right now.] Natalie replied, [Joseph just messaged me. Why don't we go to the hospital until I get off work?] Trevon replied, [Okay, it's all up to you.] At night.

Ava's hospital room was bustling with activity; almost everyone was there, except Rose and Edward, as Frank didn't allow them.

After all, Rose was pregnant, and Frank wanted Edward to take care her at home.

Trevon asked Jim to go down and get two more gift cards before they came. At this time, Trevon gave Natalie a look, and Natalie, catching the cue, retrieved the gift cards from her pocket. She handed them to Ava, saying, "Ava, this is for your kids. It's a little gift Trevon got for the two little babies. When you get out of the hospital, you can go to the mall and pick out whatever you like." Ava happily accepted the gift cards with a slight smile. "Thank you, Natalie, Trevon." Hackett, sitting on the couch eating peanuts, glanced at the gift cards in Ava's cards and teased, "Trevon, it seems that you have the whole supermarket." Sherri, sipping a milkshake Frank had prepared, looked so leisurely at this time. Those who knew them thought they were wards, while others might assthey were having afternoon tea.

The table was filled with snacks, milkshakes, nuts, and fruit. Grace had bought everything after waking up from her nap, hearing that they were coming to see Ava in the evening.

Grace drove the Pagani, and Emma sat in the passenger seat.

Ava held two cards in her hand, smiling and in a good mood. However, her belly still hurt from the aftermath of the anesthesia. Despite the pain, she kept smiling to avoid worrying Frank, who might be concerned if she frowned.

Natalie thought for a moment and then said to Ava, "Next time, no matter what tit is, even in the middle of the night, you have to callwhen you're in need, okay?" Natalie knew that Ava might be hesitant to disturb her early in the morning. Ava was now grown up and always considered others, bearing her own responsibilities. After saying this, Natalie affectionately rubbed the top of Ava's head.

Ava smiled, admitting her mistake with a positive attitude. "Got it, Natalie." Trevon tried to lighten the atmosphere, understanding that both Natalie and Ava had their own concerns. Ava was worried about Natalie's well-being, while Natalie wanted to accompany Ava. He turned to Hackett and said, "Well, if you think the things in the supermarket are too cheap, | can recycle them." "Forget it then. After all, it's pretty convenient with the cards." Hackett picked at a bag of potato chips, ready to share them with Sherri. With his mouth full of the potato chips, he added, "Frank, lettell you, my wife almost killedtrying to get Ava's surgery." Sherri, with a straw against her tongue, almost spit out her milkshake, and in her mind were all the scenes of Hackett hugging her that night.

Frank and Trevon didn't say anything, well aware of Hackett's temperament. Even though they didn't ask, Hackett couldn't keep quiet and would tell them everything. But Ava was unaware of the situation and asked, "By the way, how did you guys get here on time?" Edward once reminded her that she couldn't rely on Hackett and Sherri to get there on time.

She was also quite curious about the "wake-up call" Rose said before.

Hackett put down the milkshake and began narrating the story that happened that night, speaking so animatedly that he was on the verge of getting up in excitement. The entire room was shocked into silence until Hackett reached the part about Sherri hiding her cell phone inside her pajamas, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

Joseph couldn't help but cover his mouth to stifle his laughter. Christina took a piece of apple and handed Joseph another. Her mouth curved into a smile as she glanced at Sherri, thinking Sherri was really funny.

Hackett had the decency not to mention that Sherri had actually hidden her cell phone inside her underwear but instead inside her pajamas.

Even Grace and Emma, who were seated on the sofa, joined Dye in laughter. They hadn't anticipated Sherri working so hard only to assist Ava in delivering her baby. Her dedication was remarkable.

Emma expressed her gratitude, saying, "Sherri, thank you so much for everything you did." Sherri, putting down her milkshake, waved her hand and replied, "It's nothing. | had already agreed with Ava." Her primary motivation was to gain experience, especially since delivering twins was a rare occurrence. After all, it was not every day she could get a chance to help deliver twins.

Frank was sitting on the edge of the bed cradling the baby. Likely due to holding his son all day, Frank found his son becoming attached to him. His son would cry while Grace and Emma held him. Although his son would also not cry when being held by Ava, but Frank couldn't bear to let Ava carry his son all the time, so he made an effort to hold his son as much as possible.

