Chapter 202 Henry Said He Cannot Give Grace Happiness
The surgery dragged on forever, like 16 hours or something.
It was a tough ride, but they pulled it off. But Henry? He was out cold. Just lying there on the table, clueless that Taylor's surgery was a win, clueless she was already out of the OR, and totally clueless about what tomorrow had in store.
Henry just lay there, taking whatever came his way.
Lucas yanked off his mask.
He stared at the monitor, face blank. The numbers were bad news; Henry's vitals were hanging by a thread.
Lucas was a doc, used to the whole life-and-death gig, but this time, he couldn't shake it off.
He leaned in close to Henry's ear and whispered, "Grace is still waiting for you! You really gonna check out like this?"
Henry didn't budge. Just lay there, pale as a ghost, like he was already gone.
Right then, a flood of memories hit Lucas, and in every single one, Henry was alive and kicking!
Lucas wasn't the crying type, but right now, he couldn't stop the tears from welling up.
His assistant came over and said softly, "Dr. Fitzwilliam, you gotta update the folks outside."
Lucas nodded slightly. "Got it."
He walked out of the OR.
There was a crowd outside; both the Windsor and Montague families were there. They were all on edge about Taylor, but no one had a clue Henry was in there too, hanging by a thread.
Lucas walked up to Grace. He spoke softly, "The surgery went great!"
Grace covered her mouth, tears of joy streaming down her face as she looked at Clara.
Clara was just as pumped and happy.
Lucas took a deep breath and said, "Taylor's gotta stay in the ICU for a few days. Once we're sure she's good, she'll move to a regular room." With that, he turned to head back into the OR.
Grace suddenly called out, "Lucas!"
Lucas froze and turned to look at her.
Grace hesitated and asked, "What about Henry? Is he still in there? Why haven't we seen him come out?"
Lucas's throat tightened.
Just as he was about to speak, a voice chimed in, "The surgery just wrapped up, and Mr. Montague got a call. There was an emergency at the Harmony City branch, so he had to rush over there. He might be gone for a bit."
Celeste walked over quickly as she finished speaking.
Celeste was in her business getup, like she came straight from work. With her explanation, Grace had no reason to doubt. She just figured Henry had to jet off to Harmony City last minute.
But she felt a pang of disappointment. She'd hoped to see Henry when they got the good news about Taylor.
Clara gently held her hand.
When they were alone, Clara brought up Grace and Henry's future. Grace looked down and thought for a bit before saying, "Let's talk about it later, Clara. I used to hate him so much, but now I'm not so sure."
Clara got it. In those moments when Grace felt totally lost, Henry had been so kind to her; how could she not be touched?
A week later, Taylor got moved to a VIP room.
Even though Taylor was still weak, she was doing great after the surgery. She lay against the white pillow, her voice soft like a kitten's. "Mom, I had a dream."
Grace gently stroked her face and asked, "What did you dream about, sweetie?"
"I dreamed about Dad!" Taylor said.
Taylor's little face scrunched up as she tried to remember the dream, but she couldn't recall much.
She looked at Grace and murmured that she missed Henry.
Grace softly reassured her, "Daddy's on a business trip to Harmony City. He'll be back soon, and then you can see him."
Taylor nodded and closed her eyes to sleep.
But as soon as she drifted off, she dreamed of Henry again. She dreamed she was crying for her dad in the operating room, but he just lay there, like he couldn't hear her.
"Daddy, Daddy," Taylor kept murmuring in her sleep.
Grace heard her and thought she just missed Henry too much. Taylor was usually super attached to him.
In the dead of night, Grace stood alone by the floor-to-ceiling window.
She looked down at her phone. She hadn't heard from Henry in days. She'd sent him tons of messages on Facebook about Taylor's recovery, but he hadn't replied to any of them.
She thought maybe things were just crazy in Harmony City.
But something felt off. Henry loved Taylor so much; he wouldn't ignore her messages because of work. She'd thought about calling him, but their relationship made her hesitate.
She figured she'd wait a bit longer. 'Maybe tomorrow, Henry will reach out and come back from Harmony City,' she thought.
In the ICU of the Montague Group Hospital, Henry lay quietly.
He'd donated nearly half of his bone marrow and a third of his plasma to save Taylor.
Henry had used his own body to save Taylor's life.
Lucas had been keeping watch, his eyes bloodshot, but Henry's condition wasn't looking good.
Just then, the door to the ICU swung open, and a nurse's hushed voice came from the doorway, "Mrs. Montague, you can't go in there. This is the ICU. Dr. Fitzwilliam..."
The nurse couldn't stop Aurora; she barged in.
Aurora stood by the door, staring blankly at the man lying on the hospital bed. His features were so much like Henry's, his build so much like Henry's.
But how could this be her Henry?
Her Henry was always so full of life, so proud. How could he be lying here, motionless?
She must be mistaken!
Henry couldn't be lying here. He couldn't have done something so crazy. She'd raised him herself, and she had never taught him this, never taught him to trade his life for a child's life!
Aurora couldn't handle it. She shook her head gently, her lush hair falling loose, streaked with silver.
In the dead of night, Aurora's anguished cry echoed, "Henry!"
