She shot him a look, checking if he had more to say.
She told Susan to head back first.
With no one else around, Anthony lashed out, "Elizabeth, you're outrageous! I never pegged you as a gold digger! I'm your boyfriend, we've been together for so long, but you never let me touch you! And now, Michael's still in bed! You actually wanna have his kid!"
"Having his kid means I get his money. Why wouldn't I?" she snapped back, aiming to hurt him.
But Anthony wasn't playing by the rules.
"Elizabeth, I've got a plan. Michael can't get it on with you now, so he can't knock you up. But I can! Then we can tell Grandma it's Michael's kid. It will still be a Thomas. Even if she's pissed, she won't deny her great-grandkid," Anthony piped up.
Elizabeth knew Anthony had been cheeky, but she never thought he could go downhill from that road.
"Anthony, are you dumb?" Elizabeth sneered, "Everyone around Michael is ruthless. If they find out I'm pregnant with your kid, do you think they'll let you off the hook?"
Elizabeth's words were like a cold shower, chilling Anthony to the bone.
He knew better than anyone how ruthless Michael's crew was.
After Michael's accident, they had toned it down a lot.
But that didn't mean they were gone.
"Elizabeth, let's not fight about this now. We'll talk after Michael kicks the bucket," Anthony said.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him, "What if he never dies? Can you wait for me forever?"
This question left Anthony speechless.
Seeing his silence, Elizabeth laughed mockingly, "I'm heading back. Mary has a doctor waiting for me at Michael's place."
Two doctors took Elizabeth to the hospital for a check-up.
After stimulating ovulation, they retrieved Elizabeth's eggs to prep for IVF.
Michael had previously frozen his sperm at the hospital.
Lying in bed, Elizabeth felt her heart racing, "How long will it take to work?"
The female doctor said, "It's hard to say. It could be as quick as three or four months, or it could take much longer." After a pause, she added, "You're so young, it might work on the first try."
Autumn rolled in.
In the evening, after a shower, Elizabeth came out of the bathroom.
As usual, she wore her pajamas and sat on the bed next to Michael.
She began to gently pat her calves.
She glanced at the still-sleeping Michael beside her.
Over time, Elizabeth had gradually gotten used to having Michael, her immobile husband, by her side every night.
Even though the first few nights were rough to fall asleep, she managed to sleep like a baby every night now.
Sometimes, she even slept so soundly that she'd wake up in the morning to find herself clinging to Michael like an octopus.
At first, it freaked her out.
Later, she figured, since Michael couldn't feel anything, he wouldn't know.
Emboldened by that thought, she'd snuggle into Michael's arms, pressing close to his chest since then.
Michael stayed still, like he was letting her do whatever she wanted.
She leaned against him, placing her hand on his chest.
Through the thin fabric of his pajamas, she could clearly feel Michael's muscles.
His body was warm and conveniently perfect for the cooling weather.
Elizabeth thought, if only Michael were healthy.
With Michael's looks and money, how many people in the world would envy her!
But sadly, Michael was a man who wouldn't live long.
Then the thought of the remote chance for her to be Mrs. Thomas if that wish came ture stopped Elizabeth from patting her legs.
She raised her body from the bed and got to on her knees.
She lifted his arm and placed it on her own legs, gently massaging it.
As she massaged, she said softly, "I heard bedridden patients get poor blood circulation. I'm helping you so that when you wake up, your muscles won't be stiff."
After massaging his arms, she started on his legs.
Michael's legs were beautifully shaped. Even though he'd been bedridden for half a year, his leg muscles hadn't atrophied.
It seemed Michael was tall, with long legs.
If he stood up, he'd have a perfect head-to-body ratio.
Elizabeth's small hands diligently massaged Michael's legs.
When she got tired, she'd sit down to rest for a while.
As she massaged, she chattered on, "Michael, I heard you've never had a girlfriend. People gossiped that your body might catch some disease, but I think you're in pretty good shape!"
She continued massaging down his inner thigh.
Tired of the hard work, she started to sweat and took off her outer robe, leaving only a thin camisole.
Suddenly, Michael's eyes opened, his deep amber eyes like a gemstone.
At that moment, he was staring fixedly at her hands near a certain part of his body.
Then, he turned his gaze to Elizabeth.
She was so startled by the light in his eyes that she stopped what she was doing.
Although she had seen him with his eyes open before, every time she saw it, Elizabeth would find herself amazed.
"Was I too rough? But I wasn't using any force!" She continued to massage his left leg.
Her movements were very gentle, definitely not enough to cause any problems for Michael.
The next second, she widened her eyes in shock, frozen in place.
He looked at her and asked hoarsely, "Who are you?"
His speech was slow but full of authority.
"Michael, you're awake?" Elizabeth's eyes widened as she looked at his face.