Trevon, wearing a smile, expressed surprise at Sherri's unexpected behaviors. He glanced at Frank and remarked, "It seems that the bassis just for show." Grace explained, "This little one simply loves clinging to Frank. He cries when he's put down, and Frank has been holding him since birth." Hackett, refraining from expressing his thoughts since there were so many people here, inwardly gloated in his heart after having heard Grace's explanation. He happily sipped on his milkshake, thinking Frank's son was here to keep Frank on his toes.

Natalie, skeptical, couldn't believe that such a small baby could already recognize individuals. "Lettry," she said, standing up and positioning herself in front of Frank to hold the baby.

As soon as she took the baby from Frank, Frank's son cried out at once. His sharp tone made Natalie frown.

Watching the baby in her arms crying loudly, Natalie was unsure of what to say. She returned the baby to Frank, even playfully scratching the baby's nose.

Trevon teased, "Looks like the kid's out to get you." "What a smart boy! I like him! He's an angle..." Hackett, finding amusement, slapped his thigh, and burst into laughter. It seemed that he really felt happy for Frank.

But in fact, his joy was more of gloating.

Sherri, intrigued, wondered aloud, "It's so strange. You don't even have boobs on you. Why is the baby so attached to you?" Christina chocked and coughed dryly. There was no doubt that Sherri and Hackett were the skind of people.

Joseph patted Christina's back, saying, "Slow down." Frank remained silent.

They sat in Ava's ward, talking and laughing for more than an hour before saying goodbye to her.

As they prepared to leave, the hospital room door swung open from the outside, and in walked William and Daniel. Daniel followed William to the company first after he woke up.

Natalie was the first to call out, "Hey, Daniel! William!" William nodded, and Daniel smiled. "Are you going back now?" he said.

Trevon added, "Yes. It's almost tfor my kids to go to bed." Natalie explained, "Sophia and Olivia are used to Trevon reading stories to them at night." William observed his son still holding his grandson from the gap between a few people and asked with a smile, "My grandson is still not willing to sleep in the bassinet. It seems that he really likes Frank. In the future, Frank and his son must have a very deep bond, just like Frank and me." Grace responded with silence.

And Joseph said, "I'll go back with Christina first. George may can't sleep with my mother's company at night." Christina stood beside Joseph without saying a word, simply holding his hand.

Daniel and Emma both suggested they go back as well. Emma said to Christina, "It's rare for you to cback.

If you're not nusy, just stay hand talk to your mom more. Don't worry about Ava." "Okay." Christina smiled sweetly.

They then left.

Ava was helped to lie down by Grace and said, "Dad." Daniel and William replied in unison, "What?" The whole ward laughed at their synchronized response. William added, "Well, we're all family." "Look at our little boy. He's so adorable. Con, letgive you a hug," William exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Before he could do so, Grace pulled him back and ordered, "Wash your hands first." William patted his head. "Oops, | forgot. I'll go right away. Little boy, wait for me." Everyone was once again amused by William's manners. Daniel also followed suit, washing his hands and preparing to hug his grandson. His granddaughter was still peacefully asleep, looking very cute.

After washing his hands, William asked Daniel to hold Frank's son first for the simple reason that Ava would be staying in Athana from now on, and he would have plenty of chances to hold his grandchildren while Daniel would be returning to Sapphire City soon.

Emma wouldn't go back for now, and she would wait until her children reached the age of a full moon before going back to Sapphire City.

In that case, Christina would have to stay hwith the child and wouldn't be able to go to the office. Therefore, Daniel wouldn't be able to stay in Athana for long and would have to go back first.

"Hold him; I'll take spictures. There's no rush. | must share the photos of my cute little baby boy with others, and he's so cute even when he's asleep," William said, capturing the baby from all angles. Emma shook her head, expressing sympathy for Christina's father.

On the other hand, Grace didn't even need a look already knew what William was going to do. She reminded him, "Charlie gave your grandchildren gifts. You don't always have to show them off in front of him." At that, William grinned and had no intention of not showing off. "I'll send a few less pictures then." Everyone felt speechless.