Chapter 124
After finishing all this, an hour had already passed.
Emily sat on the bench outside the emergency room, wiping away her sweat.
Although it hurt a bit to spend so much money, it wasn't hers to begin with. As long as it could save William's life, that was all that mattered.
She figured that when William woke up, he wouldn't blame her for it.
"Emily, I'm heading out now."
Marsha looked at Emily and tapped her watch. "I have the night shift tonight, so I need to get going."
"I'll come check on things tomorrow. You wait here and relax. I'll come by first thing after my shift ends."
"It's okay, Marsha, you don't need to come."
Emily quickly shook her head, looking guilty.
Calling Marsha had been her last resort, and she hadn't expected William's condition to be this serious.
"Marsha, here, take this."
To thank Marsha, Emily pulled out a check for five hundred thousand dollars that William had given her and handed it to her.
Emily had no use for it and had been keeping it, planning to find a chance to return it to William. She hadn't expected it would actually come in handy today.
Marsha froze for a moment, and then heard Emily say, "Thanks for everything today. Without you, I never would have found this place, and William definitely wouldn't have been saved."
"Thank you. Consider this money your payment."
"But don't get me wrong--it's not from me, it's from William. I'm sure even if he were awake right now, he'd agree with what I'm doing. Please take it."
"What are you doing?"
Marsha pushed the check back. "What's this about? Do you really think I'm some kind of money-grubber? I didn't help you for money. Why are you insulting me like this?"
"How am I insulting you?"
"Forcing money on me like this is exactly what's insulting."
Marsha firmly returned the check. "Alright, stop being so formal with me."
"We're classmates. It's only natural for classmates to help each other. You're making it seem like we're strangers. If you keep this up, I'm going to get mad."
Emily wanted to say more, but Marsha didn't want to hear it. She checked the time and looked anxious.
"I can't chat anymore. I need to get to the hospital. If I'm late, they'll dock my pay. Bye, I'll come see you tomorrow."
"Marsha!"
Emily took a couple of quick steps after her, but Marsha was too fast.
Even in heels, she moved swiftly and was out of the hospital in the blink of an eye.
Emily smiled helplessly and put the check back in her pocket.
When William woke up, she'd have to tell him about this and let him figure out how to properly thank Marsha.
If it hadn't been for her today, William would have bled to death.
The wait was agonizing. Emily paced back and forth outside the emergency room, checking her watch constantly.
The sky gradually darkened. When the last rays of sunset faded away, the operating room light finally changed from red to green.
Emily's heart leaped with joy as she hurried forward.
The doctor came out--he was actually the director of this private hospital. To ensure his discretion, Emily had paid him a full five hundred thousand dollars. She wasn't sure whether that was too much or too little.
"How's my friend doing?" Emily asked urgently.
The director removed his mask and smiled slightly. "You can relax. Your friend is out of danger now. With proper rest, he'll be fine once he wakes up."
"That's wonderful!"
Emily's long-held anxiety finally eased. "Thank you!"
"Don't celebrate too soon."
The director's expression became serious. "Although the surgery is over, his wound shows signs of infection, and he hasn't passed the danger period yet."
"If nothing unusual happens within twenty-four hours and he doesn't develop a fever, then he'll be fine."
"He needs to stay in the hospital for observation for the next few days. Take good care of him and notify the doctor immediately if anything comes up."
"Okay, I will."
Emily quickly agreed.
Either way, William being out of danger was the best outcome. His life was saved for now--everything else could wait.
After the director left, a nurse wheeled William back to his room, with Emily following behind.
After giving some instructions and setting up William's IV, the nurse left.
Emily looked at the pile of medications stacked like a small mountain by the bedside, her emotions a jumble.
It seemed that everything William had said must be true. Otherwise, how could she explain the gunshot wound on his body?
The nurse had just mentioned that this wasn't William's only wound--there were several others. Altogether, just on his abdomen, they'd made over twenty stitches.
It was a terrifying number. What had he been through these past days to end up like this? Emily couldn't bear to imagine.
Now William lay quietly in the hospital bed, his face completely drained of color, pale as paper.
Just looking at him made Emily feel awful.
If what William said was all true, then even at his most critical moment, he was still thinking of her. What reason did she have to blame him?
Just thinking about it made Emily's heart heavy.
But during those days, she had been in pain too. At her most desperate moment, no one could help her--she'd handled everything herself.
If it were just that, it would be fine. She wouldn't mind.
But the problem was, William had clearly promised he would come back on time, yet he'd broken his word. That was the root of Emily's pain.
If she couldn't trust William, then besides her family, who could she trust?
These past few days, Emily had been stuck on this question, thinking about it for a long time, suffering for a long time.
Because she realized that, without even knowing when it had happened, she'd become very dependent on William.
No matter what happened, he would always appear when she needed help most, pulling her up in time, and he'd care for her child without hesitation.
So when her mother disappeared this time, and William personally promised he'd come back, Emily had placed all her hopes on him, never expecting that final outcome.
Emily didn't know what to say for a moment.
She quietly watched William's sleeping form, recalling all the moments they'd spent together, her heart unable to calm down.
Just then, William's phone rang.
Emily had just gotten up to go get something to eat when the ringtone caught her attention.
Who would be calling at this time? She glanced at it--an unsaved phone number.
Looking at William again, he remained asleep, completely undisturbed.