Chapter 254
"Sue! Look at what you've done!" Luke's voice rose instantly as he glared at me furiously.
He rushed to press the nurse call button and ran out anxiously. "Doctor! Doctor, come quick! My mom passed out!"
I stood in front of Cora's hospital bed without moving. Her face was dark now, her lips a bluish purple, eyes tightly shut—she looked so bad that you couldn't help wondering if she was already dead.
I felt nothing.
I knew what I'd just said was harsh, and knowing Cora, she definitely couldn't take it. But so what? I did it on purpose. Normally I don't provoke them, and everyone's fine with that. But now they were the ones who came to provoke me first.
The doctors and nurses arrived quickly. They wheeled Cora into the emergency room.
Luke didn't follow the gurney. Instead, he stood beside me, frowning and staring at me with hostile eyes."Sue, I never thought you'd become this vicious! You said those things in front of Mom on purpose, didn't you? Are you trying to kill her?"
"I'm just telling the truth. If she can't handle people talking about it, then she shouldn't have done it in the first place, right?" I said calmly, "Besides, why would I want to kill her? I have money—enough to pay for Cora's medical bills and support. If we're talking about motive, clearly you'd have more reason to want Cora dead."
Luke's face darkened, "You're being ridiculous!"
"Think whatever you want." I spoke in a flat tone, then walked toward the emergency room.
Luke followed behind me.
The emergency treatment lasted two hours before the doctor finally came out looking exhausted.
"Family members?"
Luke rushed forward, his voice urgent. "Doctor, I'm the patient's son. How is my mom now?"
"When she was admitted, I specifically told you that the patient is in poor condition and needed rest. She can't be upset." The doctor's tone was reproachful, "What kind of family member are you? Do you just ignore medical advice?"
"It wasn't me. She was the one talking nonsense and making Mom faint." Luke pointed at me, acting like he was telling on me.
But the doctor just glanced at me, then looked at Luke with disdain, as if seeing an irresponsible man who always shifted blame.
I asked, "What's her condition now?"
"Not good. The area from her previous surgery has relapsed, along with many new complications. She needs surgery as soon as possible." The doctor shook his head.
Luke asked cautiously, "How much will the surgery cost?"
"Conservative estimate, five hundred thousand dollars."
At those words, Luke's face went white instantly.
The doctor didn't say more. He had the nurses wheel Cora back to her room and left.
Luke stared at me for a while before speaking. "Can you cover Mom's medical expenses first? I don't have a job now. You can't expect me to come up with two hundred and fifty thousand dollars just like that—I don't have that kind of money."
I looked at him coolly, not planning to spare Luke's feelings at all. "Even if you still had your job, you couldn't come up with that much money. Your salary was barely enough to feed yourself, let alone anything else."
Luke's fists clenched at his sides.
I shrugged. "I'll pay the two hundred and fifty thousand. Figure out the rest yourself."
With that, I walked away.
As soon as I left the hospital, I looked up and saw Jason's car parked by the road.
"Honey." I walked over quickly, opened the door and got in the passenger seat, "What are you doing here?"
"Lila said you went to the hospital. I was worried, so I came to check." Jason looked me up and down, and only after confirming I was okay did he visibly relax.
"I'm fine, but Cora's not doing well." I told Jason everything that happened at the hospital.
Jason patted my head and smiled. "You did great, honey. That's exactly how you should treat people who don't deserve your kindness."
"I think so too." I smiled easily and leaned over to kiss Jason on the cheek. "But running into such awful stuff today made me so mad! Honey, let's go shopping?"
"Okay." Jason agreed immediately.
Shopping really is the simplest and most effective way to relieve stress. My previously gloomy mood completely disappeared. Watching Jason carry bag after bag, I felt extremely satisfied.
Leaning on Jason's shoulder, I couldn't help sighing, "Is this what rich people's lives are like? No matter how many times I experience it, I still can't help being amazed!"
Jason looked at me with amusement, "Look at you. You just don't go shopping enough."
Just as I was in a great mood, my phone suddenly rang. Looking at the caller, I frowned. It was Luke. Thinking it might be about a new development with Cora at the hospital, I answered.
"What is it?"
"Sue, do you have any heart at all? Your own mother is lying in the hospital waiting for money to save her life, and you're out shopping at the mall!" Luke's voice was full of anger.
I held the phone and looked around, finally spotting Luke in the distance. He was holding a plastic bag with a few apples in it. Right now Luke was staring at me furiously.
His voice came through the phone, "You have money to buy all these luxury goods, but no money to lend me for Mom's treatment?"
I met his eyes from afar and said word by word, "Because you can't pay it back. Why would I lend it to you?"
I clearly saw Luke's face darken and twist horribly in the distance. Normally, he would have rushed over by now. But why was he standing still?
I glanced at Jason beside me. Obviously, because Jason was with me, Luke didn't dare act up.
Jason had also spotted Luke now. He frowned slightly, "Want me to handle this?"
"No need." I shook my head and hung up decisively. "Let's go."
As I expected, Luke didn't have the guts to follow.
Somehow Luke managed to scrape together two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He covered Cora's surgery costs. I also paid my two hundred and fifty thousand to the hospital as promised.
As I turned around from the payment window, I came face to face with Luke's almost murderous stare. We hadn't seen each other in days, and he looked much more haggard and disheveled. Dark circles under his eyes, unshaven, even his clothes were wrinkled.
"Are you satisfied now?" Luke asked.
I nodded, "Pretty much. Even though Cora wasn't fair to me before, I'm being generous and willing to split it with you. Luke, don't be ungrateful."
Luke's eyes widened, "You!"
"Call me after Cora's surgery is done. I have to go to work. Bye." With that, I started to leave.
Luke stepped in front of me, "If you go to work, who's going to take care of Mom?"
"You, obviously." I shrugged, "You're unemployed now. If you don't take care of her, who will?"
Luke's face darkened as he suddenly grabbed my hand hard."No way! You have to get me a job today! Call Jason right now!"