Faced with Dorothy’s inquiry, Juelz hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to reply.
Credence was in critical condition due to his severe injuries. He was still undergoing surgery in the emergency room, especially on his brain.
The doctors said that there were too many blood clots on his brain nerves. One wrong move was enough to turn him into a vegetable. He would end up just like his father. He would either be asleep forever or die on the operating table.
All in all, the results weren’t great.
Juelz didn’t know how to tell Dorothy for the time being.
With her extremely weak and fragile mental state, it was simply impossible for her to bear such heavy news.
If this wasn’t dealt with appropriately, the child, which they had spent so much effort to save, might be endangered again.
“I don’t know too much about his current condition. I was only focused on you, your child, and Belle.” Juelz slowly retracted his arm which was around Dorothy. He walked to the side of the room, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to her. He pretended to not know anything and said, “Dory, are you hungry? Have some water to moisten your throat first. I’ll go buy some dinner for you. I will ask about Credence’s condition for you on the way back.”
After that, he left in a hurry. He wasn’t as careful or as thoughtful as he was before, where he would ask Dorothy what she wanted to eat. He left immediately.
He rushed off as though someone was chasing after him. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared from the ward.
The more hesitant he was, the more she felt that something must have happened to Credence. Her heart was beating nervously. She took a few hurried sips of water. Just as she slowly got down from her bed, the door was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang. Jonathan and Marvin walked in. Their faces were exceptionally pale.
Jonathan quickly took two steps towards Dorothy’s bedside. He took a deep breath and spoke hoarsely, “Dorothy, Credence… He’s in a bad state. He’s been in the operating room for two days straight and hasn’t woken up yet. The doctor has tried everything. It’s useless. Nothing is working.”
Jonathan almost lost control over his emotions. He closed his eyes and suddenly opened them again. There were tears in his eyes. He choked and said, “The attending doctor said that there is only one solution now. We need someone who is important to him to keep calling to him to stimulate his brain nerves. There might be a chance he’ll wake up.”
“Marv and I have been by his side and called out to him for the past two days. We shouted and screamed until our throats turned hoarse, but it’s not working.”
“We thought of asking you to give it a try once you’ve woken up, will that be all right? Credence loves you very much, I’m sure that you can wake him up.”
Jonathan’s explanation plunged Dorothy into an endless abyss of despair.
There was a moment where her vision turned blurry. Her breathing became stagnant and she felt her heart being pressed into a ball. She felt extremely unwell.
She knew just how much effort Credence exerted to save her life from Melanie. He had done so much more than she could imagine.
So much so that he almost lost his life.
If that wasn’t enough to prove that he loved her, then what else could?
Dorothy’s face turned pale. She blinked her teary eyes. She looked at Jonathan and Marvin and slowly stood up. “I understand. Where is he? Please take me to him.”
Jonathan quickly walked out and said, “Credence is still in the operating room.”
“Okay.”
Dorothy’s body trembled. She took a deep breath. Her heart was hanging on a thread, she was feeling incredibly depressed. Not only was she worried about Belle’s safety, but she also had to worry about Credence’s life. There was no end to her panic.
Jonathan wanted to tell her more about Credence’s condition, but Marvin stopped him and motioned for him to stop talking. Dorothy had also just come back from the jaws of death. She was weak and pregnant, she was holding on to the last of her strength not to collapse. There was no need to continue pressuring her or her child.
After giving Jonathan the hint, Marvin turned around and looked at Dorothy’s pale face. He asked quite seriously, “Are you all right? If your body can’t take it, then you shouldn’t force yourself. You can visit Credence after you’ve recovered. We’re not in a rush.”
“I’m fine. Let’s go.” Dorothy shook her head. Her eyes were red, and she gritted her teeth, as she quickened her pace into the elevator.
The ward she was arranged to stay in wasn’t far from the emergency room where Credence’s surgery took place.
They were on the fourth floor and traveled down to the second floor. The elevator arrived in a few seconds.
As a pregnant woman who had been unconscious for the past two days, Dorothy’s spirit was still very weak. She had only taken seven steps along the corridor before she felt her energy deplete. She had a horrible headache and was starting to see illusions.
Walking through a half-closed office door, she seemed to have heard Juelz’s hoarse and impatient shouting.
“Aren’t you lot the best neurologists in Horsburg? You’ve been operating on one patient for two whole days straight, and yet he’s still lying on that operating table… F*ck! Can’t any of you give me a precise answer as to when he will wake up?”
“We can’t be sure when Mr. Scott will wake up. After all, the range of cranial nerves is very complicated, and the blood vessels are thin and fragile. Besides, he has had two previous surgeries before this. We can’t safely ensure success on the third. Any mistake will cause some unpredictably serious consequences to Mr. Scott. No doctor is willing to bear such a great risk.”
“Then, what should we do? Are we supposed to just sit and wait for him to die?” Juelz roared anxiously. He took a few deep puffs of his cigarette, the veins in his forehead were bulging out.
Dorothy looked through the narrow gap between the door and spotted Juelz’s familiar frame. He also saw him holding a cigarette between his fingers, it was shaking slightly.
Previously, he hated Credence. He wanted him to die more than anyone else. But at this moment, he was trembling and anxious over Credence.
He was doing all of this for her because he was worried about her.
He knew that if anything happened to Credence, she might not have the will to live anymore.
So, he lied to her, he said that he didn’t know anything about Credence’s situation, but in truth, he knew everything.
Jonathan was to the left of Dorothy. He overheard the conversation between Juelz and the doctor as well. He quickly turned his head and looked at Marvin who was behind him. Then, he walked over to Dorothy, looked at her pale face, and said, “Dorothy, don’t listen to Juelz. Credence’s condition isn’t as serious as he says it is. In fact, it’s not that complicated. As long as he can hear you calling for him, he should wake up soon.”
This was a fruitless comfort and didn’t have much of an effect on her.
She pressed her lips together and didn’t say anything. Jonathan nodded and pushed the door of the operating room open. She put on a protective suit and a pair of plastic gloves in the clean chamber. After that, she pushed the isolation door open and slowly dragged her trembling feet to the operating table.
Jonathan stood outside the door, he intended to put on a protective suit to enter the room but was stopped by Marvin. “You should leave them alone. Don’t get involved. I don’t know… whether he can wake up from this or not.”
Hearing this, Jonathan almost shed tears. He looked up and took a few deep breaths to quell the pain in his chest. He closed his eyes and fell silent. He didn’t say anything.