The Bond Between Us novel Chapter 136

Nelson found a waitress who was a mom and worked at a restaurant because she was experienced in taking care of kids.

The waitress took Pattie to the bathroom for a bath while Herman waited in the room. Pattie was a bit scared of the unfamiliar surroundings, but the warm water made her body comfortable. She liked the bubbles in the tub. They smelled so good.

The waitress gently helped Pattie bathe, and seeing the scars on Pattie's body, she, as a mother, felt her eyes well up with tears. This child was too pitiful, covered in scars all over. But she didn’t pry further.

Pattie sat in the bathtub, poking at the foam with her hand, her nose also covered in foam. She took a sniff. "It smells so good." It was the first time she knew that taking a bath could be so comfortable, and the water could smell so good.

The waitress laughed and said, "That's the scent of the shower gel. It's gardenia."

Pattie didn’t react, allowing the waitress to bathe her. After the bath, the waitress dried her with a soft towel. Only then did Pattie realize that towels could be so soft and smell so good.

The waitress dried Pattie’s hair and put her in a beautiful new pink dress. Pattie had never worn such a beautiful dress, and when the waitress led her out, she was a bit dazed.

"Mr. Salstrom, the little girl is bathed," the waitress said.

Herman looked up and saw Pattie's hair spread over her shoulders, her bright eyes and delicate features made her look like a doll. Seeing Pattie in the new dress, Herman felt an inexplicable familiarity.

"Okay, you can go now." Herman waved the waitress away.

After the waitress left, Herman gestured to Pattie. "Come here."

Kids were sensitive, they could feel who was good to them or not. Pattie could feel that the gentleman in front of her was a good person, so she walked over, clutching the corner of Herman's clothes. "Herman."

Herman looked at Pattie and gently asked, "Are you tired?"

Pattie shook her head.

Herman was about to speak when Collin rushed in. "Herman, why didn’t you tell me you were here? I heard you brought a little girl..."

Collin stopped mid-sentence when he saw Pattie, his eyes darting back and forth between Herman and Pattie.

Half an hour later, Herman took Pattie to the hospital for a check-up. The results showed she was severely malnourished and anemic. Looking at the results, Herman's eyebrows furrowed, and he felt his anger rising.

Herman wasn’t sure if Pattie was adopted, but her treatment didn’t seem like she was her parents' biological child. Birth parents wouldn’t treat their child like this.

In Riverdale, how could there still be children who were malnourished and severely anemic?

"Herman." Pattie felt Herman's anger and fearfully reached out to hold his hand.

Herman held Pattie's hand, his heart aching. "I'll take you home."

Upon hearing she was going home, Pattie immediately shook her head, her eyes filled with fear, showing a strong resistance. When Leo wasn’t at home, Pattie didn’t want to go home because Penny would hit her.

"Herman, don’t send me back. Mom will hit me, it will hurt a lot."

Pattie was very scared and couldn’t help revealing this secret. In Pattie’s understanding, Penny was her mother. She didn’t understand why her mother only loved her brother and not her. She had tried her best to be a good child, but why didn’t her mother love her?