Chapter 78 Hospital bed
CHAPTER 78
Hospital bed.
The hospital had never felt this overwhelming before. Jane stood frozen outside the consultation room, her thoughts scattered, her heart still racing from everything that had just happened. Only minutes ago, she and Ruby had been sitting calmly, listening to the doctor explain something as simple as stress and rest. It had seemed manageable then something they could fix with time, care, and a little attention. But now everything has changed. She walked down to the lobby and picked up Ruby's bag and sat down, she was lost of all the things that just happened like a dream. Ruby was okay this morning and all of a sudden boom hospital, this isn't right.
“Miss?” a nurse’s voice broke through her thoughts.
Jane turned quickly. “Yes?”
“She’s stable,” the nurse said. “The doctor is with her now.”
Jane nodded, though her hands were still trembling. “Can I see her?”
“In a moment,” the nurse replied gently before walking away.
Jane exhaled slowly, running a hand through her hair. Her mind replayed the moment again the ambulance, the chaos, the stretcher rushing past, and Ruby’s sudden stillness.That was my dad…. The words echoed in her head, sending a chill down her spine.
“No…” Jane whispered under her breath. “She must have been mistaken.”
But even as she said it, she wasn’t convinced.
The look on Ruby’s face hadn’t been confusing. It had been an undeniable one for the fact. Jane pressed her lips together, forcing herself to think clearly.
Ruby needed someone. She couldn’t just stand there doing nothing and then it clicked. Leo. Without wasting another second, Jane grabbed Ruby’s bag from the chair nearby and quickly pulled out her phone.
“Please don’t make this hard,” she muttered. She pressed the power button. The screen lit up instantly, locked. “Of course,” Jane sighed.
She tried the first thing that came to mind: a simple pattern. Wrong. She tried again. Still wrong. Jane groaned softly, glancing toward Ruby’s room before looking back at the phone.
“Think, Jane,” she whispered. “What would she use?”
Ruby wasn’t complicated, she was sentimental. Jane tried her birthday but still nothing.
“Seriously?” she muttered, frustration building.
She paused, her mind shifting. What mattered most to Ruby right now?
The answer came almost immediately. Leo. Jane hesitated for a second.
“Don’t tell me you’re this obvious,” she said under her breath.
She entered a new pattern, something connected to him.
The phone unlocked. Jane let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
“Thank God.” She moved quickly, opening the contacts and scrolling until she found his name. Without thinking twice, she tapped it and pressed call.
The phone rang once. Jane’s grip tightened.
“Pick up…”
~\`~\`~\`~
Across the city, Leo sat in a large, polished boardroom, surrounded by men and women who spoke in measured tones about business, numbers, and decisions that shaped entire industries.
But Leo’s attention wasn’t fully there, not after the morning he had just had. His mind drifted back to Ruby the way she looked before stepping out of the car, the quiet smile she gave him, the softness in her eyes. It lingered more than it should have.
His phone vibrated lightly against the table. He glanced at it without thinking.
A faint, automatic smile appeared on his lips. He picked it up immediately, not caring about the meeting anymore.
“Ruby….”
“Leo!”
Jane’s voice cut in.
His mood changed, the smile on his face disappeared instantly, he changed his problem and eager to hear from Jane
“Jane?” he said, sitting up straight. “Why do you have Ruby’s phone?”
“Leo, she’s at the hospital,” Jane said quickly, her voice unsteady.
The words hit harder than expected. Leo’s grip on the phone tightened.
“What happened?” His voice dropped.
“She fainted,” Jane explained. “We came for a check-up, and everything was fine until an ambulance came in and…”
“Is she okay?” he interrupted.
Jane swallowed. “She’s stable,” she said. “They’ve admitted her for observation.”
Leo was already on his feet. The chair behind him shifted loudly, drawing attention from everyone in the room, but he didn’t care.
“What caused it?” he asked, already moving toward the door.
Jane hesitated.
“She saw someone,” she said. Leo stopped for half a second.
“Who?”
Jane’s voice lowered. “She said it was her dad.”
Silence followed.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Leo said slowly.
“I know,” Jane replied. “But Leo… she wasn’t guessing. She was sure.”
“I’m coming,” he said firmly.
And before Jane could respond, he ended the call.
The boardroom fell silent as Leo walked back in briefly, his expression unreadable but clearly not open for discussion.
“Cancel everything,” he said to his assistant.
“Sir, the meeting….”
“I said cancel it.”
His tone left no room for argument. The assistant nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”
Leo didn’t wait for anything else. He
moved quickly to his car, his mind already racing ahead of him. Ruby fainted? Her dad? How? None of it aligned, it doesn't make sense either. The last time he checked Mr Anderson lived in a different city, and there's nothing he could be doing in this town if not to find Ruby. Or maybe Ruby was sick? But she looked okay and fine this morning? What is going on? Leo felt his mind was going to crash out soon with all the thoughts, but one thing was clear something was definitely wrong.
And he wasn’t going to sit back and wait for answers. He got into the car, starting the engine without hesitation. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw set as his thoughts began to spiral.
He replayed Jane’s words.
Ruby was sure and Ruby wasn’t careless she wouldn’t mistake something like that.
Unless….He pushed the thought away immediately. No, he needed to see her first. That was all that mattered right now.
The engine roared to life, and without wasting another second. Leo pulled out, speeding toward the hospital.
He felt something close to unease settle deep within him because whatever was going on there he knew this wasn’t going to be simple.
“Ruby just be fine for me.” Leo whispered.