Chapter 123 He Made Alex Sad
Alexander frowned slightly and instantly changed his mind. "I'll have Roy pick you up."
Vera was surprised. "You're not free? I'm your mother! Your mother sprained her ankle! Aren't you even going to come check on me?"
Alexander mercilessly burst her bubble. "First, I'm not Dad. If you want someone to spoil and coddle you, go find Dad abroad—don't come to me. Second, you sprain your ankle three times a month on average, fall down four times, and bump into things five times. You can cry to me for half a day over the tiniest bruise. Don't you know that when people hear too many lies, they become immune? Let me remind you again—I'm not Dad."
Hearing this, Vera was so angry she nearly spat blood. Full of resentment, she said, "You think I love coming back here? You think I keep running back because I miss you? If you didn't keep doing things that worry people, who would abandon their gentle husband to come find you? I'm just afraid that woman has bewitched you. Does she even deserve you? Am I supposed to just watch you go astray?"
Her voice was so loud it gave Alexander a headache. He held the phone away from his ear, his voice deepening with displeasure. "Whether she deserves me or not is for me to decide, not you. To me, she's the perfect match in the world. If finding her counts as going astray, would you rather I bring home a boyfriend for you to see?"
On the other end of the line, Vera's eyes widened in disbelief at what she was hearing.
A boyfriend?
He meant if she kept interfering, he'd turn gay just to spite her?
Was it really worth it? She'd only said a few bad things about his girlfriend—was that worth such a huge sacrifice?
Alexander had already hung up.
Vera sheepishly lowered the phone from her ear, not daring to call back. She was always a bit intimidated by this son of hers. She only dared act up when he was in a good mood. Once he got angry, she got scared.
Thinking about this, Vera felt indignant. She was so wonderful, and her husband was so wonderful too—how did they end up with such an ice block for a son?
It must be her husband's bad genes.
She pursed her lips, and suddenly noticed a figure beside her out of the corner of her eye. Her expression darkened as she said irritably, "Why are you still here? Didn't you hear my son is coming to pick me up? You're not needed here anymore. Go away!"
Rachel stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether to leave or stay.
After being dismissed by Vera earlier, she had been unwilling to give up just like that. She figured Vera would be leaving the club, so she had secretly poured a bucket of oil on the steps and hidden nearby. Sure enough, Vera came out soon after and slipped on the steps, tumbling down seven or eight stairs and spraining her ankle.
She had pretended to be passing by coincidentally and quickly helped Vera up, using tissues to clean her off. She thought having another chance at contact would be enough, but unexpectedly, Vera had directly called James.
When James initially said he'd come, she was overjoyed, thinking she'd really struck gold this time. She had already planned how to greet James, but then he changed his mind about coming, and Vera was being cold to her after hanging up.
She still wasn't willing to leave just like that. Ignoring the disgust in Vera's eyes, she said attentively, "Young lady, your ankle is seriously injured. By the time your son arrives, it'll probably be swollen. Let me go ask the club for some ice to apply first."
Vera wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but Rachel had already hurried into the club.
Calling her "young lady"?
Vera's lips twitched upward. Hmph, at least she had some sense.
Two minutes later, Rachel quickly emerged, placing an ice pack on Vera's already swollen ankle. She said with some concern, "I hope this helps a little. With such a severe sprain, you'll probably need to stay in bed for several days."
Vera looked at her coldly. "Alright, now that the ice pack is on, you can leave."
Rachel paused, then looked up with a helpless smile. "Young lady, I don't know why you have such hostility toward me. This is our first meeting—I haven't offended you, have I? If I said something wrong earlier that offended you, I apologize, okay?"
Vera snorted coldly. "I've seen plenty of your type when dealing with my husband's admirers back in the day. Don't think you can fool me just because I look young. You're here for my son, aren't you? I may not know which family you're from, but since I've never seen you before, you must be a nobody. My future daughter-in-law must come from noble birth. You'd better give up that dream right now."
Rachel looked helpless and shook her head. "I know that no matter how I explain, you've already made up your mind that I have ulterior motives. Since that's the case, I won't say anything more. Your family hasn't arrived yet, so I'll keep you company a bit longer. When they come, I'll leave. Is that acceptable?"
