Jimmy had already been rushed to the operating room when his parents arrived.
Standing in front of the operating room, Ariah looked like a ghastly statue as her body was stained with Jimmy's blood.
David tried to talk some senses into her, "Ariah, the surgery will take a while. You've been standing for too long, and you'll fall sick if you go on like this. Please go and take a seat over there."
She hadn't slept all night, and hadn't taken a bite. To make matters worse, she witnessed Jimmy being shot. Even the toughest woman in the world could never stand such a blow.
Yet, David's words fell on deaf ears. Ariah remained standing silently, as if she didn't hear anything.
Sighing, David gave up persuading her.
At this moment, there were hurried footsteps behind them followed by Ben's voice, "Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, please calm down. Captain is in the operating room now. He'll be fine. Don't worry..."
David looked back and saw Ben escorting Mack and Ella towards them.
Obviously shocked by the news, Ella looked as pale as snow.
Meanwhile, Mack spoke in a rather calm manner. "Who is the surgeon? Does your director know about Jimmy's accident? How long has he been in the operating room? Did any doctor come out to report his condition?"
Ben answered, "We called Director Sherlock immediately after the accident happened. He quickly called the hospital to arrange for the best surgeon. So far, no updates from the operating room yet."
"No news is good news." Mack nodded.
"Yes, you're right. Don't worry. Captain will definitely be okay."
Mack took his wife to sit down and comforted her. "Calm down, our son will be fine. Don't panic."
When Ben went to the Hudson residence and informed them about the accident, Ella was so worried that she almost fainted.
How could she not be worried, as the person lying in the operating room was her son?
Wiping her tears, Ella asked, "How did this happen?"
Ben pursed his lips and recounted, "The arrestee suddenly grabbed the gun and directly pulled the trigger at Captain. Everything happened so quick that we didn't have time to react."
"D- Didn't he have any protection gear on him? Didn't he wear a bulletproof vest?"
"N-No. We didn't bring enough..." Ben hesitated.
Mack frowned at Ben's remark in dismay. "What do you mean by that? Didn't you think of this when you were on the mission?"
Ben then bowed his head with shame. "Because Ariah was with us when we were on the mission. Captain gave his vest to her to prioritize her safety. We wanted to give our vest to him, but he refused, so..."
"What?"
Ella's expression changed drastically when she heard that. "Are you saying that my son was shot because of Ariah?"
Dumbfounded, Ben definitely did not think that Ariah should be blamed for what happened.
The moment Ella arrived, she saw Ariah standing at the door of the operating room. Now that she knew what was going on, the anxiety instantly turned into fury that prompted Ella to stand up, rush to Ariah, and slap her on the face.
Ella's palm firmly slapped across Ariah's face, a crisp sound resonating the corridor.
Without even trying to dodge, Ariah let Ella's hand fall on her cheek.
She knew that Ella was on the verge of indignation. If she didn't let Ella vent her anger, Ella might resent her for the rest of her life regarding this incident.
Hence, she was willing to take the blow silently.
Seeing Ariah being slapped, David was even more anxious than her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ariah replied with a smile.
The process of waiting was long, torturous, and painful.
Two hours later, the door of the operating room was finally opened. A doctor in a white coat emerged from the inside.
Ella rushed forward in a hurry. "Doctor, how is my son?"
After taking off his mask, the doctor then announced with a smile, "I'm glad to inform you that the operation went smoothly. We retrieved the bullet from the patient's body. He will be transferred to the inpatient department now. A nurse will take you there later."
When Ella heard that Jimmy was fine, she instantly felt relieved.
Ariah let out a sigh of relief, and only then did the tears that she had been trying to hold back all this while fall.
Ella and Mack followed the nurse hurriedly, but Ariah, who had been on pins and needles the entire time, sat on the chair, as still as a rock.
"Ariah?" David called, puzzled. "Why don't you go with us to have a look?" Ariah had been worried sick about him. Now that Captain's surgery was a success, she should be the first to rush to his side, shouldn't she?
However, she only smiled. "Jimmy's parents must be worried the most right now. Let them go first. I'll visit him later."
David nodded. Glancing at Ariah's swollen cheek, he asked, "Are you really alright?"
Knowing what he really meant, Ariah nodded with an affirmative hum. Then, she said as something flashed across her mind, "Watch your tongue and don't say anything when Jimmy wakes up. Just treat it as if nothing happened. Do you understand?"
"But..."
He thought, "Captain would be so heartbroken if he knew about it."
"It's not a big deal. There's nothing to say about." Ariah paused for a moment before continuing, "Let's go take a look now. We can help out if there's not enough staff."
Amused, David huffed. There were staff aplenty here in the hospital. They couldn't be of much help either because it was not their profession.
Moreover, although Ariah mentioned that she would go to Jimmy later, she was actually the most concerned of them all.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Because You Are My Lady novel (Sharon and Stanley)