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Chapter 9 Lance's Help

  • By the time Lewis had parked his car and rushed to the ER's entrance, Tia was already leaning against the wall with worry and pain written all over her face. Meanwhile, another young woman in an androgynous outfit and a bob haircut stood next to her, so Lewis assumed she was the one who had called Tia.
  • Thus, he approached Shannon and asked, "What's the status?"
  • "The doctors are not out yet." She could not be bothered to take a good look at who she had been talking to because she was also frightened to the point where her heart was still racing.
  • At that, Lewis shifted his gaze to Tia and said no more before he waited alongside them in silence.
  • As time passed, they waited for what felt like forever. In reality? It could have been minutes or hours, but nobody had timed it. When the doctor finally came out, Tia grabbed the person and worriedly asked, "Doctor, how's my grandma? How is she?"
  • The doctor removed his surgical mask and answered gravely, "She's out of danger for now. She came in time, fortunately. Our initial assessment is acute myocardial infarction—or in layman's terms—heart attack. Later on, we'll arrange for a scan and once we have the conclusive results, the operation needs to be arranged as soon as possible."
  • The news stupefied Tia and all she could do was look at the doctor's lips and mumbled, "How can this be? How…"
  • "Are you a family member of the patient? You should register her for admission first. Also, it’s best if you could provide us with the patient’s medical history." With that, the doctor left.
  • Tia instantly turned lifeless, as if her soul had been sucked out of her and she nearly fell backward from being in a daze. Fortunately, Lewis caught her in time.
  • "Tia…" The news had shocked Shannon just as much; she did not know what to do to comfort Tia apart from staring at her.
  • Soon, a nurse pushed Elizabeth out of the ER. She looked to be asleep on the cot with her eyes closed, if one overlooked her extremely pallid face.
  • Seeing that Elizabeth was out of the operating theater, Tia instinctively pushed Lewis away and went up to clench her hand while softly calling out, "Grandma? Grandma…"
  • "Miss, the patient needs her rest," the nurse reminded gently.
  • Shannon responded and approached Tia to wrap her arm around Tia's shoulders, after which she accompanied Tia to Elizabeth's ward with Lewis following behind.
  • After arriving at Elizabeth's ward, Tia sat on the chair and stared blankly at Elizabeth while Lewis gazed at her before turning to Shannon. "Please look after them for me since I need to get the admission procedure done," he said.
  • Shannon, who was taken aback for a split second, hurriedly replied after coming to her senses, "I'll do it. We can't possibly trouble you."
  • She still thought that he was just a stranger.
  • "It's fine." Lewis turned her down and headed out of the ward.
  • As he left it at that, Shannon fixed her gaze on his back for quite some time, baffled. She might not have taken a good look at his face, but she could sense his commanding aura.
  • When Lewis returned, he came back with some daily necessities he had bought from the grocery store outside as well as two hot beverages, one each for Tia and Shannon.
  • Shannon was surprised by his attentiveness and thoughtfulness when she took the cup of hot milk tea from him and just like that, she suddenly had a great impression of him.
  • Tia, on the other hand, looked awful; she only shook her head when Lewis handed her the cup of milk tea instead of taking it from him.
  • And so, Lewis placed the cup of beverage on the side table before he comforted her, "Don't worry too much. I know a few leading cardiologists. I can give them a call and if it really comes down to surgery, I can help you look for someone."
  • When she heard that, Tia looked up at him with a gaze full of expectation. "Really?"
  • "Really." Lewis nodded, affirming his promise.
  • "Thank you," she thanked sincerely and finally let out a smile.
  • He took the chance and handed her the cup of milk tea he had set aside. "Drink some. You'll feel better."
  • This time, Tia did not refuse, nodding while taking it from him.
  • Just as she was about to take a sip, the door suddenly opened as Lance came in and strode toward Tia. "Tia, how's Grandma?" he asked while grabbing her.
  • His sudden appearance stumped Tia and she casually brushed his hand away. "What are you doing here?"
  • However, Lance did not answer her but pressed on. "Just tell me how Grandma is. Is she okay?"
  • In response, Tia looked behind him at Shannon and finally had the gist of things. After coming back to her senses, she looked at him and explained, "It was a heart attack and she might need to undergo surgery."
  • "The director here is my dad's friend. I'll give him a call and have him arrange the best doctors for Grandma." As he spoke, he pulled his phone out and made a call, then headed out when it got through.
  • While all that was happening, Shannon observed Lewis from aside to find that the man was completely unruffled, not at all surprised by Lance's sudden appearance.
  • Elizabeth, on the other hand, was awakened by their noises and opened her eyes. For a moment, she was having trouble processing what was going on. "Where am I?" she asked feebly.
  • Tia instantly turned around as she heard her. Noticing that Elizabeth had regained consciousness, she kneeled by the bed and held her grandmother's hands. "Grandma? Grandma, you're awake," she spoke softly.
  • Elizabeth thought she was at home when she saw Tia and naturally, she caressed her granddaughter's face while tugging a barely noticeable smile. "Tia, you're back. Have you met your future in-laws?"
  • "Grandma." Tia's eyes turned red-rimmed with oncoming tears when she heard Elizabeth's words. "How can you still be thinking of me when you're already like this? You've really given me the fright of my life. You have no idea how scared I was just now." She was so afraid of losing her, afraid that her only family would be gone.
  • "What have I done?" Elizabeth was still somewhat confused, having just woken up. It was not until she raised her arm and saw the needle with IV drip upon her head that she realized what was going on. At last, she turned to Tia. "I'm in the hospital?"
  • Tia nodded affirmatively. "You've really scared the hell out of us." She could no longer hold back her tears at this point.
  • "Sorry," Elizabeth apologized while wiping the tears off Tia's face.
  • Tia shook her head in response, then rested her head next to her grandmother. "I just want you to be well."
  • "My silly child." Elizabeth patted her lightly. "I'm fine now, aren't I?"
  • Just then, Lance returned from finishing his call. "I've already checked with the director. He promised to call a few specialists for consultation and draft up the best treatment plan for Grandma."
  • In gratitude, Tia stood up and thanked him sincerely. "Thank you, Lance."
  • "Your trouble is mine, too," Lance said while looking at her, not giving a damn about Lewis, who was standing beside them.