The trip to the hospital felt so long. Amy bit her lower lip while praying that her parents and sister would be okay. She was worried because the hospital staff who contacted her said that her parents and sister were treated in the emergency room (ER). If they only had slight wounds, surely they wouldn’t stay in the ER.
“Amy, everything will be alright. Don’t worry.” Jacob squeezed Amy’s hand.
She nodded while still sobbing. “I hope so.”
They didn’t speak anymore until they arrived at the hospital. Jacob and Amy rushed inside to go to the registration department. There was no queue, so they could go straight in.
“I’m Amy Brooke. I just got a call from here, probably from the registration staff. She said my parents (Peter and Melanie Brooke) and my sister (Jillian Brooke) had a car accident and are now in the ER.” Amy took a deep breath and shed her tears. “Is the information correct?”
The registration staff did not immediately respond. “Wait a moment, please. Let me check our data first. Please wait and I’ll notify you soon.”
Amy nodded. She stumbled when she wanted to walk to the waiting seats. Jacob caught her hand and led her to sit in the provided waiting chairs. In a frantic state of mind, Amy couldn’t think straight. She could only pray that everything would be alright, that it might be only a cruel joke or nightmare.
He put his arm around her waist and whispered comforting words. “Relax, everything will be fine. We’ll just need to wait.”
After a while, Amy finally calmed down. She waited to hear from the registration staff, and it felt like hours. Amy watched the staff calling someone and nodding. After about half an hour, a doctor came into the registration office. Then the hospital staff spoke to the doctor, then nodded and glanced at Amy and Jacob’s direction.
The doctor and staff walked over to Amy and Jacob. After nodding, the registration staff said, “Ms. Brooke, this is Doctor Benjamin who takes care of Mr. Peter, Mrs. Melanie, and Ms. Jillian Brooke. I will let the doctor explain everything. I must take my leave now.” Afterward, the staff returned to her office.
Doctor Benjamin shook hands with Amy and Jacob. “Ms. Brooke, please sit down first.” After they sat, Doctor Benjamin said, “I’m really sorry. Mr. Peter and Mrs. Melanie couldn’t make it. When they were brought to the hospital, they were bleeding badly, and there was nothing we could do. I’m sorry that Mr. Peter and Mrs. Melanie already passed away when they arrived at our hospital.”
Amy’s tears burst in no time. Jacob hugged Amy and squeezed her shoulders. Everything was gloomy, and she couldn’t find words to say. After a while, Amy finally asked through her sobs, “Then what about Jillian, Doctor?”
“Ms. Jillian is still in the ER. We strive to stop the bleeding. Yet a special operation is needed for that which cannot be postponed any longer. We need signatures from the immediate family for the approval of the operation.”
Amy nodded with a sob. “Okay, Doctor, I agree for my sister to have surgery. Where should I sign?”
“I will take the forms and the agreement letter.” Doctor Benjamin got up from his seat and returned to the registration office. Before long, he returned with a folder. He issued a statement containing information about Jillian and a statement of consent from the patient’s family for the operation. Amy quickly signed everything, as she knew time was crucial. Every second might determine Jillian’s life or death.
“Can Jillian recover, Doctor? Will the operation work to save her life?” Amy looked at Doctor Benjamin with blurry eyes because her tears kept flowing down. “Please save my sister, Doctor. I beg you. She’s my only family now.” She sobbed again.
“We will give our best, Ms. Brooke. The rest, we leave it to God. I will prepare surgery for Jillian now. After the operation, I will give you more information on her condition.”
Amy nodded. “Yes, thank you, Doctor.”
After that, the doctor left them. Amy and Jacob waited for hours. It was one at dawn. “Jacob, you go home first. The operation may take a long time.”
He shook his head. “I will wait here.”
When Amy was about to argue, Jacob’s cell phone suddenly rang. He quickly glanced at his phone screen. “My mom. I have to pick this up,” Jacob said to Amy. “Hello, Mom?”
“Jacob, where are you? Why don’t you come home? What time is it now?” Jacob’s mother grumbled.
“Mom, I accompany Amy. Oh, yes, she has accepted my proposal.” Jacob glanced at Amy with a smile and reached out to hold and squeeze her hand.
“That’s great! When are you guys getting married? I wonder if we must have a speedy wedding. Did you already impregnate her?” Jacob’s mother asked non-stop.
Jacob chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, Mom, no! I’m in the hospital right now. There’s been car accidents. Uncle Peter and Aunt Melanie died in an accident. Amy’s sister is currently waiting for surgery.”
