Chapter 137 137

Chapter 137 137
EVA

I woke up to the beeping of machines. My head throbbed with a dull ache that pulsed with every heartbeat and movement, and my entire body felt like it was put through a grinder. I tried to move, but sharp pain shot through my leg, to my ribs, then my arm. I blinked against the harsh light, trying to focus, but everything was blurry. White ceiling. White walls. The beeping of machines. The smell of antiseptic. I looked down at myself and saw bandages wrapped around my left arm, and my leg propped up on pillows.

What happened?

"Easy, easy." A hand pressed gently on my shoulder. "Don't move too quickly."

I turned my head, wincing at the pain. A nurse was standing by me. She was checking the monitors, adjusting something on the IV stand.

She wrote down something on a piece of paper and grabbed a glass of water. She helped raise my head up gently and let me take a sip of the water. It soothed my throat immediately, the scratchy sensation gone.

"Where am I?" My voice came out scratchy, barely a whisper.

"You're in the hospital, Ms. Bishop. You were brought in yesterday after the accident."

Accident?

I tried to remember, but my mind was blank. Fragments of images floated just out of reach. I looked down at myself. My left leg was bandaged from knee to ankle. My right arm was wrapped in gauze. I lifted my hand and touched my head too. There was a bandage wrapped around my forehead.

"What happened to me?"

"You were hit by a car. You've got a concussion, a broken leg, a few cracked ribs and some deep cuts on your arm. We had to stitch those up."

I stared at her, trying to process her words. 

Hit by a car? 

Yes, I remembered the car I was in being hit by another.

I looked up at that nurse. "What day is it? How long have I been unconscious for?"

"Almost thirty hours."

Thirty hours? Wouldn't that mean…?

I felt the air leave my lungs. "Thirty hours? I was supposed to be—" I stopped, the realization hitting me like a punch to the chest. The surgery. Lily's surgery. I missed it. I was supposed to be there, holding her hand as they prepped her for it.

Did it happen? Was it successful? Someone under emotional stress wouldn't be able to go under the knife, especially a child. I already told her I was going to be there. 

Is she okay?

The nurse's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Ms. Bishop. You've been unconscious for almost two days. We tried to contact your emergency contacts, but your phone is locked, thankfully it wasn't destroyed in the accident, but it did develop some issues."

I closed my eyes, the tears burning behind my lids. 

I missed it. I missed my daughter's surgery. I was supposed to be there. I promised him I'd be there.

"My phone." I looked at her again, my voice cracking. "Is it—can I—please, I need to call my daughter. I need to know if he's okay."

The nurse hesitated. "Your phone is completely dead, ma'am. The screen is shattered. We found it in your bag, but it won't turn on."

I felt the panic rising in my chest. "Please. Please help me. Can you charge it? I need to call my child. I need to know if he's okay."

She nodded slowly. "I'll see what I can do. Please remain seated, the doctor will be here soon."

She left the room, and I lay there, staring at the ceiling. 

What if she refused to go ahead with it because I wasn't there. 

This was our only chance to bring her back home. Surgery the doctors would still go through with it, right?

The door opened again, but it wasn't the nurse this time. A man who I assumed was the doctor walked in, and behind him stood two men in police uniforms.

"Ms. Bishop," the doctor said, stepping forward. "I'm glad you're awake. I'm Dr. Harrison. I've been overseeing your care since you were brought in."

He walked to the side of my bed and picked up my chart, flipping through the pages. He checked the monitor, noting the numbers with his eyes.

Doctor Harrison? Where even was I?

"How are you feeling?" he asked, setting the chart down.

"Everything hurts," I said.

He nodded. "That's to be expected. You took quite a hit. Let me take a look."

He reached for my wrist and checked my pulse, his fingers pressing gently against my skin. He pulled out a small penlight and shined it into my eyes, one after the other, but it only made my head hurt more.

"Your pupils are reacting normally," he said, pulling away. "That's a good sign. The concussion is mild, but you'll need to take it easy for a few days. No strenuous activity, no bright lights, no screens for extended periods."

He moved down to my ribs, pressing gently on the bandaged area. I winced, and he pulled back.

"Two cracked ribs," he said. "They'll heal on their own, but it'll be painful for a while. I'll prescribe something for the pain."

He checked my leg next, examining the bandaged ankle. He stepped back and made a few notes on my chart. "Your vitals are stable. The concussion is mild, but we'll need to monitor you for a few more hours. If you experience any dizziness, nausea, or vision changes, let a nurse know immediately."

“If you don't mind, these officers are here to ask you some questions about the accident. They're investigating what happened. Is that okay?"

I slowly nodded, even I wanted to know who that was, and what I did so wrong that of all the ways to punish me they chose death.

What did I ever do?

I know I tend to make enemies for no reason but harming someone is where I draw the line. What did I ever do? Was this to teach someone a lesson? Get back at me? A warning? what?! What?!!

The officers stepped forward. One of them pulled out a notebook. "Ms. Bishop, we're sorry to bother you so soon after waking up. We just need to get a few details while it's still fresh in your memory. Do you remember what happened?"

I shook my head. "I don't—I can't—I don't really remember much."

The doctor stepped in. "It's normal, Ms. Bishop. You suffered a concussion. Memory loss is common. Some details may come back with time, but it's likely you'll never fully remember the accident itself."

“Just tell us what you can.”

I looked at the officers, then back at the doctor. "Okay."

I tried to think, but my mind was foggy, the details slipping through my fingers like water. "I remember the car following us. The driver said someone was trailing us. I told him to lose them. Then a truck blocked the road, and we tried to turn, and then..." I stopped, my brow furrowing. I could see the truck, the water streaming across the pavement, the sedan behind us. But everything after that was blank. "I don't remember what happened after that."

The officer nodded and wrote something down. "Do you have any enemies? Anyone who might want to hurt you?"

I blinked at the question. "I have a few. But I don't think any of them would go this far. We just argue that's all. We barely see each other to even remember what happened the last time."

"Do you have any idea who could have been following you?"

I shook my head slowly. "No. I don't."

"What about the driver? Do you remember what he looked like?"

I tried to picture his face. "Middle-aged. He had a beard, I think. Dark hair, blonde? I didn't really look at him closely."

“Where did you meet him?”

"Yes. I booked a ride through the same one I always use. RideGo? I think."

"Where were you going?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. "I was going home to get some things. Then I was going to visit my daughter at the hospital."

"What hospital?"

"Honors Hospital. My daughter was supposed to have surgery today." I felt the tears sting my eyes, but I blinked them back. "I missed it."

The officers exchanged a glance. A quick look passed across their faces. I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me that something was wrong.
"What?" I asked, my voice sharp. "What is it? What's wrong?"

They didn't answer. They just looked at each other again, and I felt the panic rising in my chest.

"Please," I said, my voice cracking. "Please tell me what's going on. Why are you looking at each other like that? Did–Did something happen?" I tried to stand but that only hurt my leg further.

The older officer sighed, his expression changing. "Ms. Bishop, I'm not sure how to tell you this. But we received reports earlier today that Honor's Hospital was attacked by blood thieves.”

What?