Chapter 26 Cecilia Is Hospitalized
Cecilia felt a dull ache on her forehead, and a warm trickle of blood slid down. When she opened her eyes, her vision was smeared with red.
Black smoke billowed from the front of the car, and she couldn’t help but think of those online reports about car accidents and explosions.
She wondered, “Am I going to die here today?
“But Quincy hasn’t been set free yet. I can’t die now.”
Given Kolton’s temper, she wasn’t sure if he would still pursue the lawsuit against Quincy after her death.
Driven by her determination, she unbuckled her seat belt, pushed open the car door, and crawled out…
Two hours later.
Cecilia was roused from her slumber. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and she opened her eyes to see a blinding incandescent light.
“Miss, you’re finally awake!”
The doctor, clad in a doctor’s overall, let out a sigh of relief. “How are you feeling now?”
The sharp, pungent smell of disinfectant filled Cecilia’s nostrils.
Gradually, her senses returned, and she recalled everything that had happened.
She raised her hand, intending to touch her forehead, but was met with a sudden, searing pain.
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“Don’t move. You have a mild concussion and need to rest properly. We tried to contact your family, but no one answered the phone. Do you have any other family we can reach out to?”
The doctor took her phone and grasped her hand to unlock it with her fingerprint.
On the call log page, there were seven or eight calls made to Kolton, yet he never answered.
J
She had saved his contact with the note “hubby“.
Since neither Garrett nor Jasmin had their numbers saved in the phone, the doctor couldn’t find any other family members besides Kolton.
“I…” Cecilia opened her mouth, her voice hoarse and scratchy.
With seven or eight calls unanswered, making more calls would be pointless.
Maybe Kolton and Iris were already asleep by then.
“Don’t you have any other relatives or friends?” The doctor grew impatient. “You need someone to come and sign the papers now and undergo a further examination to check for any brain bleeding.
Cecilia was in a bit of a daze. Since she couldn’t sign it herself, she tapped on Veronica’s number. “Her.”
The doctor promptly got in touch with Veronica.
In less than half an hour, Veronica showed up in the Sevarin Center Health Emergency Room. Her fiery red hair was uncombed, a sign of how rushed she had been.
At the sight of Cecilia, whose face was smeared with blood, she almost burst into tears.
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“What happened to you?”
Cecilia closed her eyes to rest while waiting for Veronica. When she opened them again, she felt clearer–headed than before.
Cecilia shook her head and reassured Veronica, “It’s not life–threatening. I just got into a car accident.”
“Where’s Kolton? It’s so late. Why are you all alone?”
Veronica knew that every Saturday night, Cecilia and Kolton would go back to Kolton’s parents‘ place for dinner.
Something had clearly gone wrong on the way back home but why wasn’t Kolton by her side?
“Vivi, comfort her and stay by her side. I’ll go talk to the doctor,” Jerome said, appearing somewhat disheveled as he stepped out from behind Veronica.
His inky black eyes landed on Cecilia. “Let’s get the examination done first. If there’s anything else, we can discuss it later.”
At the mention of Kolton, Cecilia was overwhelmed with grievances and couldn’t help but get a little agitated.
Too agitated to speak, she furrowed her brows. The pain from her wound compounded her distress, leaving her in excruciating discomfort.
“Alright, I won’t ask anymore. Jerome, hurry up…
Veronica grasped Cecilia’s hand and wiped away her tears. “It’s going to be okay.”
An hour later, Cecilia had completed a thorough examination. Other than a mild concussion and a two–centimeter gash on her forehead, there were no other issues.
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“I suggest that Ms. Bradshaw be hospitalized for two days for observation. If everything is fine, she can be discharged,” the doctor said as he filled out Cecilia’s medical records and informed her of the
precautions.
Finally, he added, “She won’t be able to drive her car. She’s really fortunate to have only suffered a mild concussion. Thank goodness she’s all right; otherwise, with her not being able to reach her husband… she might have lost her life.”
After all the commotion, Cecilia was fully awake. Apart from the pain in her head, she was no longer dizzy.
Now that she knew she was okay, she forgot about the doctor’s last remarks.
She asked the doctor, “Is it possible for me not to be hospitalized?”
She had to report to Azureon Group the next day. She couldn’t afford to mess up this hard–earned job opportunity.