“What? Good grief!” Jacob’s mom said. “I understand. You should stay with Amy until it’s clear what her situation is. If, for example, she becomes the heir to her family’s business, you two should get married right away. The sooner, the better.”
Jacob took a deep breath. “Mom, don’t rush. Amy still has to take care of her sister and graduate first.”
“Her sister is the blind one, right?” Jacob’s mother let out a tsk sound. “Ouch, it will bother you later when you marry Amy. Ah, but that’s okay. You can pay a nurse to take care of her sister.” After a moment of silence, she continued her words. “If Amy doesn’t inherit her family business, or it becomes a difficult situation for you to continue your relationship with her, cut ties with her. Understand?!”
“Mom!” Jacob protested. He took a deep breath then stood up and walked farther from Amy. Afterward, he let out a heavy sigh. “How can I leave Amy in her difficult condition? She’s my fiancee.”
“You’ve only been dating her for three months. If you find a better partner, you should definitely leave her.”
Jacob couldn’t argue with what his mother said though he disagreed with her. He said nothing because he knew it was useless to argue. “Let’s just pray that everything will be fine, Mom. Alright then. I want to accompany Amy again. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”
“Remember what I said. If she will be a burden, leave her! There are still many eligible women who can be your wife. I like Amy only because she is the heir to the family business. If she turns out to be poor, why are you still with her? It’ll be just a waste of time.” After that, Jacob’s mother hung up the phone.
Jacob put his phone back into his trouser pocket and returned to Amy. “My mom asked me to tell you she was happy for our engagement and expressed her condolences too. She prayed Jillian’s operation will work well.” He lied to Amy because it was impossible for him to tell her the truth.
She nodded and smiled a little. “Please say my thank you to your mother. Maybe if Jillian’s surgery goes well, I’ll come over to your parents’ house to thank her in person.”
“Just relax. The important thing now is Jillian’s recovery.”
After that, they said nothing and continued waiting. Jacob nodded off in a chair until Jillian pitied him. She touched his shoulder. “Sleep first. We can take turns later.”
Jacob yawned and nodded. “Okay. Wake me up three hours later. It’s your turn to rest, and I will wait for the doctor.”
Amy nodded. Jacob leaned his back against the chair. After closing his eyes, his breathing soon became regular, showing that he had fallen asleep. Amy took a deep breath. So many thoughts were in her mind. Her only hope was Jillian’s operation would be successful.
After staying awake from night until dawn, despite her efforts to stay awake, the mixed feelings of grief, shock, and anxiety were too strong to resist. She stretched to straighten her sore arms, waist, and back. As soon as she opened his eyes, Amy saw Jacob who was still fast asleep. Amy smiled a little. She touched Jacob’s cheek gently. “Jacob, wake up. It’s morning already.” Jacob groaned, then took Amy’s hand and held it. “Beautiful. You are beautiful, my dear,” he mumbled at sleep. Amy stroked Jacob’s cheek and sighed. At least in this tragedy, she was not alone. There was still Jacob beside her. Everything would be fine she said to herself, trying to lift her mood. Jacob was still asleep while holding Amy’s hand. At that moment, Amy remembered she had not paid the hospital bill. Last night when signing the operation agreement letter, in one form, it was written how much she must pay. The bill already reached ten million for the surgery and the ER handling for his parents and
Amy was about to go to Jillian’s room, but then she heard her cell phone ringing. It was Sunday morning, and it was rare for her friends to call so early. Usually if they wanted to invite Amy to hangout, they would call in the afternoon or evening or just leave a message. They knew Amy would reply to the messages immediately. Looking at the phone screen, it was from an unknown phone number. So, Amy ignored the call and rushed to Jillian’s care unit. However, soon there was another calling. It was from the same number. Amy sighed because it was annoying. As the daughter of a billionaire family, her phone number was linked to the bank account and credit card. Thus, many telemarketers often called her to offer many things: to apply for other credit cards and insurances. Thinking the phone call was from a telemarketer, Amy finally snapped. She turned off her phone and let out a heavy sigh. Her temple throbbed right away because of her lack of sleeping. She rushed to room 305. Opening t
After asking Doctor Benjamin if Jillian could eat regular food, Amy waited for the nurse to bring breakfast for Jillian as meals were provided. Sadly, Jillian couldn’t eat the fast food until she truly recovered. Jillian ate porridge a little, then complained of headache and nausea. Later, she vomited and stopped eating. Amy panicked and called the doctor again. Doctor Benjamin rushed to Jillian’s room to find she was unconscious. Doctor Benjamin pressed a button. “I must check Jillian’s condition again through CT Scan.” Then some hospital staff entered Jillian’s room. They asked Amy to leave the care unit first and waited in the waiting room while they moved Jillian to the CT Scan room. After a while, Doctor Benjamin approached Amy. “Ms. Brooke, your sister’s condition needs the second surgery as there is a ruptured aneurysm—bleeding in the brain.” Amy clenched her hands together and asked, “Why does she experience it, Doctor?” “It can be because of the high blood pressure,
