In the ambulance, Nana held Carl’s hand tightly. She only let go when the nurses and doctors needed to perform emergency procedures on him. Nana stayed by his side, tears streaming down her face.
Her mind was in a state of high tension. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if Carl died. She didn’t even have time to call Jane.
When they finally arrived at the hospital, Nana followed closely behind as they rushed in until she was stopped outside the operating room.
She paced back and forth anxiously, filled with regret. When the doctor came out, Nana hurried over and asked urgently, “Doctor, how is my friend? Is he in danger?”
The doctor looked at her seriously and said, “His condition is very serious. He has many external injuries and is also in a deep coma. We’ve already tried to notify his family members; we need them to sign for surgery.”
“Please save him! Please!”
Nana was now at a loss for what to do. She anxiously clutched the doctor’s hand, pleading with each word, only letting go when the doctor assured her they would do their best. She looked helplessly towards the tightly closed door of the operating room.
Jane called again.
This was already the third call she’d made to Nana, but still, there was no answer. Jane couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Furrowing her brow, she became somewhat worried. Just as she dialed the number for the third time with a hopeful attitude, not long after, she heard a woman’s anxious voice on the other end, carrying an undertone of fear.
“Jane…”
Nana spoke through sobs.
“Nana, why did it take you so long to answer?” Jane had originally intended on asking about how things went between Carl and her but upon hearing something off about her friend’s voice immediately grew concerned.
“Where are you? What happened?”
Nana finally broke down completely upon hearing those words, like an avalanche of emotions pouring out all at once. She was sobbing uncontrollably while saying, “Jane… Carl… he got into an accident… he’s at the hospital now… I don’t know what to do…”
“What?” Jane was clearly surprised, her voice even a bit uncontrolled. Instinctively, she headed outside. She wanted to ask more, but Nana’s crying was genuinely heartbreaking. Unable to press further for now, Jane could only offer some immediate comfort.
“Don’t cry for now. Tell me which hospital. I’ll come right away!”
After Nana provided the hospital address and hung up, she sat helplessly in a chair in the corridor, holding her forehead in her palm and crying.
“Carl, please don’t have anything happen to you…”
Suddenly, footsteps could be heard running down the hallway. Nana looked up to see an anxious middle-aged couple approaching. The woman bore a resemblance to Carl and was likely his mother.
“Doctor! Doctor! How is my son? Is he okay?” Mrs. Waters rushed over to ask, out of breath and with a face full of worry that showed she was about to cry.
“You finally came.” The doctor took out an operation agreement form and handed it over. “His injuries are severe and require immediate surgery. Please sign this agreement quickly; if it’s too late, we won’t be able to save him.”
“Okay, we’ll sign right away.” The middle-aged man quickly picked up a pen and signed his name on the form in haste; due to his anxiety, his handwriting was shaky. After handing over the document back to the doctor, they begged repeatedly, “Doctors, please save our son! We beg you!”
The door of the operating room closed again while displaying “No Entry” in red letters on its screen. Mrs. Waters’ heart raced with anxiety; she couldn’t imagine what would happen if her beloved son couldn’t be saved. It would be devastating for her.
Mr. Waters hugged his wife’s shoulder sympathetically but also had some impatience showing through his eyes which were slightly red from stress.
The couple’s expressions changed instantly when they saw the dazed Nana sitting there. Mrs. Waters, usually warm, optimistic, and gentle, transformed into a different person. She strode forward and started pushing Nana.
“It’s all because of you! I’ve seen you before; you’re that woman my son likes. If not for you, this wouldn’t have happened! What are you still doing here? Go, get out!”
As Nana was pushed, she seemed completely out of her senses, not resisting at all. She understood that she bore a significant part of the responsibility for the accident. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she could only apologize while crying.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Waters, Mr. Waters, I’m really not… ”
Mr. Waters finally remembered where they were at present and hurriedly stepped forward pulling back Mrs. Waters while lowering voice trying persuade, “This is a hospital; don’t make any more noise!”
Mrs. Waters still looked furious despite being advised against it, while Mr. Waters didn’t say anything but had a dark expression on his face that wasn’t pleasant to look at.
He turned to Nana who was sobbing uncontrollably across from him and said in a low voice, “Miss Lawson, right? We’ve heard of you before, although we don’t know what happened between you and my son. But now he’s lying in the operating room with an uncertain fate. Please understand how we feel as parents. If there’s nothing else, we hope you can leave here as soon as possible. My wife and I don’t want to see you!”
Nana cried even harder when she heard this sentence; she had no idea what to do.
Jane rushed to the hospital anxiously and saw Nana’s figure just as she arrived at the corridor leading to the operating room. She quickly ran over and held onto Nana’s shoulder with a worried expression on her face.
“What happened? How could Carl get into a car accident? What is going on?”
Just after speaking, Jane inadvertently looked up and saw Mrs. Waters wiping away tears across from them while Mr. Waters remained silent beside her. She slightly bowed her head respectfully and said, “Mr. Waters, Mrs. Waters! I am Carl’s superior officer but also friends with Nana! If there is anything, please tell me.”
Mrs. Waters didn’t want anything related to Nana or any other person for that matter; all she cared about was whether Carl could survive this ordeal or not. She just glanced at Jane before turning her head away.
Jane pursed her lips; now there was nothing she could do except helping situate Nana off towards one side slowly comforting her saying, “It’s okay… just relax your mind. Nevertheless, Carl will be fine.”
After about three or four hours later, the doctor finally came out of the operating room. Everyone hurriedly went up front, but before anyone spoke, the doctor said, “The patient’s condition isn’t very optimistic right now. His injuries are quite severe, and he may… may not make it through tonight. You should prepare yourself mentally.”
Nana widened her eyes, she couldn’t accept such facts, suddenly feeling like everything around was spinning out of control