Chapter 272
The surgery lasted a full six hours.
At three in the afternoon, the operating room doors slowly opened.
A nurse emerged, holding a form for Willow to confirm and sign.
"How's my grandmother?" Willow looked toward the operating room but didn't see Maria.
The nurse said, "The patient was taken through another passage to the ICU."
Willow's hand trembled as she signed.
The nurse explained, "The surgery went very smoothly. However, it was a major surgery. The patient needs to be monitored in the ICU for three to five days. If there are no adverse reactions, she can transfer to a regular room."
Only then did Willow relax.
After signing, the nurse led her to Maria's ICU.
This was Willow's countless times waiting outside an ICU since Maria fell ill.
Watching Maria sleep inside, Willow's anxiety was no less than during surgery.
Though the nurse hadn't said so, Willow knew—these days in ICU carried risks no smaller than the operating room itself.
Any sign of organ rejection, and Maria would be rushed to emergency care.
For three full days, Willow kept vigil outside the ICU, barely daring to blink.
That sensation of being watched never faded either.
Not until the specialist in charge of Maria found her with news that Maria was out of danger and could transfer to a regular room did Willow finally relax completely. On the spot, she lost her battle with exhaustion, closing her eyes and falling asleep.
"Someone..." The specialist stood across from her, seeing her just fall asleep like that. He wanted to call someone to take her back to a room.
Before he finished, Ruth whispered something in his ear.
The specialist swallowed his words.
They waited beside Willow for a while. Sterling's figure appeared in the corridor, walking up to them. He thanked them, gathered Willow in his arms, and left with steady steps.
Willow slept deeply, not even noticing she was being carried away. In her sleep, sensing the familiar scent, she unconsciously burrowed into Sterling's embrace, fingers gripping his shirt tightly.
When Sterling laid her on the bed, it took some effort to get her to release her hold.
"Sterling," Willow murmured unconsciously, "I'm sorry, really... I'm sorry..."
Sterling stood beside the bed, looking down at Willow.
Through surveillance these past days, he could tell she'd lost considerable weight.
Just now, holding her, she'd felt light as air, almost weightless.
This time had been hard on Willow, too.
She was struggling like this, yet still hiding it, refusing to tell him the truth.
Sterling sighed silently, touching her pale cheek. "It's okay."
He knew her difficulties, so he wouldn't blame her.
Hearing his answer in her sleep, Willow quieted.
Sterling watched her a while longer, then rose and headed for the door before she woke.
He'd only gone a short distance when he heard Willow's barely audible sleep-talk behind him: "Baby..."
Sterling's steps came to an abrupt halt.
Willow's behavior outside the operating room days ago resurfaced in his mind.
Sterling slowly turned back, returning to her side, coaxing in a low voice, "Willow, what did you just say?"
Willow frowned uncomfortably, turning to face away from him without answering.
Sterling patiently tried again. "What about the baby?"
No matter how he asked, Willow wouldn't speak again.
Sterling waited a long while before finally leaving.
"Mr. Lancaster." Ruth, worried about Willow, came up to check. "Is Ms. Spencer alright?"
She didn't know if it was her imagination, but Sterling's expression seemed even worse than Willow's.
Sterling also felt his mind wasn't quite working right. After several seconds of silence, he said, "Give her a full physical examination."
Ruth's brow furrowed with concern.
Then she heard Sterling add, "Don't let her know. Give me the results directly when they're ready."
An order from the top—Ruth naturally didn't dare refuse. "Okay."
Sterling said nothing more, walking past her.
As they passed, Ruth's peripheral vision caught his form seeming to sway. She instinctively turned to look at him.
The next second, she saw Sterling collapse straight down.
Ruth gasped. "Mr. Lancaster!"
---
In the hospital room.
When Willow woke, it was already the next morning.
Opening her eyes to find herself in a hospital bed, Willow's mind went blank for a moment.
After a while, she recalled the memories from before she'd passed out.
The specialist said Maria was stable and could transfer rooms. Then she'd been too exhausted and fallen asleep directly.
But why was she here?
Before she could figure it out, sounds came from outside.
Willow got up to investigate.
Medical staff were carefully wheeling Maria back to her room.
Ruth was among them.
"Ms. Spencer, you're awake." Seeing her, Ruth smiled as usual. "Mrs. Spencer's condition has stabilized. She might sleep more these next couple of days—just let her rest. If anything comes up, you can find me."
Willow agreed, helping them settle Maria back in the room before seeing the group out.
As they were leaving, Willow stopped Ruth. "Thank you for everything these past few days."
Ruth had helped her tremendously while she'd been with Maria.
Ruth smiled. "It's my job. Besides..." She was just following orders from above. If Willow wanted to thank anyone, it shouldn't be her.
She didn't dare finish the thought.
But thinking of Sterling, her expression grew grave.
Willow knew what she'd been about to say, yet couldn't help asking, "After I fell asleep, who brought me back?"
"Well..." Ruth looked conflicted, afraid that if she said it, Willow would cry endlessly like last time.
"I understand." Willow lowered her gaze, threads of sadness weaving through her heart. "Thank you."
Ruth didn't dare linger. She hurriedly left.
The room held only Willow and the still-sleeping Maria.
Willow took out her phone. After a long hesitation, she sent Sterling a message—
[Thank you. But we've already broken up. Please don't concern yourself with me anymore.]
The better Sterling treated her, the guiltier she felt.
After sending it, Sterling didn't reply for a long time.
Willow feared he simply didn't want to respond. She didn't dare follow up, only waited silently.
That afternoon, Maria woke. Charles came too.
"Grandmother, how are you feeling? I was busy with other matters these past days—only had time to visit today." Charles explained.
Maria remained coldly indifferent toward him.
Charles talked to himself for a while. When he rose to leave, he revealed his true purpose. "I'm taking Willow to buy you some things. I'll send her back later."