Vera studied her for a few moments. So straightforward? Was this a scheme, or had she really wronged the girl?
Little did she know, Rachel was also calculating. Now that she had made Vera suspicious, plus she'd heard James refuse to come over the phone, continuing to stick around like gum would only make Vera more disgusted without gaining anything.
Better to leave gracefully—maybe that would make Vera think better of her.
So when Roy's car arrived, Rachel stood up and smiled friendly at Vera. "Young lady, your family is here. I'll be going now. Bye-bye."
She left decisively, without showing any displeasure. Vera frowned as she watched her retreating figure. Had she really guessed wrong?
When Roy arrived, Rachel was already gone. He respectfully helped Vera up, steeling himself as he said, "Mrs. FitzRoy, I'll take you to the hospital."
Vera snorted coldly. "What hospital? I might as well just die—living is just a burden anyway!"
Roy didn't dare respond to that, thinking to himself that she was the most beloved person in the entire FitzRoy family. Saying such things—didn't her conscience hurt at all?
But regardless, he had managed to get her in the car and completed Mr. FitzRoy's assigned task.
However... he glanced at the now-empty corner in the distance. That figure leaving earlier had seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was.
Since Madam hadn't mentioned anything, it was probably just someone passing by coincidentally.
Roy looked away, not giving it much thought.
Soon it was Saturday.
Early in the morning, Arabella and Alexander picked up Percy and headed to the hospital where Dr. Kessler was working.
Frank was waiting for them at the hospital entrance. Seeing them arrive, he hurried forward to greet them. After saying hello to Arabella and Percy, he tugged on Alexander's sleeve, signaling him to slow down.
Alexander paused, falling behind Arabella and Percy. He glanced at Frank and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The director knows you're here and asked me to send his regards. From the looks of it, if you hadn't stopped him in advance, he could've organized a welcome banquet at the hospital entrance." After his complaint, Frank got to the main point. "The equipment donated to Dr. Kessler's department has arrived. Dr. Kessler just found me privately—he's feeling pretty overwhelmed."
After all, anyone who receives a massive donation out of nowhere would feel uneasy.
Moreover, the donor had no other requirements except asking him to treat one person's legs in his area of expertise. It would be fine if the treatment succeeded, but if it failed, those expensive equipment would be quite a burden.
So Dr. Kessler had approached him, wanting to sound out this major benefactor's intentions.
"He says he'll do his absolute best to treat the patient, but if the patient's nerve conditions aren't good enough, there's also a possibility of failure. If it fails, he hopes you'll be merciful."
Alexander's lips curved slightly at this. "I'm not running a gang. If he can't cure the patient, am I going to ship him off to Mexico? Tell him to focus on treating the patient and not worry about anything else."
Frank laughed at this response. "You've really changed after being around Ms. Bourbon for so long—you've become all gentle and refined. I don't know where that grim reaper from before disappeared to."
Alexander glanced at him. "You should be grateful she's reformed me. Otherwise, just based on those two sarcastic comments, I'd have to exile you to Africa."
Frank shrank his neck, not daring to speak anymore.
Although he and Alexander were good friends, Alexander owned the hospital where he worked. The hospital recently had a program supporting Africa, and he definitely didn't want to be sent there.
Who would want to give up the bright lights and happy life of Majestic City to suffer in Africa?
Alexander laughed at him. "You're a doctor. Shouldn't you serve the weak and sick?"
Frank scoffed. "Doctors can't save the whole world."
While talking, they had reached Dr. Kessler's office.
Dr. Kessler was a man over fifty with graying hair, a square face, and a cheerful demeanor that gave people a very kind feeling. The glasses on his face added a professional touch to his kindness.
When the group entered, he first looked at Frank. Frank nodded slightly, and Dr. Kessler looked excitedly toward Alexander, wanting to say something, but seeing Alexander's expressionless face, he didn't dare speak.
Frank finally said, "Let's examine Mr. Bourbon's legs first."
Only then did Dr. Kessler breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to Percy and said politely, "Please lie down over here, and I'll examine you."
Percy had never met such a prestigious doctor and was quite nervous. Arabella was even more respectful, afraid of offending this medical authority and having him refuse treatment.
