Chapter 102 Amputation Surgery
Alexander couldn't quite make out what she'd said, so he leaned down, bringing his ear closer to her lips. "What?"
Grace began mumbling incoherently, but before long, the pain medication seemed to take effect, and she drifted back to sleep.
But Max had heard her clearly.
He carefully moved closer to Grace, nervously taking her hand in his. "Mommy..."
This foolish mommy—even while unconscious, she was still desperately trying to save him and Liam.
But right now, he and Liam were perfectly fine.
Max wiped away his tears, his heart aching as he looked at Grace's bandaged hands and legs.
She had multiple fractures throughout her body, which meant she was completely immobilized—unable to move even an inch. Even when she woke up, who knew how long she'd have to remain bedridden?
Alexander asked, "How are you both awake?"
Max replied, "Too worried about Mommy to sleep well."
Alexander said, "Don't worry. I'll stay here and watch over her."
Max looked up at the man before him, and for a moment, he actually felt that this man might not be as cold-blooded as he'd imagined.
Liam tugged at Max's hand, pulling him outside the room.
A doctor entered and conducted another examination of Grace.
Standing outside the hospital room door, Max suddenly heard the doctor speak to Alexander in an especially grave tone, "The fracture site on her arm has become infected. I recommend immediate amputation surgery to prevent tissue death and irreversible damage—otherwise, if it becomes life-threatening, that would be catastrophic."
Amputation?
Max shot to his feet, eyes widening as he stared toward the hospital room.
The doctor was saying they wanted to amputate Mommy's arm?
Alexander frowned upon hearing this. "Are you serious? Is amputation absolutely necessary? Didn't you perform debridement immediately?"
The doctor explained, "We did our best. Mr. Hayes, to be frank, the fact that we were able to pull Ms. Foster back from death's door is already a miracle. When she fell from that height, her instinct to protect her head meant she used her hands to break the fall. The elbow joint and humerus suffered fractures and crushing injuries, leading to this infected wound. You need to decide quickly whether to proceed with the amputation."
Alexander said, "She's still so young—wouldn't amputation be too cruel?" The thought of her waking up to find herself missing a limb, imagining how devastated she would be, made the surgery seem unbearably harsh.
The doctor explained, "We have no choice but to recommend this procedure—it's to save Ms. Foster's life."
Alexander asked, "Does it have to be right now?"
The doctor replied, "The surgery requires family consent. If you agree, you can sign here, and we'll arrange the operation for tomorrow morning."
Max stood up abruptly.
He watched in alarm as the doctor handed Alexander a consent form, terrified that he might actually sign it.
Liam suddenly grabbed his arm and said slowly, "It was that woman."
His random statement left Max confused.
Max looked at Liam, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"
Liam said, "It was her. That woman—she definitely pushed Grace... off the platform."
As if through some telepathic connection, Max asked suspiciously, "You mean Emily? She's the one who pushed Mommy?"
Liam nodded.
Max grabbed him by the collar, demanding, "Why are you so certain? Is this a guess, or did you see it with your own eyes?" He remembered that Liam had been with him the entire time Grace fell—they'd been inseparable.
But after the incident, Liam's reaction had been unusual.
He seemed to know immediately that something had happened to Grace, rushing frantically to the tent as if he knew something or had sensed it somehow.
Liam said, "Intuition." He always trusted his instincts.
Especially after Emily had threatened him like that—when he saw Grace lying in a pool of blood, he instinctively remembered Emily's words and felt a chill run down his spine.
Liam said, "I'm certain... it was her... but... I don't have... proof."
Max had almost unconditional trust in Liam. Seeing how confident Liam was, Max's entire demeanor suddenly turned ice-cold.
If Emily really had hurt his mommy like this, he would make her pay with blood.
Liam saw the instant change in Max's expression—cold, ruthless, and fierce. His face, a miniature version of Grace's beautiful features, was now shrouded in a chilling mist, his eyes carrying a terrifying murderous intent.
Max suddenly turned and walked away.
Liam was startled and hurried to catch up.
"Don't follow me!" Max snapped at Liam.
Liam froze in place, watching as Max headed toward the elevator bank. Not knowing where he was going, Liam snapped out of his daze and chased after him again.
By the time he reached the elevators, Max had already stepped inside. With a "ding," the elevator doors closed.
Without giving himself time to think, Liam spotted the emergency stairwell and immediately began running down the stairs toward the first floor.
Inside the elevator, Max pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
A respectful voice answered, "Mr. Foster, what are your orders?"
"I'm at Radiant Wellness Center. I'm giving you ten minutes to get here and pick me up."
"Yes, sir!"
"Also..." Max's voice turned cold as he commanded, "Bring Emily to me."
"Yes, sir!"
He hung up as the elevator doors opened, and Max walked toward the hospital entrance.
Liam burst out of the stairwell, breathless as he ran to the hospital entrance. Looking around, he saw Max had already reached the main doors and immediately ran toward him.
What was he planning to do?
For some reason, Max was radiating an aura that sent chills down one's spine—truly frightening.
Max heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Seeing it was Liam, he raised an eyebrow. "I told you not to follow me!"
His tone carried a maturity and ruthlessness that didn't match his age, and his eyes held a decisive coldness that no seven-year-old should possess. This expression suddenly reminded Liam of how Alexander looked when he was angry.
Daddy looked just like this when he was mad.
Liam reached for his hand.
But Max immediately pulled away.
The Max before him had become somewhat unfamiliar, somewhat frightening.
Yet Liam wasn't afraid.
He believed Max would never hurt him.
Liam said gently, "Together." He wanted to be with Max.
Max said, "Don't follow me. Go back."
Liam shook his head, his expression determined.
Soon after, a luxury sedan pulled up at the hospital entrance.
The car door opened, and two men in sharp suits stepped out, bowing to Max. "Mr. Foster, please get in."
Max asked coldly, "Where is she?"
One of the men replied, "We've initiated a citywide search. Within an hour, we'll have her brought to you."