Aurora grabbed Lucas's collar, screaming hysterically, "Why did he end up like this? Why?! Turn him back, turn him back."
Lucas suppressed his emotions, speaking in a low voice, "This was Henry's choice! Between him and Taylor, he chose Taylor. He loves Grace and the kid! I don't think he would regret it."
Aurora took a step back. She murmured, "Love, yes, he loves Grace and the kid! But did he ever think about his mother? How am I supposed to live, how am I supposed to live without him!"
Aurora collapsed to the ground, her hair disheveled, crying bitterly, "Lucas, take my blood, take my blood to save Henry. Take as much as you need, as long as it can save him, take as much as you need!"
The night grew darker.
Lucas felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Neil also arrived, staring blankly at the scene before him.
It was only then that he realized that when Henry came to see him that night, it was to say goodbye, to arrange his future. Despite how Neil had wronged him in the past, Henry still couldn't bear to leave him without support. He gave him money for his old age, but never speaking of his own suffering.
Neil, with trembling hands, reached out to touch his only son, Henry. He didn't even dare to ask if Henry would ever wake up.
Aurora wouldn't let Neil touch him. She grabbed Neil by the neck, venting her pain. "Neil, our son might never come back, he might never wake up again."
Aurora cried out in anguish.
She pushed and shoved, treating Neil like a piece of dough, and she cried out even louder, "If there's retribution, take Neil's life, take my life. Henry is my son."
The machine flashed red and made a sound.
Henry's left hand moved slightly. In his coma, he heard the noise, a noise that reminded him of a rainy night many years ago, very much like Aurora's anguished cries, "Neil."
Henry slowly opened his eyes.
Aurora stopped screaming. She saw Henry open his eyes; she saw Henry wake up.
In the dead of night, the lights were bright.
Lucas conducted a full-body examination on Henry. The results were not good. Henry was awake, but his bodily functions had shut down. His limbs were weak, and his right hand was nearly beyond neurological function.
Henry calmly accepted the reality.
For the rest of his life, he might be confined to a wheelchair, his right hand unusable, needing to start practicing with his left hand.
To put it bluntly, he had become a cripple!
Henry had no regrets. Lying on the hospital bed, he said calmly, "Taylor is my child. I did all this willingly. Don't tell Grace. We're not married anymore; she has the right to a better life."
Lucas couldn't listen any longer and walked out.
Aurora half-knelt by the bed, pounding on it, crying out, "Henry, why did you do this! Grace loves you so much. If she knew you ended up like this, she would stay by your side."
Henry closed his eyes, a hint of moisture at the corner. "I once kept her locked up in the name of love for so many years. Now, I want to set her free."
Aurora kept crying uncontrollably.
Henry quietly stared at the bright light above. He thought, Aurora didn't get it. He wasn't in pain now; actually, he was kinda happy.
Grace once said he didn't understand love, but now he did. Love wasn't about holding on or forcing; it was about letting go.
Grace still hadn't seen Henry, even with Taylor about to be discharged.
Celeste kept dropping by, always saying Henry was swamped with work in Harmony City. Over time, Grace knew that wasn't the case.
She had tried calling, but no one answered.
On the day Taylor was to be discharged, Grace thought long and hard and decided to go back to Tranquil Heights. She wanted to wait for Henry to come back.
After finishing the discharge paperwork and just about to leave, Aurora showed up.
A month had passed, and Aurora looked way more worn out.
Aurora's expression was a mix of emotions and unease as she looked at Grace. She lowered her stance a bit. "Can I hold Taylor? After all, I am her grandmother."
Clara hesitated but left the decision to Grace.
Grace thought for a moment and didn't object.
She hated Aurora, and she still hadn't let go of that hatred, but she could see that Aurora genuinely loved Taylor. She didn't want to show too much hatred in front of the kid.
Aurora, given the nod, held Taylor tightly. She had so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't get a single word out. She could only hold Taylor, the child for whom Henry had nearly given his life.
Aurora's tears flowed freely.
Grace stood to the side, not understanding Aurora's feelings, unable to offer any comfort.
There always seemed to be a barrier.
Aurora wiped her tears. When she looked at Grace again, she spoke in a low voice, "I wronged you in the past! You can hate me, but don't hate Henry!"
She couldn't say more. She had promised Henry not to tell Grace.
Henry had said he was now a cripple and couldn't give Grace happiness. He said Grace was only 29 and had a long life ahead of her. He said that in time, Grace would meet someone she truly loved.
Aurora touched Taylor's face again and left hurriedly. Staying any longer would drive her mad.
Taylor looked at the door and said softly, "She seems so strange! She seems very sad."
Grace felt sad too. She held Taylor and, after thinking for a moment, told her, "That's your grandmother! Daddy's mom."
Taylor didn't quite get it.
Grace smiled slightly, holding Taylor's hand as they left. Once they were in the car, she thought for a moment and sent a Facebook message to Henry: [Henry, Taylor and I are waiting for you at Tranquil Heights!]
Grace thought this message would also go unanswered.
But about five minutes later, Henry replied. He only sent a few brief words: [I'm sorry! I'm with Esme.]