Jacob turned off his phone, sighed, and then rubbed his temple. It was around ten a.m., but he had already got a headache. Being an only child wasn’t easy. With a dominant mother, Jacob could only succumb to his mother not because he couldn’t fight her, but because he didn’t want to have a headache every day. When he returned to the table, Amy smiled at him. “You must be hungry. I have opened your box. Eat it now.” Jacob ate without talking. He didn’t know what he would do if his mother pressured him to end his relationship with Amy. But he could only hope everything would work well in the end. Though it might be a new hell for Amy if she married him later. Jacob let out a heavy sigh again. “What’s wrong? Did your mother complain you didn’t visit her?” He shook his head. “No, but my mother loves to force her will against mine. It’s a common problem for me. Maybe it’s because of lack of sleep, so I find she is quite annoying today. I know she does it because she loves me, but somet
Jacob went to his parents’ house. Knowing from his experiences, if he didn’t visit his mother soon, she would be more and more angry with him. He drove his silver sports car after sending a text message to his mother. ‘I’m on my way to visit you. Please wait for me, Mom.’ The traffic was crowded, and it took him twenty minutes more than it used to be. He calmed himself first before going out of his car. As his mother would bombard him with her demand, Jacob intended to do his best not to ignite his mother’s rage. Since no matter what he said or did, he wouldn’t win against her. Then he rang the bell. A butler opened the door for him. “Young master, great to see you.” “Where is my mom, Gerald?” “She is waiting for you in her room.” What Gerald meant by Tanya’s room was her working room. It was a spacious room fit for receiving guests. The socialite guests often visited Tanya in her room, as they would talk and share the latest gossip. Jacob nodded and headed to the room. Tanya wa
Gwen dabbed her eyes carefully with a handkerchief, so she wouldn’t smear the mascara. Then, after letting out a sigh, she pouted at Jacob. “Is this how you treat the one who will help you?” “Help me?” Jacob wrinkled his forehead. “How can you help me?” Gwen smiled prettily, then sat on the couch. She waved at Jacob, gesturing for him to come and sit next to her. He finally relented and sat next to her. She scooted to sit nearer to Jacob and reached out to hold his hand. “Jacob, before we will start planning everything, I want to make a confession.” “A confession?” He raised his eyebrows. “What is it about? That you only pretended to be Amy’s best friend to stab her?” “No!” She shook her head. “Of course not! It’s about you!” “Me?” He frowned. “What is it?” Gwen bit her lower lip. Then she lifted her eyes shyly to stare at him. “I have fallen in love with you for a long time, even before you knew Amy.” Jacob widened his eyes. “But why have you never approached or showed your fee
Back at the Good Health Hospital, Jillian’s second surgery went well. However, Jillian was still unconscious. Doctor Benjamin ensured Amy that it was normal. So Amy sent a text message to Jacob. ‘The surgery was a success. Jillian returned to her room. However, she is still unconscious.’ Amy waited for Jacob’s reply. However, she got no reply, even after two hours. She was worried because Jacob had never taken so much time to reply to her message. But then, as she knew Jacob visited his mother, she assumed he was busy with his mother. So, she ordered some meals for dinner, using her credit card through a food delivery application on her phone. However, each time she tried to pay for the meals, the payment was declined. Amy tried a few times in some other restaurants on the application, but she got the same result. Considering there might be a problem with her phone connection. Amy turned it off for a while. Then, after turning on her phone, she tried one more time. However, it was
Since too busy to tend to her sister, Amy didn’t pay attention to the news. However, after talking with Wayne Sullivan, she immediately opened her browser. With a trembling hand, she typed Jewelry Palace. In a few seconds, she got so much news about the car accident, her parents’ death, and also her sister admitted to the hospital. She scrolled the news and held her breath to see there was a newsflash about the new heir of Jewelry Palace. It was announced this morning. Amy almost dropped her phone because she was too shocked. She bent her head on the table as heavy sweat poured down from her temple. It wasn’t a nightmare, but it was a bitter reality. She didn’t know what she must do. The only one she wished to talk to was Jacob. However, Jacob didn’t reply to her either. Drops of tears moistened her face. ‘Oh, God, what should I do? How can I pay the credit card bill?’ Amy wept and kept bending her head on the table. Her arms curled to support and covered her head so people who w