Chapter 256 Painful Reason
Amelia was silent for two seconds before saying, "No, I'll do it."
Samuel wanted to talk her out of it, but Amelia added, "I'm confident in my medical skills, and I can tell what the situation calls for. I know it'll be better if I go in, and I'll keep my emotions in check. I won't get distracted."
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Samuel stopped trying to persuade her.
He knew that although she was scared and heartbroken, she could control her emotions.
He was just worried about her.
If things went badly, Amelia might carry the trauma for the rest of her life.
What if her exceptional medical skills couldn't save Quinton? How devastated would she be?
But since Amelia had made her choice, he would stand firmly by her side.
She quickly changed clothes, finished sterilizing, and entered the operating room.
As soon as she walked in and saw Quinton lying on the operating table, her nose immediately tingled with sourness.
Because Quinton was wearing the clothes they had brought him when they visited last time.
Though it was a jacket, it looked very thin for December.
He had worn it on purpose.
Amelia closed her eyes, telling herself this wasn't the time to get emotional. She needed to calm down.
She bit her lip.
She bit it so hard she could taste blood.
The pain brought her completely back to her senses.
She walked to the operating table and quickly yet carefully reviewed Quinton's examination reports.
The bad news was that his head was indeed injured.
The good news was that she could treat it!
Amelia pushed down all her emotions, and like a machine, began performing the surgery methodically.
Outside, Samuel wasn't idle either.
He didn't know medicine and couldn't help Amelia, but he could investigate the car accident.
The accident had come too suddenly. He suspected it was deliberate.
He carefully questioned the driver, then took Jeremy to the traffic police department.
Brady came over too.
At the same time, Lloyd also arrived.
With their help, Samuel quickly found something wrong.
The truck's brake pads had failed, but the truck clearly had an auxiliary braking system.
At that speed, the driver could have completely prevented the accident.
Samuel called York over and soon invited the driver into the Crawford family's car.
Technically, Samuel couldn't just take the driver away like this, but since Lloyd was turning a blind eye, no one else could say much.
The driver was taken away by York.
Samuel knew that with York's methods, he'd get something out of him.
He didn't return to the hospital but went to the restaurant instead.
Natalie seemed to have lost all her strength, her whole face pale, looking like she had before Amelia treated her.
She had given birth to too many children and was already weak. Combined with the grief of Amelia being kidnapped, she had been heartbroken and in very poor health.
It was through Amelia's medical treatment that she had recovered somewhat.
But now, everything seemed to have gone back to how it was before.
So the Richardson family didn't dare move her carelessly and just let her lie down in the restaurant's private room.
The restaurant had already been reserved, and only the Richardson family was there now.
Liam suggested taking Natalie to the hospital, while the others said to let her rest a bit before moving her.
Just then, Samuel came back.
He got straight to the point. "Before I left the hospital, Amelia had a nurse pass me a message. She said that although Mr. Richardson's condition isn't good, she can treat him, and she wants you to rest assured."
Light returned to Natalie's eyes.
She sat up excitedly, her trembling hands grabbing Samuel's sleeve.
"Are you telling the truth? Amelia really said that? You're not lying to me?"
Samuel nodded.
"No matter how bold I am, I wouldn't dare lie to you about something like this."
Liam also persuaded her, "Mom, you know Amelia's medical skills. She could even cure my leg. Dad was injured in a car accident, so she definitely has a way."
Natalie's eyes flickered—it was tears reflecting the light.
Indeed.
For Liam's leg, she had taken him to countless famous doctors, and they all said it couldn't be cured.
But Amelia had cured it.
This was enough to prove that Amelia's medical skills were exceptional.
She would definitely be able to save Quinton
Thinking this, she immediately stood up and said firmly, "Take me to the hospital now."
Natalie was indeed dejected by Quinton's accident and hospitalization, but it wasn't that she couldn't walk.
She just didn't dare go to the hospital.
She was afraid that if she went, she'd hear bad news.
She couldn't accept it.
She worried day and night even when Quinton was just detained, let alone when he was seriously injured in a car accident.
Now hearing Samuel say this, she suddenly had courage, and the strength in her body seemed to return all at once.
When people have hope in their hearts, they can even stand straighter.
Natalie seemed to regain her radiance.
Samuel could tell that Natalie and Quinton truly had a deep marital bond.
If something happened to Quinton, Natalie's situation probably wouldn't be good.
He nodded and said, "I'll take you there."
The Richardson family brothers hurried to prepare the car.
Samuel didn't ride with Natalie but specifically called Liam and Mason to ride in the same car with him.
Of the Richardson family brothers, these two were the most steady.
