Chapter 247 Self-Indulgent
Leopold asked, "How is he?"
Jack said, "Still in surgery, not sure yet."
Lily was confused, "How could he just get stabbed out of nowhere?"
It happened so suddenly. As Dash's lawyer, Jack was notified right away and rushed to the hospital. On the way, he contacted Lily and only mentioned that Dash was injured and being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, without going into details.
"The police said Dash got into an argument and a fight with someone inside. But I asked the doctor, and the wounds are concentrated on his back, which couldn't have been caused by a mutual fight." Jack changed the subject, "I suspect that someone might not want Dash to talk."
Leopold's eyes were cold as ice. He had thought of this as soon as he heard about Dash's incident.
"The simplest way to deal with Dash is to shut him up, and only dead people stay quiet."
"These people are really bold." Lily felt scared, then said to Leopold, "They must know Dash was saved. Will they come to the hospital?"
Leopold didn't hesitate, there was no time to think it over. "We need to move Dash somewhere else. I'll contact Prosecutor Federico."
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and dialed a number. The two people on the bench looked toward the closed door of the operating room.
Lily said, "Will this get you involved?"
Jack turned his face and smiled, "Worried about me?"
But Lily looked serious, "This isn't funny, Jack."
Jack comforted her, "You're overthinking it."
He stood up, but Lily stopped him, "Where are you going?"
"There's a coffee machine around the corner. I'll get you a cup of coffee." With that, Jack walked away.
He came back holding two cans of coffee, popped one open, and handed it to Lily, who took it and said thanks.
Jack said, "Don't worry, I won't get involved. It's fine."
Lily said, "Good thing Mr. Wipere had you arrange things in advance, otherwise Dash's situation could have been really bad."
Jack nodded, "Thanks to Mr. Wipere's preparation, Dash was able to avoid disaster. After returning home, he'll owe Mr. Wipere a big favor."
Lily hesitated to speak.
The old Dash definitely wouldn't have appreciated it, but this time, he should have a real wake-up call.
"Maybe."
After Leopold and Federico met in the park last time, they exchanged contact information. Unexpectedly, Federico already knew about Dash's injury and had sent someone to the hospital to protect him. They should arrive soon.
Leopold came back and told the two, "Federico sent people to the hospital. We'll leave the rest to him."
Jack handed coffee to Leopold and said, "But the police are here too, questioning the other injured person in the ward about what happened. They should be done soon."
Leopold said, "They definitely don't need to protect him. The people Federico sent will coordinate with them."
Lily lowered her voice and asked, "Do you also suspect there's a problem with people in the police station?"
Jack paused, "Whether there's a problem or not, it's hard to say, but right now the only one we can trust is Federico."
Leopold didn't deny it either, "After all, we're not locals. We don't understand the local judicial system or internal issues."
Lily vaguely sensed the situation was complicated and dangerous, and started worrying about everyone's safety.
At 2 AM, Dash was wheeled out of the operating room.
The doctor explained Dash's injuries: thirteen stitches on the head, four stab wounds from sharp weapons on the back, the spleen removed. The person still needed observation and was not out of danger yet.
The three stood in the hospital room, with two personnel sent by the prosecutor's office guarding the door to protect Dash.
The person on the bed hadn't woken up yet. Leopold said, "You two go back. I'll stay here tonight."
Lily said, "I'll stay too."
Leopold looked at Jack, "Having so many people here won't help. Jack, take Lily back to the hotel safely."
"Okay." Jack tried to persuade Lily, "Let's go, don't make Mr. Wipere worry more. It's already very late, let him rest a bit too. We'll come back in the morning."
Lily said, "Call if anything happens."
Leopold replied, "Yeah."
Right after they left, the police came to the ward.
After the two guards at the door talked with them, the police came in, saw that Dash wasn't awake, and left.
Near dawn, the person on the bed woke up. As the anesthesia gradually wore off, Dash groaned in pain, which also woke Leopold, who was dozing in the chair.
He suddenly opened his eyes, saw Dash moving, quickly put down his legs, and moved closer. By the dim yellow light of the bedside lamp, he called out, "Dash, Dash, how do you feel?"
Dash's lips trembled with pain, his throat making a hoarse response. Then, suddenly remembering what happened before he passed out, he grabbed Leopold's arm in terror, "Someone's trying to hurt me, trying to hurt me. Leopold, please take me back to Aquilonia, take me back to Aquilonia, please, save me."
Knowing to be afraid meant there was nothing wrong with your brain.
Leopold comforted him, trying to free his arm from the grip, "You're safe now. Outside are people sent by Prosecutor Federico specifically to protect you."
"Don't leave." Dash's eyes were terrified, breathing rapidly, gripping with frightening strength, as if Leopold in front of him was his only hope.
Leopold said gently, "I won't leave. I'm right here."
Only then did Dash's emotions gradually calm down. His voice trembling, he said, "I'm safe now?"
Leopold nodded, "Can you remember what happened?"
The moment Dash relaxed, pain from the wounds swept through every nerve. His features were twisted and deformed. After bearing it for a moment, he said, "Yes."
"At the time, I was in line for food. Suddenly, someone pushed me from behind, and my tray hit the person in front of me. He turned around and punched me. Before I could say anything, my head hurt, and then I don't know what happened after that."
Leopold understood. The whole thing was deliberately planned, with the purpose of getting rid of Dash.
After leaving the hospital.
Jack's car headed toward the hotel. Through this time together, he had developed subtle feelings for Lily and thought this was a good opportunity to test the waters.
"Lily, does Mr. Wipere bring you on every business trip? Or did you know he was coming to Eldoria and wanted to come see?"
Lily was tired, leaning back in her seat to rest. Hearing this, she opened her eyes and said, "He doesn't bring me every time."
Jack winked. Lily hadn't been to Eldoria many times over the past few years, but every time she came, they would meet for dinner. It felt just like being at school—warm and familiar. They always had a great chat, and their relationship was somewhere between classmates and good friends. He was very polite, and she was easygoing, yet they had never talked about anything related to feelings.
Because she was so tired, her reaction was slow. Lily suddenly understood what he was wondering about and said, "Mr. Wipere decides whether to bring someone on business trips based on the project, and who to bring is also decided by the project. I'm not the only secretary in the company, but Mr. Wipere has many capable people around him, all chosen by himself."
So it wasn't her request to come.
Jack gave a self-deprecating smile. He had been overthinking it.