Chapter 122
When the operating room doors opened, we all rushed forward. Brain hemorrhage carries certain risks, and with no news for so long, everyone was on edge.
"Who is Robert Lopez's family?" A nurse came out holding a piece of paper and called out urgently.
"I am."
"I am."
William and Oscar stepped forward one after another.
William quickly said, "I'm his son. How is my dad?"
The nurse spoke urgently: "The patient has a brainstem hemorrhage with significant bleeding. The bleeding point is tricky, making the surgery very difficult. He needs a blood transfusion now. The blood bank is running low, so we need family members to voluntarily donate blood after type matching."
William rolled up his sleeve: "I'm his son, my blood should definitely work. Please, you have to save my dad."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Oscar's eyes, but he quickly stepped forward calmly: "I'm also his son."
"And me, you have to save my grandpa."
The nurse didn't say much more: "That's great. Come with me to test your blood types first."
I was a bit worried. Oscar had only been out of the hospital for just over a month; his body couldn't possibly be fully recovered. I tugged at the corner of his shirt and asked quietly, "Are you okay? You just had surgery."
Oscar gave me a reassuring smile, squeezed my palm, his voice gentle: "Don't worry, I'm fine."
His face showed a calm expression, without any hint of being forced or unwilling.
I felt Gregory's complicated gaze. Our intimacy seemed to hurt his eyes.
But before he could say anything, William grabbed him and pulled him along, following the nurse from earlier in another direction.
Oscar stepped forward and gave me a gentle hug, whispering in my ear: "After he gets better, I'll consider it repaying him for giving me the chance to be born. After that... I won't owe him anything anymore."
Only Grace, Sophia, and I remained outside the operating room. I stood in a corner, quietly waiting, not wanting any interaction with either of them.
But clearly that was wishful thinking.
Sophia walked up to me, her messy hair making her look pitiful. With a trembling voice, she said, "Ms. Wilson, I know you have misunderstandings about me. I understand that no matter how I explain my sister, you won't believe me. But the child is innocent. Please don't fight me for Gregory, okay? The child can't be without a father."
I looked at her with disgust: "Don't worry, no one's fighting you for him. What's yours is yours. What's not yours, no amount of scheming will help."
Grace's eyes showed undisguised disgust, and she couldn't help asking: "Didn't you already lose that child before? How..."
She seemed to realize only now, after being so shocked by Gregory and my situation earlier, that she had forgotten about Sophia's pregnancy.
Sophia stroked her flat belly, nodding solemnly: "Yes, I have another child in my belly now. Mrs. Lopez, the doctor told me that if I don't keep this child, I might never be able to be a mother again. As a woman yourself, and having watched me grow up, I'm begging you to have mercy on me. This is also Gregory's child."
Grace looked at Sophia with some doubt: "How can you be sure the child is his?"
Sophia's face turned ugly. Such an accusation was unbearable for any woman.
"Mrs. Lopez, I've only slept with Gregory. This child is definitely his. If you don't believe me, we can do a paternity test after the baby is born. No, we can even do an amniocentesis." She expressed her innocence with determination.
Grace believed most of what she said, waving her hand somewhat irritably: "We'll talk about this later. Dad is the most important thing right now. Since you're pregnant, go home and rest."
Sophia quickly said eagerly, "Mr. Robert Lopez is like my own grandfather. Of course, I have to stay here while he's sick. I'll wait until he wakes up. I'm not tired."
I couldn't help rolling my eyes and quietly walked to another corner, not wanting contact with either of them.
Oscar and the others came back soon. I quickly went forward to support Oscar, looking at his somewhat pale face and asking with concern: "Are you okay? How did it go?"
Oscar smiled at me: "I'm fine. How's my dad doing?"
I shook my head silently: "No news, but that's the best news. At least they haven't issued another critical condition notice."
Grace walked forward, looking at William and Gregory with concern: "How are you? Are you okay? How much blood did they take?"
William's face was ashen. Gregory stepped forward and silently shook his head at Grace, his voice very low: "Mom, don't ask."
Grace was confused, and I was puzzled too, looking at Oscar questioningly.
Oscar smiled coldly, just squeezed my palm and said in a low voice: "I'll tell you when we get back."
Robert was sent to the ICU. The doctor told us gravely, "You need to prepare yourselves mentally. Brainstem hemorrhage is the most dangerous type. Although we managed to save him, many of his bodily functions may be damaged. We should be mentally prepared."
I asked, "What does that mean?"
The doctor sighed: "It means... the patient may lose limb coordination, memory, speech, or vision. Once nerves are damaged, they're very difficult to repair. But we'll only know the specific situation after the patient wakes up."
I looked up at Oscar. His expression was also serious, his brows slightly furrowed, his whole body tense.
After a busy day, when we got home, Oscar forced himself to perk up: "We haven't eaten all day. Wait here, I'll get you something to eat."
He seemed to be suppressing his emotions, his whole person unusually downcast.
"Oscar, today was so sudden. Don't be too upset. Dad seems physically strong. Doctors always say the worst outcome first, but it might not actually be that bad." I stepped forward to comfort him.
Oscar nodded: "Don't worry about me. I understand everything. I thought I wouldn't care what happened to him, but when he actually collapsed in front of me, I still felt uncomfortable. Maybe you were right before - if he had died today because of me, I would have regretted it."
He wasn't ruthless enough. His pretended cruelty couldn't completely hide his kindness.
Oscar took a deep breath and suddenly changed the subject: "But there's something else today."
Seeing how serious he was, I asked curiously: "What? Related to William and them?"
Oscar nodded: "When we went to test blood types today, I'm type O. William and Gregory are type B, so their blood types don't match my dad's."
I frowned in thought: "Maybe William's mother is type B?"
Oscar sighed: "Do you remember what Gregory said? He said I might not be my dad's biological son. The reason he dared say that was because he took my hair and did a kinship test with William. The results showed we have no blood relation. Now, my blood type matches my dad's. So tell me, who's actually not his biological son?"