He let his words sink in. it was to prepare the couple for the bad news he was just about to break.

He saw that they both had not change in expression.

"Lu Meili has Leukemia."

"What?!" Wan Jia exclaimed as soon as the doctor's voice fell.

When the doctor called them to his office, she had already prepared herself for the worst. But, she was till shocked. What did the doctor just say about her baby? He was joking, right?

How could her baby have Leukemia?

But now that she thought about it, it was quite possible. For some time now, Little Jia has been getting tired after just playing for a bit. Sometimes she would be so tired that she would sleep more than usual. Although she had never had such a headache before, it now seemed half possible to her.

Lu Aotian was still waiting for him to continue.

The doctor looked at the couple and continued; "It's CML and its development has been very slow; it's still in the chronic phase."

His expression turned graver. "Mr. Lu, do the both of you have another child?"

"For a stem cell transplant?" Lu Aotian asked.

"That's one of the possible cures. The compatibility is higher in full blood siblings." Though the doctor found it strange, the number of myeloid cells in her blood had been increasing for a long while now. The progress was way slower than usual.

When Lu Aotian told him about the supplements she had taken before, he finally understood. Those supplements seemed to have strengthened the little girl's white blood cells and delayed the symptoms.

"Although it is still in the early phase, it cannot be completely cured using medication alone. The ultimate cure is still a stem cell transplant or using blood from the umbilical cord. If Lu Meili doesn't have any siblings, you still have time. We can give her medication; but this will only make sure the blast cells don't increase. However, this can only keep up for three to five years."

After rambling on for a long time, Wan Jia understood that they needed to have another child. However, they would not use the other child's stem cell. They would use its blood from the umbilical cord which was the cure for most diseases of the blood. It was an even better option.

…

Wan Jia felt very weak when they left the doctor's office. Lu Aotian held her firmly in his embrace. "I'll call the chauffeur to drive you home."

Wan Jia shook her head "I want to see my baby."

"Okay." He took her to Little Jia's hospital room.

The little girl had received some medication to relieve her headache and was now asleep. The doctor had suggested to let her stay overnight for further observation.

Wan Jia burst into tears as soon as she saw her baby. She had been careless.

As a mother, how could she not know that her daughter was sick? If only she had been more observant, it wouldn't reach this point.

Baby, blame it on mommy for not taking good care of you. Mommy was not a good mother, that's why you ended up like this.

How could Lu Aotian not know what his wife was thinking? He held her shoulders and let her head rest on his chest. "No one is to blame for this. We wouldn't prevent it even if we were super humans. The best we can do now is making sure she is cured sooner.

Wan Jia nodded and remained in his embrace for a while.

That night, the couple remained in the hospital room to watch over their daughter.

The next morning, the doctor checked her conditions again before letting her get discharged. "Her daily life will be able to go on as usual. I advise you to not let her know about her own condition to avoid stressing her little mind. She is still too young and it's not terminal."

Then he turned to Wan Jia although he was not a gynecologist. "You should try your best to not let this matter depress you. In my observation, it is harder to conceive when the woman is under stress. Life should go on usually as much as possible."

Wan Jia nodded. This matter would have sent her into a relapse of depression but for Little Jia and the baby she was preparing to have, she would not let that happen.

Lu Aotian was there to help her too. He would make sure her mood was kept in check and she ate healthy foods fit for preparing for pregnancy.

Before they left the hospital, Wan Jia had a rash thought. Since she and Lu Aotian had never been against having another child, they were not keen on contraception. What if a miracle of sorts happened and she was actually pregnant?

Thinking about this, she suddenly asked for a pregnancy test to be done on her. The doctor was stunned but still sent her to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. It only took a few minutes. When she saw the "negative" report, she almost burst into a fresh bout of tears.

But she couldn't. She didn't want her daughter to see her crying.

As soon as they got home and into the master bedroom, Lu Aotian held her in his arms. "If you want to cry, go ahead. Keeping it in will only make you feel worse."

The tears she had been holding back came flowing out like broken dams.