Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 187: "With Dr. Linden performing the surgery, I can rest assured.
After reading the message from Ryan Sterling, Rory Linden looked up and smiled. "I’m Rory Linden. It’s nice to meet you."
Ryan Sterling only glanced at her before quickly looking away into the distance. "Alright, then. My friends are over there. I’m going to head out."
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
Rory Linden first sent a transfer for two hundred in the chat window, paying for the day’s lesson.
Leo Linden’s eyes followed Ryan Sterling’s retreating figure. Only after he watched Ryan rejoin his friends did a look of unconcealable disappointment cross his face.
"What’s wrong?"
Rory Linden knelt down and asked while helping Leo take off his protective gear.
Her son looked up at her with his big, dark eyes. "Um... how much longer are we staying here?"
"About five more days."
Rory Linden took off her son’s helmet and set it aside.
Leo Linden shook his head, silently crouching down to remove his knee and elbow pads himself.
The mother and son walked back to the hotel.
It wasn’t until they were inside the elevator that Leo Linden cautiously asked, "Mommy, can we... can we stay a few more days before we go back?"
Even without her son saying a word, Rory Linden knew what he was thinking.
Although Leo Linden was born abroad, he had spent most of his life with just her. Combined with his past illness, his personality wasn’t a good fit for the environment there in some ways.
But before returning to Celestria, Rory Linden hadn’t expected Leo to grow fond of the country so quickly.
Back in their room, Rory Linden sat her son down on the sofa and said earnestly, "Leo, Mommy has to operate on a grandmother in a few days. Once the surgery is over, Mommy will give this some serious thought."
"Mm-hmm..."
Leo Linden nodded.
He had always been a sensible child. He knew Rory Linden’s work kept her busy, so he almost never made unreasonable demands.
’It must be the pull of his roots,’ Rory Linden thought. He was so much more at ease during his time here in Celestria.
-
「Soon, it was the day before the surgery.」
To ensure the surgery would go smoothly, Rory Linden dropped Leo off with Sherry Walsh beforehand.
After leaving Sherry Walsh’s house, Rory Linden headed to Sanctum Hospital.
She went to Charlotte Rhodes’s room to go over some pre-operative instructions, then double-checked the equipment. Only after confirming that everything was in order did she leave.
As she left Sanctum Hospital and got into a car heading back to the hotel, she sent Sherry Walsh a message to ask how Leo was doing.
Sherry Walsh called her immediately.
"Wow, I haven’t seen him in a year, and Leo is even more well-behaved now! I don’t have to do a thing. He changed his clothes all by himself and even folded them neatly."
Sherry’s voice was filled with unconcealable excitement. "If kids were this easy, I’d have one myself. It’s no trouble at all, is it?"
Leo Linden was only four and a half, but because Rory Linden was so busy, his self-sufficiency was far beyond that of his peers.
He did all of this himself at home, too.
Rory Linden replied bluntly, "You should probably find a baby daddy before you start thinking about that."
Sherry Walsh couldn’t help but pout. "Why do you have to be such a buzzkill? Can’t I just go abroad, buy some sperm, and have a cute mixed-race baby?"
Rory Linden said, "Sperm banks abroad don’t disclose the donor’s race."
Sherry Walsh: "Got it. I’ll stick to the old-fashioned way, then."
After getting out of the car, Rory Linden didn’t head straight back to the hotel. Instead, she decided to take a walk.
It was just after March, and the weather was pleasant during the day.
But at night, the wind still felt a bit chilly.
Rory Linden had only walked a few steps when she saw a tall figure skateboarding toward her from a distance.
The young man stopped his skateboard in front of her and glanced around. "Where’s Leo?"
It was Ryan Sterling.
"I have a surgery tomorrow and couldn’t watch him, so I dropped him off at a friend’s place for now."
Rory Linden had been in touch with Ryan Sterling for a few days now and had a good impression of him.
She had already told him that her son wouldn’t be able to make it for his skateboarding lesson today.
"Surgery?" Ryan Sterling paused. "Wait, are you a doctor?"
"Yes, but I work abroad. I came back just to perform surgery on a patient, so I’ll probably have to leave in a few days. Thank you so much for teaching Leo how to skateboard. He’s an introvert and doesn’t have many friends, so I’m really happy he got to meet you."
Rory Linden expressed her sincere gratitude to Ryan Sterling.
Over the past few days, the young man had been consistently teaching Leo Linden how to skateboard and had already taught him two tricks.
After every lesson, Leo would happily show her what he’d accomplished.
"Oh, really?" Ryan Sterling seemed surprised that they weren’t locals and blurted out, "So, are you coming back?"
"I don’t know," Rory Linden said with a smile. "If we do, could I ask you to teach Leo how to skateboard again?"
"Of course! Any time I’m free!"
Ryan Sterling flashed a brilliant smile.
’You could tell just by looking at him that he came from a good family, with a healthy, positive attitude.’
’It’s enviable.’
"Ryan Sterling! We’re leaving!"
A friend called out to him from the distance.
Ryan Sterling skated away.
Watching the young man’s retreating figure, Rory Linden thought of Leo, and a clear idea formed in her mind:
’Maybe...’
’Maybe we should just stay.’
-
「The day of the surgery.」
Rory Linden arrived at Sanctum Hospital at seven in the morning. She performed a basic check-up on Charlotte Rhodes and confirmed that all her vitals were suitable for surgery.
As she stepped out of the patient’s room, she asked the nurse waiting outside, "Has Charlotte Rhodes’s family arrived?"
"They have."
The nurse confirmed.
Rory Linden’s heart clenched for no reason. "Have they signed the consent form?"
"Not yet," the nurse explained, keeping pace with her. "Her family said they have some questions. They’re waiting to speak with you before they sign."
Still holding out a sliver of hope, Rory Linden asked, "Who is it that came?"
"It’s the patient’s son, Sean Harrison."
...
Rory Linden closed her eyes. ’I guess there’s no avoiding it today.’
She slipped the ring she always carried with her onto her ring finger before striding toward the nurses’ station.
The moment she turned into the corridor, she saw a familiar figure standing by the nurses’ station.
The man wore a dark coat, his figure tall and erect.
Although the hallway was lit in a calming, warm hue, it did nothing to diminish the man’s aloof, unapproachable aura.
He looked distinctly impatient, as if he had somewhere else to be.
"President Harrison," the nurse called out. "Dr. Linden is here. You can ask her any questions you might have, and she will be happy to answer them."
Sean Harrison’s gaze followed the sound of the nurse’s voice.
His eyes fell upon Rory Linden. He froze for a second, and the cold air around him instantly softened.
"That won’t be necessary. I’ll just sign it."
Sean Harrison turned, picked up a pen, and signed his name directly on the surgical consent form.
Then, looking at her, he added, "And if Dr. Linden is the one performing the surgery, I have nothing to worry about."
