"Carol!" Stuart hadn't even processed what was happening when Elbert was already sprinting over.
In the blink of an eye, Stuart saw flames shooting up!
Without thinking twice, he grabbed Elbert from behind, handed him off to someone nearby, and then dashed into the fire himself.
After the chaos, everyone ended up at the hospital.
Carol was rushed into the emergency room.
It all started when Carol was busy, and a staff member nearby messed up. If the stuff inside leaked, the staff member's hands would be toast.
Ignoring her own safety, Carol quickly fixed the mistake. But just then, flames burst out, burning through a wire, and the experimental equipment hanging above crashed down on her head.
Carol got hurt, the lab caught fire, and Elbert, held back by others, fainted from worry and anger.
So, they both got sent to the hospital.
Josephine got the call and hurried over.
Elbert was already awake. In his fifties, he looked like he was in his forties, always carrying that mature elegance. That was Josephine's old impression of him.
But today, he looked way older, with gray hair at his temples, and his once straight back was now slightly hunched.
Stuart stood next to him, whispering something.
Josephine watched from a distance. Sensing her presence, Stuart suddenly looked up and quickly walked toward her.
Seeing his red eyes, Josephine quickly asked, "How's Carol? Where's she hurt?"
"She might have a brain hemorrhage," Stuart said seriously. "We're not sure yet."
Josephine pulled out her phone, "I'll call Liam, and I'm going in."
Stuart nodded, "Okay."
Liam quickly sent someone with scrubs for Josephine and took her into the emergency room.
Carol's condition was better than expected; the bleeding wasn't severe and didn't need surgery. The main concern now was whether the hematoma would press on nerves and affect any part of her body.
Waiting felt like forever. Elbert stood there, and Stuart thought he might collapse any second. But Elbert refused to sit down. At first, he said a few words, but then his silence became scary.
He kept staring at the emergency room door, with a determination in his eyes that Stuart had never seen before.
Stuart felt that if anything happened to Carol, Elbert probably wouldn't make it either.
At that moment, Stuart suddenly felt all his previous complaints and resentment disappear. He thought his life was tough, but compared to his parents' suffering, his hardships were nothing.
They gave him life, which was the greatest gift. Many orphans grow up without parents and still stay positive. What right did he have to complain?
After what felt like an eternity, the emergency room door opened.
A nurse came out and directly addressed Stuart, "Are you Dr. Kalmien's family? The patient is stable now and will be moved to the observation room soon. You don't need to worry."
Elbert swayed, and Stuart quickly supported him.
Stuart thanked the nurse and, despite Elbert's struggles, took him to the doctor's office.
High blood pressure and a fast heart rate; the doctor gave him a blood pressure pill and told him to rest nearby, but Elbert insisted on going to the observation room. When they got there, Josephine was just stepping out.
"Carol hasn't woken up yet," Josephine said quickly, "but she's stable. You don't need to worry."
Elbert's eyes were red, "Josephine, is Carol really okay? Don't lie to me."
Stuart glanced at Josephine and quickly said, "Dad, would Josephine lie to you? Mom will be fine."
"Yes," Josephine smiled awkwardly, "once she wakes up, we'll observe her for four more hours, and then she can go to a regular ward."
After settling Elbert, Stuart went to find Josephine. "Is my mom really okay?" he asked.
Josephine showed him the test results on her phone, "Look, there's a hematoma here, but it's small and should be absorbed slowly. For now, it shouldn't press on any nerves. But with the brain, you never know. We just have to wait for Carol to wake up."
Stuart suddenly reached out and hugged her. Josephine was taken aback. Then, she pulled her hand out and patted Stuart's back. "Don't worry, Carol will be fine."
Holding her, Stuart felt a bit more at ease. He said, "Josephine, while my mom was in the emergency room, I thought about a lot of things. People are so fragile; you never know what kind of accident might happen. Josephine, you know what? I don't want to leave you anymore, not even for a second."
Knowing he was feeling down and prone to overthinking, Josephine said, "In this world, accidents happen every day, and we can't avoid them. But what we can do is love the people around us while we have them."
Stuart felt the same way. He had resented his parents before, but in reality, all the problems were his own.
Everyone thought he was steady and mature, but he had never truly grown up. He only wanted others to pay attention to him and never took the initiative to love others.
Josephine's departure made him grow up quickly.
He used to think that relationships weren't that important, and caring too much about someone didn't always lead to a good outcome, just like his parents.
If Carol hadn't loved Elbert so much, the past events wouldn't have hurt her so deeply. So, Stuart had found Doris and Donna. He even let others think his first love was Angela. But in his heart, Doris and Donna were just employees he paid.
Because he spent money, he could command them without fear. But in front of Josephine, he couldn't control anything, and that feeling made him extremely insecure.
It was only after Josephine left that he understood what it meant to love deeply and fear losing. And now, he finally understood what it felt like to truly like someone.
It was Elbert's decades of protection; It was Carol's decades of resistance; It was two people being awkward for decades, yet only having each other in their hearts.
It was very sad, yet still very touching.
And it was also fortunate that they didn't leave this world with regret and pain.
If an average person lived to be eighty, then they still had over twenty years to enjoy the sweetness of love.
He realized how lucky he was; it only took five years apart for him to understand this truth and learn how to love someone.
At this moment, Stuart was filled with gratitude. He hugged Josephine and whispered in her ear, "Josephine, I will always be by your side, and I will always love you."