Especially Liam—after going through some trials and training in Thornfield, his demeanor had become somewhat similar to Samuel's.
And Mason, working in business and navigating the business world, was also very stable and cautious.
He carefully explained the suspicious points of the car accident to them.
Liam said, "I wasn't idle at the restaurant either. I used hacking to access the surveillance footage from the scene. From the surveillance, I also think the driver could have avoided this accident."
Mason asked, "Where is the driver now?"
"At my house," Samuel said.
Both were clearly surprised.
Samuel said, "You've met York. He's very good at interrogation. I also sent Jeremy to check the driver's family situation. I believe we'll have answers soon."
The two thanked him solemnly.
Soon the group arrived at the hospital.
The operating room door still showed "Surgery in Progress."
By now, it had been an hour and a half since the surgery began.
When Natalie reached the operating room door, she started crying again.
But this time she didn't worry everyone—she quickly wiped away her tears in secret.
She knew that if she couldn't help, she shouldn't cause trouble.
She found an excuse to use the restroom and secretly cried alone.
Then she washed her face, and when she came out, she looked calm.
She called Micah.
When Quinton was released, he was supposed to call Micah to thank him, but now it had been delayed for almost two hours.
The call connected.
Micah clearly didn't know the situation yet and told Quinton and Natalie to have a good reunion and not worry about him.
Natalie took a light breath and told him about Quinton's current situation.
Micah was shocked.
"How could this happen?"
Natalie said, "I suspect it might be deliberate."
"I'll definitely help you investigate!"
"No," Natalie said. "Micah, my guess might not be accurate. I'm telling you this because I want to say that whether it's deliberate or not, I hope this will be a deliberate car accident. You don't need to waste time investigating the truth—just add fuel to the fire. We'll find out the truth ourselves."
Micah understood what she meant.
"You mean you want me to frame the Hays family?"
"Exactly." Natalie said, "Quinton's life is hanging in the balance right now. I don't want him to suffer for nothing."
Since he had already suffered, they might as well get something out of it.
"Alright, I understand. I'll do as you say."
After they agreed, Natalie hung up and returned to the restroom.
Faith saw that Natalie hadn't come back for a long time and was worried something had happened. She was about to look for her when she saw Natalie coming back.
"Mrs. Richardson." Faith supported her and said, "Next time you go to the restroom, I'll go with you."
Natalie nodded without refusing.
When she first heard the news, she had indeed broken down.
But now, her mind had cleared.
She had to trust Amelia's medical skills.
Even if Quinton really died, she had to hold on and fight for the most favorable situation for the Porter family.
This was what Quinton had always been doing.
If he died, then she would continue doing it for him.
That way, Quinton could rest in peace.
Just wallowing in grief would only worry those who cared about her.
Natalie had always been clear-headed.
She found Samuel to talk privately and discussed her plan with Micah.
Samuel was quite surprised.
He thought Natalie couldn't think about these things now, but he didn't expect her to be stronger and calmer than he imagined.
Thinking about it carefully, how bad could Amelia's biological mother be?
She must also be a smart woman.
"I'll help Micah spread the news," Samuel said.
Natalie thanked him earnestly.
Samuel said it wasn't necessary.
"We're family. The Richardson family's business is my business."
The surgery continued.
Four hours after the surgery began, Samuel received a call from York.
He called Liam and Natalie to an empty hospital room to talk privately.
"We've found the person behind it."
"Is it Leonard?" Liam asked.
He had always suspected Leonard.
Samuel shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it's not him."
"Then who?"
Samuel suddenly stepped back two steps and knelt down before Natalie.
Natalie was shocked and quickly tried to help him up.
"What are you doing? Get up quickly!"
But Samuel didn't get up.
"This is all my fault."
They looked at him in confusion.
Mason forcibly pulled him up.
"Whatever you have to say, say it standing up."
Samuel's eyes were full of guilt.
He explained the whole story.
The mastermind behind the car accident wasn't Leonard, but Evelyn.
After Evelyn's father Kieran Russell was "vindicated" and released, Evelyn's schemes became active again.
She had strong hatred toward Amelia.
Learning that Quinton would be released today, she specifically arranged this car accident.
Her goal was to make Amelia suffer a huge blow at her happiest moment.
Samuel said, "I should have kept watching her, but I let my guard down. If I had directly prevented her from returning to Thornfield, Mr. Richardson wouldn't have encountered this danger."
If Quinton could be saved, then all would be well.
If he couldn't be saved, Samuel would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
Perhaps there would even be a rift between him and Amelia because of Quinton. After all, Evelyn only developed hostility toward Amelia because of him—otherwise they would never have crossed paths.