Chapter 134: The Edge of Hope

Why are they taking so long? While everyone was panicking and pacing back and forth, Isabella was still in the operating room. The minutes felt like hours as Isabella's mom rushed to Alex, gripping his hand tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Are you sure she's really going to survive this? What if something goes wrong? What if she’s not able to cope? I don’t want that at all. I just want my daughter back. I don’t mind managing her despite the fact that she’s pushing me away," Isabella's mom said to Alex, desperation lacing her voice.

Alex tried to console her, forcing a smile to raise her hopes. "Nothing like that is ever going to happen. I promise you. The doctor is the best, and he promised to do everything he can. She will survive this more than you even expect. You would not believe how well this will go. Forget the fact that he said 50/50; he was only telling us that to temper our expectations in case her body rejects the recovery," he explained, his voice steady.

Isabella's mom nodded slowly, clinging to his words. "Fine. I will accept your word. I will accept what you say and just patiently wait for her to wake up. I just hope she’s going to be in good health by the time she wakes up. I just hope her brain does not reject what they are trying to do for her," she insisted, before moving to her husband. He seemed a bit calmer, but she could see the tremors in his hands as he prayed fervently, his own worries evident.

Meanwhile, in the operating room, the doctor and the nurse were intensely focused on their work, knowing that every second counted. Another doctor monitored Isabella closely, ensuring that her body wouldn’t reject the surgery. Suddenly, alarms began to blare, and chaos erupted in the operating room. The staff exchanged frantic glances, instantly aware that something was wrong.

The nurse quickly pulled off her mask and rushed to the doctor, panic evident in her voice. "Do you really mean it? Is she going to survive this? Can’t you see her body is rejecting it? We should opt out now, return their money, and stop this surgery. This is very dangerous!"

The doctor raised a hand, silencing her. "Don’t say anything reckless. Cover your mask! Don’t tell me what to do. I have trained for this for years. She is going to come out of this. If her body rejects it, then we’ll administer more injections. She will come out of this unshattered," he asserted, but the nurse felt a chill run down her spine. The odds were not as favorable as he claimed; it was more like an 80/20 chance of survival, and they had to lie to Alex to keep him from panicking and withdrawing consent.

As the doctor pressed on, the nurse’s heart raced with fear. Isabella was more than just a patient; she was a test subject for the doctor, who wanted to prove his capabilities with a rare case of memory loss through unnatural causes. The nurse felt a knot in her stomach, knowing that they were playing with fire.

Meanwhile, James sped down the road toward the hospital, anxiety etched on his face as Rachel sat beside him, equally frightened. She hoped that Tricia or anyone else wouldn’t catch up to them because that would complicate everything. All she wanted was to be friends with Isabella again, just like before.

As they drove, Rachel couldn’t help but notice how intensely James was reacting, even more so than Alex usually did. She whispered to herself, "What if James loves Isabella more than Alex does? What would happen if Isabella comes out of this and doesn’t love Alex anymore? Things are getting even more complicated."

James glanced at her, his focus unwavering. "Did you say something?" he asked.

She shrugged, trying to maintain her composure. "No, I didn’t say a word. I’m just… praying that Isabella comes out of this without any problems," she muttered. James nodded, and they soon arrived at the hospital.

As James rushed toward the entrance, Rachel pulled him aside, urgency in her voice. "Don’t rush in like that! If you let your emotions get the best of you, how do you expect Alex and her family to react? Tricia would attack you too. We need to think this through. Don’t panic; I know how you get when you’re overwhelmed," she pleaded.

James nodded, trying to steady his breathing. "I’m not panicking, but I can’t shake this bad feeling. Something is going to go wrong. I just know it," he said, his voice laced with unease.

As they approached the emergency room, the doors swung open, and the doctor emerged, flanked by nurses. James instinctively stepped back, hiding in the shadows to eavesdrop on the conversation. Alex, his face tight with impatience, stepped forward. "Tell me, Doctor, what’s wrong? How is she? Did she face any difficulties?" he pressed, anxiety radiating from him.

The doctor’s face fell, and James could see the grim news written all over it. Whatever had happened inside was not good, and the weight of uncertainty pressed heavily on everyone waiting outside.

The operation was successful.

“Everything turned out well,”

The doctor said to Isabella's mom as they were worried, displaying on his face, but she didn't notice it. She only heard the part where he said that the operation was successful. As Isabella was being carried out of the operating room on a stretcher to a regular room, her mother stopped them and caressed her hair, saying,

“Thank God I'll finally get you back. Now you can finally recognize me. Once you wake up, I'll be sitting right there waiting for you,”

she said to Isabella, who was lying unconscious on the stretcher. Alex also went to check on her and looked at her intently. He felt so much happiness, but he couldn't express it as he stood in one place looking at them. He waited for them to finish talking to her so he could go check on her and the doctor, well on her health.

Her mother kept on caressing her hair and didn't want to let her go. But the nurse made her understand that she had to be moved into a regular ward. The mother finally let her go, and as they wheeled her into a regular room, the mother stood there and faced the doctor.

“So how is she? Hope she's fine now. Everything is alright?”

The doctor looked down disappointedly and said,