What they didn't realize was that Dr. Kessler was actually walking on thin ice himself.
The examination required some instruments, several of which would cause obvious pain. Dr. Kessler was practically sweating, trying to be as gentle as possible, using the smallest settings, and still feeling uneasy. He kept confirming with Percy over and over, "It won't hurt too much, will it? There might be a little pain—please try to bear with it..."
His overly careful manner left Percy confused. This was a medical authority, right? Did higher status really make people nicer? Not only did he have no airs about him, he was almost excessively friendly.
Arabella was also puzzled. If she hadn't known Dr. Kessler's identity beforehand, she would have thought he was a scammer trying to empty elderly people's wallets with false care...
But these thoughts only flashed through her mind briefly. Her attention was focused on her father. Seeing the examination was complete, she quickly asked, "How is it? Can my father's legs be treated?"
Dr. Kessler had finished reviewing the test results and was looking gravely at the data. Hearing her question, he replied, "Fortunately, the spinal damage isn't too severe. We can try surgery. I can't guarantee success, but there's hope."
This result exceeded both Arabella's and Percy's expectations. They looked at each other, both excited. Percy quickly asked, "When can I have the surgery?"
He hoped it would be as soon as possible. He was tired of this life in a wheelchair.
If he could stand up, he would never be a burden to his daughter again.
Arabella also looked at Dr. Kessler expectantly.
Dr. Kessler had originally wanted to say the surgery date was to be determined, since he was only scheduled to stay in the country for seven days, with tomorrow being his last day before returning abroad. The patient had been paralyzed for three years anyway—a day or two more wouldn't matter. He could perform the surgery after settling his affairs abroad.
But when he looked up and saw Frank desperately signaling him with his eyes, his heart skipped a beat. Following Frank's gaze to the expressionless man beside him, he suddenly felt that... maybe he didn't absolutely have to leave tomorrow.
His young doctors abroad didn't necessarily need him there either. They were mature doctors who should learn to handle difficult cases on their own.
Dr. Kessler had a sudden realization and went with the flow. "How about we schedule it for tomorrow?"
If they rushed through the pre-surgical tests today, they should be able to complete them... right?
Both Percy and Arabella were shocked. "Tomorrow?"
So soon?
Three years ago, when Percy's legs first became paralyzed, Arabella had taken him to see many doctors. Forget about top-tier doctors like this one—even second-tier domestic doctors required booking appointments several days in advance. After consultation, you still had to wait for the doctor's schedule and hospital room availability. Percy had undergone three surgeries back then, each taking at least a month to arrange.
But to have surgery with this golden-resume Dr. Kessler... casually scheduled for tomorrow?
Honestly, if Frank and Alexander weren't personally standing there as guarantees, Arabella would really suspect she'd encountered a major scammer.
Alexander spoke up at the right moment, helping Dr. Kessler out. "We got lucky today—Dr. Kessler happens to be free tomorrow. Since this is a personal favor surgery anyway, we shouldn't delay his departure the day after. Tomorrow it is then. What do you think, Arabella?"
Arabella was naturally more than happy to agree. She quickly said to Dr. Kessler, "Yes, that's perfect. Thank you for the trouble."
Dr. Kessler didn't dare accept her thanks for the "trouble"—with hundreds of millions of dollars invested, his professional pride had long been crushed. Whatever the benefactor said went.
So the surgery was set for the next morning.
Percy needed to be hospitalized for pre-surgical tests in preparation for tomorrow's operation. There were dedicated medical staff to handle all his needs. After getting him settled, Arabella left with Alexander.
Coincidentally, as they reached the hospital entrance, they ran into Blake, who was there to see Frank.
Arabella instinctively looked at Alexander. Seeing no expression on his face, she turned her gaze to Blake.
Although Blake had helped her before, she didn't want to deal with him at all now. After all, he was the one who had hurt Alex's feelings.
She was still hesitating whether to go over and greet him when she suddenly received a call from Becky's homeroom teacher: "Ms. Bourbon, we need you to come to the school. Becky has gotten into trouble."
Arabella immediately forgot about everything else and replied urgently, "Okay, I'll be right there. Thank you for letting me know."