“Don’t say a thing, Finn. Just listen to my instructions: go to Brian Adams and ask him to head over to New Kent. I’ll send you the exact address later.”
She had picked Brian Adams to succeed her as director of Hotmesh because she had read through his resume—he excelled in plenty of aspects, and he was one of the best heart surgeons in the country as well.
Most important of all, his ability was above question.
Finn was understanding enough to spare her any questions. “I’ll go right now.”
“Good,” Abigail said, and hung up.
She called Lulu back, but it was an unfamiliar voice on the other end. “Hello?’
Somehow, Abigail could hear Lulu panting from the other end, although she was clearly restraining herself already.
Having given birth herself, Abigail knew how much it hurt.
Staying calm, she asked, “Which hospital is Martin at?”
The man replied. “New Kent’s First Citizen Hospital.”
“I’m sending a heart surgeon over right now, so receive him when he arrives and arrange for him to help with Martin’s surgery,” Abigail said. “I don’t have the specifics on Martin’s condition, but Lulu’s call just now tells me plenty. Just ask the hospital to stabilize Martin’s vitals if they aren’t confident about a surgery, and wait until the heart surgeon arrives. If they can do it, tell them to do it immediately without delay.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Johnny replied.
“How’s Lulu right now?” Abigail then asked.
“We just got her in an ambulance. We’re heading to the hospital right now.”
“Alright. Take good care of her,” Abigail replied. “I can’t reach her right now—I’ll only arrive around half a day later.”
“Understood,” Johnny answered.
Hanging up on the other end, Abigail started to limp into the castle.
Eagle stood at the door, watching Mrs. Watson as she played with the children in the courtyard.
Tommy especially liked it here, and he was running around happily.
Eagle soon spotted Abigail, and he walked up to greet her. “Are you hurt, ma’am?”
“I’m fine,” Abigail told him.
Eagle was eyeing her foot, but he said, “Yeah.”
Abigail then asked one of the servants to bring her some ice, and she applied it to her sprain while calling James.
“Yes, Mrs. Althoff?” James asked when he answered.
“James, I need to go back to Zidonia.”
James was silent for a moment. “Now?”
“Yeah,” Abigail replied. “Book me a ticket, and make sure the airport is the nearest to New Kent.”
New Kent was in one of the less wealthy regions of Zidonia and near the border.
The criminal elements there were especially active, and there was no airport directly in that town— Abigail would have to land somewhere near instead.
Still, James hesitated since Diarmuid was still missing. “Does it have to be now?”
“Yeah,” Abigail replied. “It’s very urgent.”
She was certainly worried that Diarmuid was still worried as well, but Zachary, Stan, and James were all doing their best to find him.
On the other hand, Lulu was going into labor, while Martin’s life was in danger!
Abigail was worried about them too!
“Got it,” James replied. “I’ll check for the next flight available.”
Abigail quickly and hastily treated her sprain before leaving.
Tommy ran up to her, hugging her leg. “Mommy, where are you going? Can’t you play with me? This place is really fun. I really like it here!”
“Sorry, Mommy’s busy,” Abigail said, tenderly petting his little head. “You stay here and listen to Grandma.”
Tommy blinked at her. “Mommy…?”
Eagle came and scooped Tommy up in his arms. “I’ll keep them safe, ma’am.”
Abigail certainly believed in Eagle and nodded. “I’m counting on you.”
“It’s what I should do,” Eagle replied.
As Abigail started down the stairs, Eagle called out to her again. “Ma’am…”
Abigail turned. “Yeah?”
Eagle headed inside his room and brought her a bottle of ointment.
“People in my line of work always have some medication prepared. Just spray it on the affected area, and it will ease the swelling.”
“Thank you,” Abigail said.
“You’re welcome,” Eagle replied.
James arrived just as Abigail stepped out of the front door of the castle, and he took her straight to the airport.
Along the way, she told him, “Call me immediately if you have news on Diarmuid.”
“I will,” James replied.
Abigail lowered her eyes then, which were filled with worry—both for Diarmuid and Lulu.
They waited for a while at the airport before the announcement to board her flight echoed on the public address system.
“Should I book your flight back too?” James asked.
Abigail actually had no idea when she would return and so said, “I’ll book it myself. You just focus on finding Diarmuid.”
She needed a ride too, which was why she might as well ask James to book the ticket too.
Naturally, she did not need to bother him as well on the return flight.
“Okay,” James replied, and she headed to departures.
Over at Zidonia, Brian Adams hurried to New Kent immediately, and Johnny was on hand to receive him and take him to the hospital.
His credentials were verifiable, and the hospital was naturally willing to cooperate, since saving Martin took priority.
Since they did not have heart surgeons experienced enough to operate on Martin, no one took the scalpel.
As such, Brian was quickly briefed on Martin’s condition before he consulted the local attending physicians and decided on the surgical procedure.
Time was of the essence—once Brian and the others decided on the procedure, they went to work.
Over at the maternity ward, Lulu was on a hospital bed, sweating from head to toe from the pain, and her hair so damp every strand was sticking to her face..
But she withstood it without making a sound.
More than seven hours had passed, and it was now nighttime—Lulu was still not delivering the baby, even though she was utterly enfeebled.
The obstetrician in charge said, “C-section it is!”
However, Lulu turned toward Pippa, the female officer who accompanied her to the hospital, and she asked feebly, “Is Martin’s surgery over?”
“Not yet,” Pippa replied.
As Lulu’s gaze darkened, the obstetrician said, “Your delivery isn’t going well. A C-section is safer.”
Lulu, however, was staring blankly at the ceiling.
Martin was the best man she had ever met—she did not want to live if he died.
A tear trickled out of her eyes.
Martin was the one who brought light to her life again…
At the same time, the obstetrician urged Pippa to persuade Lulu, since Lulu’s condition was serious.
“Look, Lulu—the doctors are doing their best to save Martin right now,” Pippa told Lulu. “If something happens to the child when he recovers, he’ll be miserable…”
Lulu flashed a bitter smile.
The child was not Martin’s, and it would actually be humiliating to him if the child were born!
It should not have existed at all!
As such she refused to undergo the C-section, and she turned toward Pippa. “Please ask them how Martin’s surgery is going… Please?”
Seeing Lulu’s pleading look, Pippa could not refuse Lulu and she ran to the surgery wing again.
However, they were still operating on Martin.
When Johnny saw Pippa return, she said, “The obstetrician says Lulu’s having difficulty in labor and suggested a C-section, but she refused. I think she wants to wait and make sure the captain is safe… But I think if he really dies, she won’t have the will to live.”
“I’ll talk to her.” Johnny was left bristling from the information and ran to the maternity ward with Pippa in tow.
Johnny entered the maternity ward with the obstetrician’s approval, and he quickly tried to reason with Lulu as soon as she saw her. “Lulu, the captain’s fate is unknown, but that’s exactly why you have to deliver his child for posterity! Continue the bloodline…”
Lulu feebly closed her eyes right then, refusing to hear a word of it.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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