“Stay in the hospital.” Jerome gave her a reassuring glance. “I’ll take care of things at Azureon Group. You can report for work once you’re discharged.”
Fearing that Cecilia would refuse again, Veronica chimed in with advice, “No matter how important your job is, it can’t compare to your health. Don’t push yourself; just leave it to Jerome.”
Cecilia didn’t want anyone at the company to know that she was acquainted with Jerome.
If they did, there would always be the impression that she had gotten the job through connections.
She bit her lip, torn between her options.
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“You don’t need to feel awkward. My brother has been away for two years, and we’ve barely had any benefits from him. Now that he’s finally back, he can help us. I owe him this favor, and it has nothing to do with you!”
Veronica slapped her chest and motioned for Jerome to go through the procedures for Cecilia’s hospitalization.
Under the circumstances, Cecilia had no choice but to agree to stay in the hospital for now.
By the time they entered the ward, it was already 3:30 in the morning.
Veronica decided to stay by her side.
Jerome, seemingly concerned about his sister, also remained.
Even with the two of them there, though, they couldn’t fill the emptiness in Cecilia’s heart.
Cecilia lay on her side and stared at her phone, which hadn’t received a single call or message.
Kolton was probably spending the night at Iris’s and hadn’t come back.
She calculated the time. When she had a car accident, they might be having sex.
If her accident had been more severe and no one had happened to pass by and rescue her, Kolton wouldn’t even have known where she had lost her
life.
She knew she was getting caught up in negative thoughts and that she shouldn’t be sad, but she simply couldn’t help herself.
Soon, the sky began to lighten, and the first rays of the morning sun streamed into the ward.
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Cecilia shifted her body and turned her head. Her gaze happened to meet Jerome’s, who was standing by the window.
Veronica had fallen asleep on the sofa. Jerome had draped his coat over her, and he was left wearing just a white shirt and a black vest.
The sunlight bathed him, casting a warm, golden hue all around him.
“Are you feeling any better?” Jerome walked towards Cecilia. Seeing the strands of hair scattered across her forehead, he raised his hand, but then subtly let it drop back down.
Cecilia nodded. “Much better. Thank you, Jerome.”
Jerome smiled warmly and spoke in a soft, low voice, “Vivi will have breakfast with you later. I’ll go to the company and make arrangements to postpone your employment.”
“Jerome.” Cecilia sat up, supporting herself with her hands on the bed. But as soon as she sat upright, a wave of dizziness washed over her.
She clutched her forehead and closed her eyes.
Jerome sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and reached out his arms to steady her swaying body. “Just tell me what you want to say. Lie back down.”
With his help, Cecilia lay back down, and he quickly withdrew his hands.
“I don’t want anyone in the company to know that we’re acquainted. If I run into any problems at work, I’ll handle them on my own. Please don’t put yourself in an awkward position,” Cecilia said, her voice still a bit weak and soft even after regaining some of her composure.
She didn’t want to burden Jerome, and he understood what she meant.
“Don’t worry. No one will know that we know each other. I’ll make appropriate arrangements to postpone your employment. However, if
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there’s anything you can’t solve, you can come to me privately. Also…”
Jerome glanced at Veronica. “Don’t tell Vivi that I’m at Azureon Group.”
Veronica assumed that Jerome had helped Cecilia in getting a position at Azureon Group.
Cecilia was taken aback; she had thought that Veronica knew that Jerome worked for Azureon Group.
“All right.” She didn’t inquire further about the reason.
Jerome stayed for a short while and then left. At six o’clock, the nurse came for the ward round, rousing Veronica from her slumber.
The nurse recommended that Cecilia get some sun and use a wheelchair since it wasn’t advisable for her to walk.
Veronica simply wheeled her out for breakfast.
Cecilia disliked hospitals and didn’t want to remain in the ward, so she readily agreed.
She was in a VIP ward, and there were only two rooms on that floor.
The moment she was wheeled out of the ward, a woman’s coquettish voice drifted over from the neighboring ward.
“Kolton, please let me be discharged from the hospital. My hand really doesn’t hurt anymore. Besides, if you keep staying here with me, it will affect your work.
Cecilia turned towards the source of the sound. Peering through the half- open door of the next ward, she saw Kolton standing at the foot of the bed.
On the single hospital bed opposite him was Iris. She was wearing her own clothes, and a small strip of gauze was wound around her wrist.
