Chapter 256 Who Was Hospitalized
After the plane landed, Leopold switched his phone back on and saw a WhatsApp message from Caroline. He immediately called her.
"How is she? Is it serious?" Leopold asked. "Okay, got it. I'll take Lily home first."
After Leopold hung up, Lily said, "You don't need to take me. Go ahead if you have something urgent."
Leopold said, "I'm going to Seaside City Hospital anyway—it's on the way to your place."
Lily asked, "Who's in the hospital?"
Leopold replied, "Caroline's good friend, Erica. She just got rear-ended on the expressway."
"Is it serious?" Lily asked with concern.
"Not sure yet. She's already at the hospital, but Caroline hasn't arrived. We don't know the details."
Leopold dragged his suitcase quickly toward the exit and tried calling Maddox, but no one answered.
He said anxiously, "What's Maddox doing? Never picks up when you need him."
At that moment, Maddox was at the construction site of Solstice Mountain Hotel. It was hot from working, so he'd left his jacket in a construction vehicle nearby with his phone in the pocket. The construction noise was loud, and he didn't hear it, missing several calls.
Caroline was the first to reach the hospital. She rushed to the emergency desk and asked the nurse, "Excuse me, was a woman named Erica just brought in from a car accident?"
The nurse said, "Yes, just now. Go to Emergency Room 1 to find her."
"Thank you."
She rushed in anxiously, her heart pounding.
When she ran into Emergency Room 1, there were six beds inside. Caroline looked around and spotted Erica lying on a bed in the corner by the window.
Her eyes were closed, her forehead wrapped in gauze with faint bloodstains seeping through the center. Against her complexion, she looked pale as paper, her thin body buried under white sheets. Caroline's heart sank.
Caroline came to the bedside, her lips trembling without realizing it. "Erica, Erica."
The person on the bed kept her eyes tightly shut, breathing long and steady, as if asleep.
Caroline's gaze moved to Erica's hand. She slipped her hand through a gap in the sheets and held it—still warm and soft.
"Erica," Caroline called softly.
Erica opened her eyes and said drowsily, "I heard you, I heard you. Calling like the grim reaper. Almost died today—lucky me."
Caroline gripped her hand with both of hers. "You scared me to death. Where else are you hurt?"
Erica yawned and pointed to the gauze on her head. "Just this spot."
Caroline said, "That doesn't make sense. The person on the phone told me you were badly hurt and I should come right away."
Erica scoffed. "When they carried me out, I was covered in blood. Anyone would've thought I was done for. But actually, I just had a small cut on my head. The doctor who treated me said I hit a capillary, so the bleeding looked scary."
Caroline asked, "Did you tell the doctor you're pregnant?"
There were restrictions on medication during pregnancy. After being brought in on a stretcher, Erica had informed the doctor.
"I did."
Only then did Caroline relax. "Thank goodness. You're sure you're not hurt anywhere else?"
A forced smile appeared on Erica's face, and her voice was weak. She'd always thought she wouldn't have morning sickness, but just now, smelling the mix of disinfectant, coffee, sandwiches, and other complex odors, she couldn't control herself and threw up everything, including her brunch. Now her stomach was empty, and she felt very weak.
Caroline asked, "You look exhausted. Do you want to eat something? I'll go buy you something."
Erica held her back and shook her head. "Don't buy anything. I can't eat anything right now. Just smelling this disinfectant makes me want to throw up."
"Then what should we do?" Caroline asked anxiously.
Erica said, "I'll transfer to the inpatient ward soon. The smell will be lighter there."
A nurse found Caroline to handle Erica's admission procedures. Because Erica was pregnant, many tests needed to be arranged by the attending doctor after admission.
After completing the admission, Caroline pushed the wheelchair into the elevator and went straight to the tenth-floor maternity ward.
The inpatient ward environment was much better than the emergency room—at least it wasn't as crowded.
After helping her onto the bed, Caroline's phone rang. It was Leopold calling. He was already in the emergency room. Caroline told him the room number and hung up.
Erica opened her eyes, her voice weak. "Leopold came too? Isn't he on a business trip?"
Caroline said, "He just got back today."
Erica closed her eyes again. "No need to visit—it's nothing serious. Caroline, I've been working late on a project, and I'm seriously sleep-deprived. I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Caroline pulled the blanket up over her. "Sleep then."
Leopold found the room according to the number Caroline had given him. As soon as he entered, he saw Caroline gesture for him to be quiet.
She got up and walked toward him, pulling Leopold into the hallway to talk.
Caroline asked in a low voice, "Where's Maddox? Call him and tell him Erica was hit and she's in the hospital."
Leopold said, "I already called him on the way here. No one answered."
Caroline had also tried to contact Maddox right away, but no one picked up.
"What's wrong with him? He's never around when you need him." Caroline was worried. "The attending doctor just called me over. Based on Erica's current test results, they suspect signs of threatened miscarriage. They need to discuss treatment to prevent it and need a family member to sign. Erica's parents are still traveling out of town, and she won't let us tell them. They can't get back right away, and telling them would just make them worry."
Leopold said, "Don't worry, I'll try calling again."
He walked aside and called Maddox again—still no answer. This time, he contacted the front desk at Solstice Mountain Hotel and learned Maddox was at the outdoor construction site behind the mountain. He immediately sent someone to find him and have him call back.
After hanging up, Leopold said, "Found him. He's at the construction site—probably didn't hear his phone."
Caroline sighed.
More than ten minutes later, Maddox called back.
"Leopold, you're back?"
Leopold asked, "Why didn't you answer your phone?"
Caroline was right there and heard the voice on the phone say, "My phone was in my jacket. It got hot, so I threw my jacket in the car and didn't hear it."
Leopold said seriously, "Erica was hit by a car. Get to Seaside City Hospital right away—tenth floor inpatient ward, room 1019."
"What happened to Erica?"
The electric drill noise nearby was loud. Maddox didn't hear clearly and quickly walked to a quieter spot, hearing Leopold say, "Erica was hit by a car. Get to Seaside City Hospital right away."
Maddox felt his head buzz, as if a train was roaring through his ears. After a few seconds of ringing, he said, "Okay, I'm on my way."
He rushed toward the parking lot, running the whole way.
In the hospital room, Erica had just finished eating clear soup and fallen asleep. Caroline picked up some fruit nearby. "I'll go cut some fruit."
Leopold was exhausted after a long flight and leaned against a stool nearby to take a nap.