CHAPTER 147
ROBERT’S POV
While in the van, the medics checked for Liam’s pulse and vitals. I was relieved to know they were all stable with nothing seeming to be out of the ordinary.
Arriving at the hospital, Liam was immediately checked into the emergency ward. Lily and I stayed outside the room while the doctor entered to assess him, our hearts thundering so loudly in our chests it could be heard by anyone passing.
After some time, the doctor came out with a rather unreadable expression on his face. On seeing him, we rushed to him immediately. He was going to give a statement on Liam’s condition.
“How is he doctor?” Lily asked desperately, palming her hand against her chest as if to steady her thumping heart. “Is he going to be okay? Please tell me this is something minor and he’s going to walk again…”
I nodded in agreement to what she said, my expression mirroring hers, praying for the doctor to say the yes word. With the way Lily was staring at him intently, it seemed like she might suffer a heart attack and drop dead if he delivered any bad news.
“Well…” The doctor let out a heavy breath, his expression grim, hinting that the news wasn’t good. “This isn’t something minor. It’s a critical case of fracture dislocation with visible bone misalignment and swelling. His shinbone and knee ligament are severely damaged. If you guys arrived any later than this or the school medics handled it incorrectly then it could have led to permanent complications. We need to take him in for immediate surgery to realign and stabilize the bones, repair the damage, and prevent infections.”
Lily and I switched glances, sighing weakly with bitter frowns on our faces.
“B…but is he going to be able to use the leg properly after the surgery?” I asked in a quiet, frail tone. “Is he going to walk again?…”
The doctor glanced away briefly and twitched his lips as if pondering on the right answer to the question.
“After a successful surgery coupled with some rehabilitation exercises, he should be able to regain his mobility,” he said with a glimmer of hope, looking back at us. “So, yes. He’s going to be able to walk again.”
I deflated with relief. At least, we could hold onto that hope. Knowing he’d be able to walk properly after such a serious injury was reassuring. At some point, I had lost hope, thinking he wouldn’t.
I looked at Lily to check if she too was relieved and glad about the news. But she didn’t look back at me, her expression quite indecipherable. What was she thinking? That the surgery might go wrong? It won’t. I know it won’t. Liam will get through the surgery and come out better than before. Everything will be fine.
I wished I could reach out to her, hold her close and tell her that. Tell her that we’ll get through this together. That as long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to her and the kids. But on recalling how she’d lashed out at me several minutes ago, letting me know I was bad luck; the reason all this was happening and how she wanted me far away from her and the kids, I hesitated, a slight frown crossing my face as I sighed inwardly in despair.
“The nurses will be coming to prepare him for the surgery,” he made it known to us. “In the meantime, you two can come with me to sign the consent forms and complete the necessary paperwork so we can carry on with the procedure. And wipe that worry off your face. Your son is in great hands. I can assure you he’ll be fine.”
He reassured us with an uplifting smile. We nodded and followed closely behind him to his office.
After all the necessary preparations were made, Liam was taken into the theatre to be operated on. The doctor had informed us that the surgery would take a couple of hours. Since the school games were set to end by 4 p. m., we would still have time to return to the school and pick up Lila.
I could only hope she listened to her mother and didn’t take part in anything that might put her at risk of injury. What happened to Liam had hit me like a blow to the heart. I couldn’t bear that kind of pain again if anything happened to Lila.
We were directed to sit and wait in a designated surgical waiting room where families usually stayed while their loved ones were in surgery. Lily and I sat apart not that it was what I wanted. I had tried to sit beside her and comfort her, but without a word, she quietly got up and moved to a seat at the edge of the room, her expression cold and distant.
Sensing she might be hungry-because I was starving myself-I went to the hospital’s cafeteria and bought some snacks. I offered her some, but she refused without a second thought like I got her something disgusting.
As I sat away from her, my entire body burned with frustration and uneasiness. Even the yoghurt I was eating began tasting like ink in my mouth. Her aloof attitude and our lack of communication at a critical time like this were driving me nuts, eating me up from the inside like a strong acid. I couldn’t take it anymore. Now more than ever, we should be leaning on each other for the sake of our son.
Summoning the courage, I got up from my seat and walked straight to her. She wanted to get up and probably leave for another spot but I didn’t let her, determined to make her hear me out.
“I know you hate me more than anything in the world and I’m the last person on earth you want to stay in a room with. But you have to hear me out because this is the last time you might be hearing from me.” I said with an unyielding resolve.