Alex parked his car on the side of the road and after he was done with his thumbprint, he drove to the hospital again.
A black SUV rushed into the night like a black panther out of Presgrave Residence. Anxiety was evident in Anastasia’s eyes as she sat on the passenger seat. How can this be happening? Did he really pass out because of the two glasses of wine he had?
“Don’t worry. Let’s go to the hospital and check out his condition first.” Elliot comforted her tenderly. When he heard the news earlier, he drove her out without a second of hesitation.
Over at General Hospital, Francis was placed on a stretcher and quickly taken to the emergency room. Naomi and her daughter followed behind while crying uncontrollably.
Naomi weeped as she begged the doctor, “Doctor, you have to save my husband. You must save him!”
“Ma’am, we’ll do our best.” reassured the doctor as he shut the door of the operating room.
Alex, Naomi and Erica exchanged glances with each other; they were all silently praying for the same thing-a ‘sorry, we have done our best’ from the mouth of the doctor.
About fifteen minutes later, Anastasia and Elliot hurried over from the elevator. She glanced at the operating room where her father was still being treated and looked at Naomi and Erica. “When did Dad faint? Was he still conscious when he was brought here?”
“Anastasia, was your dad drinking at the Presgrave Residence? If you knew that your dad shouldn’t be drinking, why didn’t you stop him?” Naomi snapped at Anastasia as if Anastasia had caused Francis’ to be admitted to the hospital.
Of course, Anastasia knew that her dad had two glasses of wine. Hence, all that was on her mind right now was guilt and regret. I should’ve stopped him…
“If something happens to Dad, know that it’s all your fault!” Erica cried and scolded.
“It is indeed not advisable for President Tillman to drink any alcohol. The doctor suggested that it is best to not even drink a sip,” added Alex.
Anastasia’s figure shook with remorse, but a strong arm behind her supported her firmly while reassuring her, “Don’t worry. Let’s see how things go.”
In the operation room, an emergency rescue was being carried out; the doctor put in all his effort to revive Francis. Though the doctor had shaken his head several times, he still tried every means possible to carry out a second rescue.
Fortunately, when they used the defibrillator for the second time, the still line on the machine had started showing weak signs of a heartbeat..
“Heartbeat’s back. The patient’s will to survive is strong.”
This time, Francis’ condition was considered a severe heart failure. If he had been a minute late, he might have not been able to survive. However, due to the prolonged cardiac arrest, the oxygen supply to his brain was insufficient, so he was now in a severe coma.
Even after a successful resuscitation, there might be a risk of him being in a vegetative state.
Two hours later, the exhausted doctors
came out with layers of cold sweat on their foreheads.
“What happened to my dad? Is he still alive?” Erica was the first to ask.
“Did you save my husband? Is he still alive? Tell me!” Naomi acted like a desperate wife.
Anastasia also clenched her fists tightly and stared at the doctors.
“Since the patient has missed the golden hour, we’ve done our best. So far, the operation was successful, but due to the prolonged cardiac arrest, the patient’s brain was severely deficient in oxygen supply and that has caused a certain amount of brain damage. Please prepare yourselves mentally as the patient is likely to be in a long coma or at the risk of a vegetative state.”
“What?” Naomi’s entire body went limp, so Alex reached out to help her. When she raised her gaze to meet Alex’s, both of them expressed joy in the depths of their eyes.
Erica covered her mouth and looked distraught, but there was a flash of delight in her eyes.
Even if Francis was not dead, he would never wake up. This is exactly what they would want.
Anastasia was the only one who seemed to be drained of strength. Pain shrouded her face as she let tears roll down her cheeks. Standing behind her was a heartbroken Elliot as he felt sorry for Anastasia. As a daughter, this is the last thing she’d ever want to hear.
