She would have agreed to C-section if the child were Martin’s.
As a matter of fact, she now regretted listening to Martin about keeping it.
She would not be in this agony if not for the child, not to mention that she would have nothing of Martin left if he died!
“Lulu…” Johnny cried anxiously. “Your friend is already here and they’re operating on the captain! There won’t be problems! You should trust your friend, shouldn’t you?!”
In reality, Johnny had presumed that Brian was Lulu’s friend as well.
In fact, friendship was besides the point—the priority was to get Lulu to agree to the C-section.
If she kept delaying, forget endangering the baby… the mother would die too!
Lulu murmured, “Abigail’s here?”
Johnny was speechless—the one he received was a man, and obviously not ‘Abigail’!
Still, he tried to assure her, “Yes, and she’s saying there’s a high chance of success. She told you not to worry, and you should deliver the baby!”
Lulu opened her eyes, staring straight at Johnny as she growled. “I’ll wait until Martin’s safe.”
Johnny could die right then.
“Are you crazy, Lulu?!” he cried, losing all his cool right then. “Even if you’re really giving up on yourself, you should let your child live!”
Turning to the obstetrician, he barked, “Operate on her, even if it’s against her consent! I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens. The child is Captain York’s, and with his condition unknown, we can’t let the baby die too.”
The obstetrician was clearly at a loss. “This is highly irregular…”
“Like I said, I’ll take responsibility,” Johnny snapped with righteous indignation. “I’ll sign the consent form.”
“You’re not a family member…” the obstetrician said.
“I’m a cop,” Johnny retorted.
The obstetrician hesitated for a moment before promptly sending word to prep Lulu for surgery.
Lulu was growling. “Johnny, how dare you…”
Johnny ignored her protest. “This is for the captain’s sake. There’s nothing I won’t do.”
Lulu tried to get up, but she was too weak.
As such, she could only frown. “Johnny, you don’t get it…”
“And I don’t want to,” Johnny replied, since he simply could not comprehend Lulu’s behavior.
All he knew was that she was treating Martin’s child like a joke.
He just did not know that Lulu was refusing because the child belonged to someone else.
As they started to wheel her to the delivery room, she reached out and grabbed tightly onto the doorframe.
No one could force her to do what she did not want to!
Her eyes were blazing. “Johnny, don’t you use that simple brain of yours to decide for me!”
Johnny punched the wall in frustration. “You’re crazy!”
Lulu remained unmoved and snapped, “If Martin dies, I will die too.”
Johnny refused to listen to or to understand Lulu.
But as the stalemate persisted, Pippa suddenly had an idea.
She whipped out her phone to answer it. “Hello? Oh! The surgery is done? Thank goodness… That’s great news!”
Johnny’s eyes lit up in turn. “Is it about the captain’s surgery?!”
Pippa nodded. “Yes. They’re saying it was a success.”
Lulu’s hand eased from the doorframe right then.
She smiled, rejoicing, although her eyes still welled with tears.
Pursing her parched lips, Lulu said, “As long as he’s alright.”
“Can you undergo the C-section now?” Johnny asked.
Lulu said nothing, but it was basically a silent approval.
After they wheeled her into the delivery room, Johnny was about to turn and leave when Pippa stopped him.
“I was lying, Johnny,” Pippa said.
Johnny looked at her in surprise, but he was soon frowning.
He obviously understood what Pippa meant.
“That call just now…”
“No one called me,” Pippa admitted.
“It’s fine. It’s better this way.” Johnny, however, praised her instead.
They would not have gotten Lulu to undergo the surgery otherwise—were they supposed to just let two lives end on her whim?
Settling down on the bench just then, Johnny sighed and prayed that both Martin and Lulu would be safe.
“It’s definitely a difficult day for them,” Pippa said.
Johnny agreed. “Absolutely. I didn’t think that they were that close either,”
He was certainly shocked when Lulu declared that she could not live without Martin, and that their bond was that strong.
Knowing that Lulu and Martin were both good people, he could only wish that they were fine.
After over an hour, Lulu delivered a girl, but the baby appeared bruised all over perhaps because she had been stuck in Lulu for too long.
As the baby was taken away to observation, Johnny sighed emotionally. “A girl is fine too.”
At the very least, Martin had a child now.
Still, Johnny’s delight soon faded because there was still no word from Martin.
Only Pippa stayed with Lulu when she was wheeled out to the maternity ward.
“Congratulations, it’s a girl.” Pippa smiled.
Lulu nodded and looked around—not spotting Johnny anywhere nearby, she asked, “Where’s Johnny?”
Pippa paused for a moment before saying, “He’s checking up on the captain.”
Lulu closed her eyes just then.
She was too tired, and the obstetrician was telling her to rest too.
She was soon sound asleep.
When Lulu woke up, it was already the next day, and she saw Abigail the instant she opened her eyes.
Abigail took Lulu’s hand and asked softly, “Are you feeling hungry? Thirsty?”
“Thirsty,” Lulu replied—her throat felt parched.
Abigail poured Lulu a glass of warm water, and Lulu took a couple sips to ease her throat’s dryness.
“Thank you,” Lulu said. “You must be tired.”
“Not really,” Abigail replied.
“Then why do you look as worn out as me?” Lulu could certainly see that Abigail was exhausted.
However, Abigail did not tell Lulu about what was happening on her end—Lulu had just delivered her child and was very exhausted.
It was not to mention that Martin had yet to regain consciousness.
“That’s your fault. You really gave me a fright, y’know?” Abigail said, giving Lulu’s hand a squeeze. “Honestly, you’re supposed to be giving birth, and Martin was almost in danger. How could I not get worn out from worry?”
Lulu smiled. “Thanks. I know it’s been hard on you.”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Abigail replied.
“I want to check on Martin,” Lulu then said.
“How?” Abigail asked. “You had a C-section—there’s a slit on your stomach that was just stitched together. You’re not getting out of bed today, but don’t worry. I’ve been to Martin’s ward to check on him. He isn’t conscious yet.”
Lulu nodded. “As long as he’s fine, I’m relieved.”
Staring at her for a while, Abigail suddenly said, “I really envy you, y’know.”
Lulu wanted to roll her eyes at her friend. “What’s there to envy? Your husband is rich and handsome, you have two sons already, and you don’t have to worry about living expenses and the like. Saying that you’re envious of me feels more like mockery.”
Abigail lowered her eyes to hide her emotions. “Diarmuid really wants a daughter.”
Lulu was silent for a moment. “How could he be so greedy?”
“He never mentioned it, actually,” Abigail said quietly. “I just think it’s regrettable I can’t grant him his wish.”
“Then you’re being paranoid,” Lulu told Abigail. “Why pressure yourself when he’s not saying anything?”
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.
Leave a Reply