Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“They didn’t take away my phone, so I secretly texted Blake and sent him my geolocation. And he came for me.”
Elspeth did not see anything wrong with her words, but they were simply jarring to Callum.
“Why do you always text him first every time you got into trouble?”
He was green with envy at her unfair treatment of him.
She chuckled.
“It’s no secret that our Mr. CEO here is busy all the time. When would you have the time for me? Tthought you had to mentor your new hires.”
Her words reeked of sarcasm, but she did not mean it seriously. She only wanted to banter. Truth was, she had thought that it was Callum who got her text.
His face soured when he realized that Elspeth was still mad at him and Alaina.
“I told you before that my relationchin with Alaina is not what you imagine We are merely hoss and emnlovee “
“Boss and employee, you say? And deres that normally involve hugging?”
She was reminded of the scene by the roadside stall. Alaina threw herself at Callum, who did not push her away. That was a sure hint of his feelings for Alaina, Elspeth decided.
“You saw that?”
Callum was taken aback, for he did not expect Elspeth to have witnessed the scene.
“So what? I saw you really enjoy hugging Miss Sullivan. You do not have to explain your relationship with her to me. Even if you fall for her, it is none of my business anyway.”
She sounded cynical, but she felt extremely saddened when she looked at his face. It’s true. Men’s sweet talk can never be trusted, else I would be left with nothing once the relationship gor’s past its honeymoon phase.
Callum was speechless at her remark. He felt a slight sting of pain when he heard her describing their relationship with such indifference.
“Alright. I have something to deal with. Leaving now,”
he said to her and tucked her in. Then, he left the ward.
Callum went to Blake’s operating room personally. After all, they were brothers who shared an amicable relationship. Callum felt sorry to see him hurt, especially when it was for Elspeth.
The lights in the operating room remained turned on when a doctor emerged from within. She admitted,
“The patient is in a bad condition. He’s in a state of hemorrhage and shock. We suspect that the poison has spread in a state of hemor across his body. Why don’t you.. sign the notification of imminent death for now?”
Callum’s face darkened the moment he heard that.
“I do not care what means you will exhaust, but save Blake Winthrop. The notification of imminent death? Pfft. Even the Grim Reaper cannot take him away. If anything bad happens to him, you quacks will have to bear the brunt too.”
Knowing that Callum was notorious for his ruthlessness in the whole of Damoria, the doctor shivered.
“O- Okay. We… will try our best.”
She hurried back into the operating room as Callum stared grimly at the door sign. After some thinking, he made a call to Elspeth.
“Blake’s condition is quite critical. The doctor said he is hemorrhaging and going through shock. The poison must have spread in his body. He’s likely…”
Callum stopped himself right there, but he was prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Elspeth put aside her grudge against him and hopped off the bed, putting on her shoes in a frenzy.
“Tell me now! Where is the operating room located?”
“The east-most side on the third floor.”
“Wait for me. Before I arrive, tell the doctors to stop his bleeding. Do not move his body around!”
She rushed to the venue as soon as possible. When she arrived, she saw Callum sitting on the bench outside with a long face, staring at the ground, thinking.
He shook his head. She wanted to ask more questions, but the door flung open. Out came the doctor from just now, who looked quite nervous.
“Mr. Winthrop, it’s not that I don’t want to save him. We’ve tried our best……… His condition is too grave. Putting aside the poisoning, we couldn’t even stop his bleeding…”
Then, she urged with a look of anticipation,
“Why don’t you sign the notification of imminent death?”
Elspeth looked at the trembling doctor and went up to her.
“Do you have a sufficient supply of herbs in your hospital?”
The doctor was surprised and confused by the question. What herbs?”
“Medicinal herbs,”
The doctor puffed her chest proudly.
“Of course! Our hospital has the biggest collection of medicinal herbs. You want something, we got it.”
“If so, could you let me operate on him?”
The doctor was stunned by her proposal and pursed her lips, looking unconvinced.
“Girlie, don’t play around. Not to mention you’re still recovering. And do you really think that the operating room is open to all? Quit fooling around. We’re trying our best to save the patient’s life, so don’t cause trouble here.”
Elspeth frowned deeply, but she suddenly thought of an idea.
“Have you heard of Sonny Schwartz?”
“Sonny Schwartz? Of course. Who doesn’t know the legendary Sonny Schwartz?”
The doctor’s eyes sparkled with admiration at the mention of Sonny’s name.
“I’m his prot?g?-the one and only.”
The doctor widened her eyes with a wild look of disbelief.
“How could you be Sonny Schwartz’s prot?g?? He’s been living in seclusion for a decade. I heard that he went abroad to take on a professorship at a medical university. How did you get to know him?”
“I studied abroad. It’s not surprising that we crossed paths.”
Taking on a professorship? Sonny is just a lazy bum living his retirement life in a city abroad.
“I heard that the country hasn’t found a breakthrough in AIDS treatment. What if your hospital takes the lead?”
Elspeth made an enticing offer.
“AIDS? It’s an incurable disease. Girl, you are too young. Putting aside the legitimacy of your relationship with Sonny Schwartz, you have to know that no one could cure AIDS after so many years. You’re making it up just to get into the operating room.”
The doctor looked gleeful for seeing through Elspeth’s
“trick,”
or at least that was what she thought.
“I am not bluffing. The treatment for AIDS has gone through new developments overseas, and we have cases of full recovery. Doctor, I believe you know right from wrong. If I go in there and save a life, not only will you save a patient, but you will also open up a new opportunity for the hospital, and for that, you would be promoted accordingly. Even if I couldn’t save Blake, Callum is here to witness the process, and I will shoulder the responsibility. What is there to worry about?”
Elspeth calculated the pros and cons, and the doctor seemed to sway in front of the offer as she shot a look at Callum, waiting for him to say something.
“Let her in.”
Hearing that, the doctor felt reassured and got her staff to bring Elspeth the scrubs and mask. Then, she led Elspeth into the operating room.
An eternity later, the operating room sign was still turned on. The hospital staff went in and out multiple times to deliver medicinal herbs.
