Chapter 55 Unexpected Change
Arthur's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone, and you could almost hear the sound of his finger bones cracking.
Aria, held by the wrist, could clearly feel his palm sweating uncontrollably.
Something must have happened.
Though she didn't know what, seeing Arthur like this made her heart race with panic too.
After a long while, he finally spoke,: "Okay, I got it."
He hung up and said to Aria, "My mom's plane had an accident."
Aria's mind went blank, her heart jumping to her throat: "What happened? Mom, is she..."
A plane accident was no small matter! Could it be a crash?
The number of people who'd survived plane crashes since airplanes were invented could be counted on one hand!
Arthur let out a heavy breath. "The plane ran into strong turbulence shortly after takeoff and had to make an emergency landing."
"But you know my mom's health condition. When the plane started shaking, she couldn't handle it and passed out right there. After the plane landed, she was rushed to the hospital."
"I don't know if she can still... I need to go see her."
Aria quickly said, "I'll go with you. Let me drive - in your state, I'm worried you'll have an accident."
"Which hospital? Did you get the details?"
They talked as they headed out. Arthur pulled out his phone and navigated to the hospital address. It was far from here - at least four hours by car.
Time was tight. Any later and who knew what might happen.
Aria didn't care about anything else. She floored the gas pedal, and the car roared forward with a loud rumble.
"Don't panic," she said while driving, trying to comfort him. "Didn't they say the plane landed right away? The hospital is close to the airport, so with quick treatment, she should be fine!"
Arthur bit his lip hard, clutching his phone tightly. "I hope so."
The scenery outside flew backward. She stared straight at the road ahead, suddenly remembering how Elizabeth had held her hand before leaving.
"Aria, you and Arthur need to treat each other well. If he does anything wrong, call me and I'll scold him for you!"
She had just nodded then, not saying anything, her mind full of thoughts about divorce.
Now thinking back, she should have said more.
At least she should have said, "Mom, you take care too."
By the time they arrived, it was already dark. The car screeched to a sudden stop at the hospital entrance.
rthur pushed through the door and ran inside. Aria hurried after him, but it was too dark—the hospital entrance lights were dim. She stepped on something and slipped, falling forward.
"Ah!"
She cried out as her knee hit a sharp rock directly. She felt like her kneecap had shattered, and half her leg swelled with pain.
Warm blood flowed down, quickly soaking half her pant leg. When the wind blew, it felt cold again.
Arthur heard the sound and turned back. Seeing her kneeling on the ground, he paused, hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran back to help her up.
"How are you? Can you stand?"
Aria's face was pale with pain, but at least her stomach was fine. She tried to move her leg - another sharp pain shot through.
"I... I'm okay." She gritted her teeth and pushed him. "Go see Mom first. I'll take care of this myself."
Arthur looked down and saw half her pant leg soaked in blood. He was startled.
"How is it this bad?!"
"I must have hit a rock. You go ahead!"
"Let me get you to the ER first." Arthur bent down to pick her up.
Aria pushed him again. "I'm really fine. Go check on Mom."
"She's already at the hospital with doctors treating her. Even if I go, I'll just be waiting outside." Arthur's voice was heavy. "You're like this now - how can I leave you?"
He picked her up and strode toward the emergency room.
Aria couldn't use one leg and could only lean against him.
Being this close, she clearly felt the muscles in his arms tense up. His familiar scent filled her nose, bringing an indescribable sense of security.
Something in her heart ached, but she quickly pushed it down.
They were getting divorced - why think about this?
The emergency room was crowded and noisy.
A nurse saw Aria's bleeding leg and quickly pushed over a wheelchair."How did you get hurt?"
"Fell down." Arthur helped her into the wheelchair. "Her knee hit a rock. The bone might be injured."
The nurse did a quick check of the injury and clicked her tongue a couple times, pointing to a treatment room in the corner. "Go there first for treatment. A doctor will be right over."
Arthur pushed the wheelchair over. Aria sat in it, looking at her bleeding knee.
He squeezed her shoulder and pulled her close to him: "It's okay, don't be scared."
Aria murmured and said, "You should go. There are doctors here."
"I'll stay with you first."
Soon a young female doctor came and examined the wound. "The wound is too big. It needs to be cleaned and stitched. Let's get an X-ray first to see if the bone is okay."
While she was getting the X-ray, Arthur went to check on the emergency room. The light was still on, and he could vaguely see doctors working.
He stood outside for a while, then went back to the ER.
Aria had finished the X-ray. The doctor was about to clean her wound, pouring the solution directly on it. It turned into white foam in the wound.
It must have hurt terribly. Aria's face twisted in pain. She bit her lip hard, and soon blood was flowing from her lips.
Arthur quickly walked over, covering her eyes with one hand and gripping her chin with the other, forcibly rescuing that piece of lip. Then he put his own hand into Aria's mouth.
Aria bit down, though with much less force than before.
After a long while, the disinfection and stitching were done. The doctor wrapped layers of gauze around her knee.
"All done. Come back in ten days to remove the stitches. Remember to change the dressing daily, keep the wound dry, and you can ice it if the pain is too bad."
Aria nodded, her face pale.
Arthur stared at her leg, his eyes trembling slightly. "Be more careful from now on."
"Okay." Aria let out a soft breath. "How's Mom?"
"Still being treated." He reached out and gently wiped the blood from her lips. "Next time it hurts this bad, don't bite yourself."
"...Okay."
They both fell silent.
People came and went in the hallway - crying children, anxious family members, medical staff rushing back and forth.
Aria watched it all and suddenly felt incredibly tired.
Today was supposed to be the day she finally ended her marriage.
Now she was sitting in a hospital, her knee wrapped in gauze, sitting next to the man who had just become her ex-husband.
How dramatic.