Chapter 142
Juliana withdrew her hand and straightened up. After giving the nurse a few instructions, she turned and walked out of the room.
She needed to review all of Lucas's medical records from seven years ago.
Lucas's breathing had stabilized, the monitors showing normal readings, but he wasn't asleep.
Juliana hadn't left. She stood by the bed. "Just now—what were you thinking about?"
A long silence stretched out, so long that Juliana thought he wouldn't answer. Then finally, his voice came out low and rough, worn down like sandpaper.
"David."
He said the name.
Juliana's heart skipped a beat.
So it really was him.
"The car accident seven years ago," Lucas's gaze was unfocused, "these injuries—I got them protecting him."
Finally, she understood.
Lucas looked cold and hard as stone on the outside, but inside he felt things deeply.
He'd treated David like a real brother. So David leaving him was like carving out a piece of his bones.
"He'll come back," Juliana said.
Lucas didn't answer, just pulled his mouth into something that wasn't quite a smile.
Watching him like this made Juliana inexplicably irritated.
She reached out and somewhat roughly tucked the blanket around him.
"Sleep." Her voice was blunt. "Right now you need rest, not to sit here wallowing."
Lucas obediently closed his eyes.
The sedative was still working. Before long, his breathing became deep and even.
Once Juliana confirmed he was truly asleep, she turned and quietly left the room.
……
The night breeze swept in, dispersing some of the disinfectant smell.
Juliana leaned against the wall, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number.
The phone rang for a while before someone picked up. A sleepy male voice came through, tinged with complaint.
"My lady, do you have any idea it's three in the morning?"
"Josh." Juliana cut straight to it. "How's the drug coming?"
Hearing her serious tone, Joshua's drowsiness vanished instantly.
"Based on the gene sequence and blood samples you provided, we've reverse-engineered the molecular structure of a neural inhibitor. The finished product is ready and currently in clinical testing."
The tension Juliana had been holding finally eased when she heard "finished product."
She leaned against the wall and let out a long breath.
"Side effects?"
"Still monitoring, but from the data so far, they're much less severe than expected. Julie, where the hell did you get this stuff? The technology behind this shouldn't even exist on Earth."
"I've been researching it for a while, but I didn't have a suitable patient to test it on." Juliana said. "Josh, get me a sample as soon as possible."
"No way. The testing protocol isn't complete yet. I can't—"
"I can't wait." Juliana cut him off. "And the patient can't wait either."
Silence on the other end.
"...Fine. I'll rush it to you, but you have to promise me—unless it's absolutely necessary, you won't use it."
"I know."
After hanging up, Juliana stood there for a long time.
No matter how murky the waters around the Sharp family, right now her only job was to cure him.
……
The next day, Lucas was in much better spirits. Juliana came in carrying a simple breakfast and set it on the nightstand.
"Feeding yourself, or do I need to do it?" she asked in a businesslike tone.
Lucas glanced at her and silently picked up the spoon.
His hand was still unsteady. He scooped up some porridge, and half of it spilled onto the blanket before reaching his mouth.
Juliana couldn't take it anymore.
She grabbed the bowl and spoon from him. "Open up."
Lucas stared at her, frozen.
Juliana frowned. "Want me to pry your mouth open and pour it in?"
Lucas opened his mouth awkwardly.
A spoonful of warm porridge slid into his stomach. It felt good.
One fed, one ate. Neither spoke.
Just then, Juliana's phone buzzed loudly in her pocket.
It was the hospital's internal line.
She stepped aside to answer.
"Dr. Wells." The voice on the other end belonged to the oncology head nurse, frantic and shrill. "Room 2106, patient Chloe Hale—she just went into a coma! Heart rate and blood pressure are dropping!"
"I'm on my way."
She hung up and immediately headed for the door.
"Juliana."
Lucas called out to her.
She turned her head slightly, giving him a questioning look.
"Just do your best," he said.
Juliana didn't respond. She pulled open the door, and her figure quickly disappeared down the hallway.
Lucas looked at the bowl of porridge. He picked up the spoon and, expressionless, ate what remained, one slow bite at a time, like completing some necessary ritual.
……
Juliana moved fast.
Rounding a corner at nearly a jog, she didn't notice someone ahead and slammed right into them.
A dull thud.
It was that man in the mask.
He looked like he'd been waiting there specifically for her, his bloodshot eyes locking onto her like she was his last lifeline.
"Dr. Wells!" He stepped forward, voice ragged like it had been scraped raw. "Listen to me. Chloe—it's the Andersons! That couple has something wrong with them. They—"
"Move."
Juliana cut him off and stepped around him, continuing forward.
David froze, then hurried after her and blocked her path again.
"You have to believe me! They transferred Chloe to another hospital, but it wasn't for her sake. They—"
"I believe you." Juliana looked up at him. Those cool eyes held only pure, clinical calm. "So what? Let her lie in there and die while we stand out here debating who's to blame?"
All of David's words jammed up in his throat.
"Right now, my job is to pull her back from death." Juliana looked at him, enunciating each word. "As for what you're saying, once she's alive, we'll have plenty of time to talk. Now get out of my way."
David stood frozen, watching her resolute figure disappear. His hands and feet went ice-cold.
A crushing sense of helplessness swallowed him whole.
……
The emergency room light flicked on.
Leon and Mrs. Anderson arrived too. Mrs. Anderson was sobbing like she was about to faint, leaning on Leon for "support," wailing, "My poor daughter... Doctor, please save her! We'll pay anything!"
David leaned against the opposite wall, watching coldly.
What a performance.