“Let Mrs. Gordon accompany you,” Lila heard the indifference in Hamish’s voice, though she found it strange. If Hamish was willing to exchange her for Elisa, it meant she was more important to him. But why, after being away for so long, didn’t he say anything caring to her, and was still so cold?
Feeling aggrieved, Lila sniffled, “Hamish, can’t you stay with me a little longer?”
Hamish took a deep breath, “I’m at the hospital taking care of Elisa.”
“Elisa is saved?” Her tone was full of questions, even more unwilling. She hadn’t expected Elisa to survive such a serious situation.
The phone fell silent suddenly, and Lila quickly changed the subject, “How is she doing?”
Hamish didn’t want to say much, “Nothing much, I have to go.”
“Hamish…” The sound of the call ending came from the phone. Lila gripped the phone tightly, trying to calm herself down. If Hamish didn’t mention Elisa’s condition, did that mean Elisa was in danger now?
Lila, with a gloomy expression, thought: If that’s the case, then it’s great.
…
Half a month passed in a blink, and during these fifteen days, Elisa showed no signs of waking up. Instead, she had several dangerous episodes requiring resuscitation.
Hamish had lost twenty pounds in a short period of time, his entire being seemed to have withered away. Each resuscitation surgery for Elisa left him more and more hopeless. No one knew when she would be safe, when she would wake up, or when she would pass away during another surgery.
During one surgery that extended from day into night, Hamish leaned against the wall, smoking. His hand trembled as the cigarette burned down to his fingers, but he let it, only noticing when it extinguished.
In the face of life and death, even the mightiest are helpless.
Elisa repeatedly faced danger, and he was utterly powerless. He suddenly crouched on the ground, feeling as if he had fallen into an inescapable nightmare.
With his head in his hands, he closed his eyes, feeling too weary to keep going.
Elisa, please don’t leave me.
Please give me a chance, let’s start over, this time I’ll love you beyond redemption.
At two in the morning, with the doctors’ efforts, Elisa’s heartbeat recovered once.
The doctors who had been working tirelessly were mentally exhausted, nearly falling asleep with every blink, but none dared to sleep, fearing Elisa might be in danger again.
With bloodshot eyes, Hamish looked at Elisa, then turned to the medical staff.
“Thank you. Thank you for bringing back the person I care about,” Hamish said, causing the medical staff to be surprised, as this was the first time he had said thank you. But now it had become a habit; after so many rescues, he would sincerely express his gratitude.
Elisa’s condition remained critical, fragile like a soap bubble, as if she might vanish at any moment.
Hamish was starting to forget what she looked like when she was awake, the Elisa who had said, “Hamish, I won’t see you again,” seemed like she might truly be leaving this time.
Hamish’s eyes were bloodshot and dry, unable to shed any more tears.
His daily routine had become like a fixed program, repeating the same actions: being with Elisa, eating, using the bathroom, living a monotonous life. Tobias had brought his phone, charging it once, but he hadn’t turned it off since. He hadn’t even looked at it.
Now, his mind couldn’t focus on anything else, and he only wanted to stay by Elisa’s side.
From the initial grief to the current confusion, he had no idea what to do. His omnipotence had lost its effect. When Elisa was awake, he could use force to keep her with him, but now he didn’t know how to make her stay.
Even in the face of death, he felt utterly powerless.
In his current state, he couldn’t handle everything on his own, so he hired a caregiver to take turns watching over Elisa.
Even if he couldn’t sleep, he forced himself to, knowing that he needed to rest in order to be alert when Elisa woke up.
Leaning against the bed, he closed his eyes, his face drained of color under the light, appearing pale and calm.
Under such constant tension, Hamish couldn’t rest peacefully. Whenever he fell asleep, he would dream of the kidnappers torturing Elisa in the cruelest ways, until she lay in a pool of blood, breathless and without a heartbeat.
Every night, he would have this nightmare and wake up terrified. As soon as he woke, he would look towards Elisaand then check the heart monitor to ensure she was safe, only then would his heart calm down slightly.
…
The news of Elisa becoming a vegetable quickly reached Lila’s ears.
Lila burst into laughter upon hearing it. If her hand hadn’t been broken, she would have clapped in celebration. Being a vegetable was no different from being dead. As long as she remained like this, Hamish would eventually be hers.