Chapter 267 At Risk of Vegetative State

Chapter 267 At Risk of Vegetative State

Primrose saw the exhaustion in her eyes and nodded. "Okay, I'll take Clara back first. You take care of yourself too—don't run yourself into the ground. Call me anytime if you need anything."

Clara opened her mouth to protest, but Primrose gently tugged at her arm, and she had no choice but to leave reluctantly.

The hallway suddenly went quiet, leaving only Sophia and Mark.

Sophia leaned against the wall, her thoughts in chaos.

The hatred from her past life and the image of James throwing himself in front of her kept overlapping in her mind, pressing painfully against her chest.

She'd wanted James dead.

In her past life, he'd destroyed everything she had—ruined her life, destroyed her only sister. That kind of grudge wasn't something you just forgot.

But now he'd saved her life.

If he hadn't blocked her just now, she'd already be lying in that emergency room. Or she might not have made it this far at all.

Forget about revenge—even protecting the Brown Group and protecting Clara would've become nothing but empty promises.

Why did he have to throw himself in front of her?

Sophia closed her eyes, and a tear suddenly slid down her cheek. She immediately raised her hand to wipe it away.

Just then, a hand gently touched her shoulder.

Sophia's eyes flew open. Thinking it was Serenity, she was about to apologize when she looked up and saw Nathan standing beside her.

Nathan looked at her reddened eyes, his own full of concern. He sat down in the chair next to her and said quietly, "Don't beat yourself up over this. It's not your fault. None of this is on you."

Sophia let out a soft breath and didn't answer.

The hallway fell silent again. The red light above the operating room door stayed on, so bright it was almost painful to look at.

After what felt like an eternity, hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

Serenity came running up, her eyes red-rimmed and her face twisted with anxiety.

Sophia immediately stood and walked toward her.

"Sophia, where's James? How is he?" Serenity grabbed her arm, her voice shaking, her words barely holding together.

Sophia looked at those red-rimmed eyes and gently shook her head, her voice coming out hoarse. "Serenity, I'm so sorry. James is still in surgery. We don't know how he is yet."

She paused, lowered her head, and said in a strained voice, "He was attacked because he was trying to save me. This is all my fault."

"Sweetheart, how is this your fault?" Serenity looked at her guilt-stricken expression and let out a heavy sigh, reaching out to pat her arm gently.

"Mark told me everything. James rushed forward on his own. This has nothing to do with you. Don't put this on yourself."

The moment Serenity finished speaking, the red light above the operating room door suddenly went out.

Everyone immediately crowded around. The operating room door swung open, and a doctor in surgical scrubs walked out.

"Doctor! How is he? My son—he's okay, right?!" Serenity rushed to him immediately, gripping the doctor's arm tightly, her voice urgent.

The doctor glanced at her. "The patient is out of immediate danger. We performed a full body purification and detox treatment. Most of the cyanide residue in his system has been cleared."

Serenity visibly relaxed, but just as her guard started to drop, the doctor's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "But you should prepare yourselves."

"Cyanide is extremely toxic. Even a small amount can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system."

"He'll likely experience a series of complications going forward—headaches, loss of speech, seizures, memory loss, permanent cognitive impairment."

"In the worst-case scenario, he could remain in a vegetative state indefinitely."

The doctor's words landed like a sledgehammer on everyone present.

The hallway became deathly quiet.

Serenity's grip on the doctor's arm suddenly went slack. Her vision went black, and her whole body started to fall backward.

"Serenity!"

Sophia caught her before she hit the ground.

"Doctor! Quick! Please check on her!"

Sophia's heart clenched. Holding the unconscious Serenity in her arms, her voice shook.

Among the people she owed most in this life, besides her sister Clara who'd died so tragically, there was Serenity, who'd always treated her like her own daughter.

In her past life, Serenity had been pushed from a high-rise by Isabella while trying to protect her. She'd been in a coma for over ten years and never woke up.

In this life, because of her again, Serenity had to endure this kind of devastating blow.

The nearby doctors and nurses immediately swarmed around, quickly checking Serenity's vitals.

In just over ten seconds, Serenity let out a muffled groan and slowly opened her eyes.

"Sophia... James... How is James?"

Before Sophia could answer, as if suddenly remembering what the doctor had just said, she shook her head and murmured, "The doctor just said... he said James might become a vegetable..."

"Did I hear that wrong? Am I dreaming? Sophia, tell me this isn't true."

Her voice was shaking so badly it was barely holding together. She looked at Sophia with her last shred of hope, waiting for a denial.

As if Sophia saying no would somehow rewind everything.

Sophia looked at her on the verge of collapse, opened her mouth, but couldn't get a single word out.

She could only slowly shake her head and turn her face away, unable to meet Serenity's eyes anymore.

Serenity collapsed completely in Sophia's arms, her shoulders heaving violently.

Suppressed sobs tore from deep in her throat, making everyone nearby feel a tightness in their chests.

The doctor beside them, seeing this, couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. He stepped forward and tried to comfort Serenity in a gentler tone. "Ms. Powell, please try not to fall apart."

"The patient just got out of danger and will need someone by his side to care for him going forward. If you collapse first, who's going to take care of your son? You need to hold it together."

Those words were like a shot of adrenaline straight to Serenity's heart.

She closed her eyes, raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face, and tried desperately to suppress the despair surging inside her. She nodded to the doctor.

"I understand, doctor. Thank you."

Her voice was still hoarse. She gripped Sophia's arm and slowly straightened up.

"Where is James? I need to see him." Serenity turned to the doctor.

"The patient just finished surgery and has been transferred to the ICU. He needs a sterile environment right now—no visitors yet," the doctor explained immediately.

"Okay, I understand. I'll follow your instructions." Serenity nodded repeatedly, already heading toward the ICU almost impatiently.

Sophia watched her retreating figure, her chest feeling like it was being crushed under a massive weight, making it hard to breathe.

She stood outside the glass door of the ICU, looking through the thick pane at James on the hospital bed.

The man had tubes running from his body, connected to the heart monitor beside him, his face almost completely drained of color.

In her past life, she'd hated him for a lifetime—hated his obsession, hated that he'd destroyed her life.

She'd sworn countless times in the middle of sleepless nights that in this life, she'd make him taste every bit of pain she'd endured in her past life.

But now, this man she'd hated across two lifetimes was lying in the ICU, his life hanging by a thread.

He might never wake up for the rest of his life, and all of it was because he'd thrown himself in front of her.