Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 248: "I Want to Report It Myself.
"President Harrison, I’m not interested in any of your affairs, and that includes your love life."
Rory Linden suspected that her agreeing to drive him home had given the man the wrong idea.
She knew perfectly well that deep down, she definitely cared.
But she was even more aware that she had no standing to do so.
Their relationship could never go back to the way it was.
He would end up with someone else eventually.
If she thought about it too much, she would only end up trapping herself.
And she couldn’t convince herself to forgive him.
Sean Harrison’s lips curved into a smile. "Mm, I know. I just wanted to tell you myself."
Rory Linden focused on driving.
She pretended she hadn’t heard him.
Just over a week later, Rory Linden received a call from Keith Hawthorne.
He was informing her of Elysian Hospital’s treatment plan for Charlotte Rhodes.
It was just as she had guessed: an artificial heart transplant.
"Elysian Hospital’s equipment is state-of-the-art in every respect. You shouldn’t need my help, right?"
Rory hadn’t actually expected Keith Hawthorne to tell her about this.
In terms of surgical skill, Keith Hawthorne was on par with her.
In fact, his experience was even more extensive than hers.
Compared to her, Keith Hawthorne was the more suitable primary surgeon.
"Ordinarily, that would be the case." Keith Hawthorne paused before adding, "However, the patient specifically requested that you be her primary surgeon."
"Me?"
"Yes. The patient made it clear that if you can’t come, she’ll transfer to Celestria University Affiliated Hospital."
His tone carried a hint of resignation.
Charlotte Rhodes had always stayed in private hospitals like Elysian or Sanctum, paying more for better service.
She would likely have a hard time adjusting to a public hospital.
"She should know your surgical skills are better than mine."
Rory really couldn’t figure out Charlotte Rhodes’s motive for doing this.
Her first reaction was even—
’Is Charlotte trying to set me up?!’
Given her current physical condition, any surgery would only offer a relative improvement in her quality of life. How many years she might have left was anyone’s guess.
Keith Hawthorne said, "The patient mentioned that you performed all of her previous surgeries, so she hopes you will do this one as well."
"Director Hawthorne, I don’t want to operate on her again."
Rory stated her thoughts directly.
"In that case, come over in the next few days. You and I can talk to the patient together and try to change her mind."
It was the only solution Keith Hawthorne could think of.
The next day, Rory Linden took a few hours off in the afternoon and went straight to Elysian Hospital.
When she arrived, Keith Hawthorne was already waiting for her at the entrance to the inpatient department.
The two of them went upstairs together.
Before entering the hospital room, Rory asked first, "Is Evan Hollis here?"
"No. For a while, he was here almost 24/7, only going home occasionally to change clothes. But he’s been gone for long stretches these past few days. It’s just been the caregiver. I just asked the nurse, and the caregiver is with her now."
After answering her question, Keith Hawthorne opened the door and entered the room ahead of her.
Charlotte Rhodes was lying alone on the hospital bed, with the caregiver standing to the side.
Though it had only been a few days, the old woman’s condition looked even worse.
She had thinned down even more.
The arm visible from the sleeve of her hospital gown was just loose skin clinging to the bone, with almost no fat left.
Keith Hawthorne relayed the purpose of their visit on Rory’s behalf.
Charlotte Rhodes’s gaze slowly shifted to Rory. "You’ve performed every one of my surgeries. You could say we’re bound by fate. I hope you can do this one for me, too."
The old woman’s tone was sincere.
It seemed she truly trusted her.
Rory explained, "Auntie Rhodes, if you were at a hospital in another city, I could apply to perform the surgery as a visiting surgeon. But you’re right here in Veridia. If I’m to be your primary surgeon, you’ll have to transfer to Celestria Affiliated and complete a whole new series of examinations."
"Then I’ll transfer."
Charlotte Rhodes’s tone was firm.
"The conditions at our hospital are very poor..."
Rory quickly gave a simple rundown of the conditions at Celestria Affiliated.
Not only would she have to stay in a shared room, but the air conditioning wasn’t very strong either.
She had used these same talking points last time to dissuade that young secretary of Miles Harrison’s.
She hoped it would work to dissuade Charlotte Rhodes this time, too.
But Charlotte Rhodes’s attitude remained firm. "It’s fine. Let’s go ahead with the transfer."
Rory was at a loss for words. She could only look at Keith Hawthorne beside her, pleading for help with her eyes.
"Then let’s do the transfer," Keith Hawthorne conceded. "While your hospital’s amenities might not be the best, the skills of your doctors and assistants are better than ours, and your facilities aren’t bad either."
Keith Hawthorne had no choice but to agree to the transfer.
In all its years, Elysian Hospital had only performed fifty-some artificial heart transplants.
Celestria Affiliated, on the other hand, had done at least a hundred. In terms of experience, their doctors and assistants were definitely more seasoned.
Since it had come to this, Rory could only agree as well.
The two of them exited the room.
Keith Hawthorne asked, "Celestria Affiliated should still have some of those private rooms available, right? Have President Harrison apply for one."
"Mm, I’ll let him know."
That was what Rory had been planning to do anyway.
The standard wards at Celestria Affiliated were average, but just like Elysian Hospital, it had a few reserved private rooms.
Ordinary people couldn’t get into these rooms no matter how much money they were willing to pay.
But...
...if Sean Harrison pulled some strings to apply, he could definitely get one for Charlotte Rhodes.
The two of them were still standing in the hallway...
"Dr. Linden!"
Rory followed the voice and saw Evan Hollis walking toward them.
The man was wearing a gray hoodie. His hair was a little longer than before, making its natural curliness more obvious.
Combined with his attire, he didn’t look like someone in his thirties at all.
He looked more like a stay-at-home type in his twenties.
He walked quickly up to them and asked Rory, "Dr. Linden, did Auntie Rhodes tell you about wanting to transfer hospitals?"
A glimmer of hope suddenly returned to Rory. "Evan, actually, I don’t recommend she transfer."
Evan Hollis knew what she was going to say. He gave a slight shrug. "Sorry, this was her own decision. At first, I thought she was worried I couldn’t afford to have her stay here, but it seems she has a lot of faith in your skills."
Evan Hollis gave a sincere smile. "Dr. Linden, I believe in you too. I’m sure that if you perform the surgery, it will be a success." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
"Evan, you’re a doctor too. You of all people should know that things can change in an instant on the operating table. No one can guarantee a 100% success rate, not even for the simplest procedure."
Rory’s attitude was very serious.
Her surgical success rate was high, but an artificial heart transplant was a very difficult operation. No doctor could ever be 100% certain of the outcome.
"I know. You don’t need to second-guess Auntie Rhodes’s intentions. She’s told me before that she feels very guilty, believing it was her stubbornness in the past that kept you and President Harrison from being together."
Evan Hollis’s attitude was consistently sincere, without the slightest trace of a lie.
’If she hadn’t found out a few things, Rory would have genuinely believed he had Charlotte Rhodes’s best interests at heart.’
Evan Hollis thought for a moment, then asked Rory, "Dr. Linden, why don’t you contact President Harrison? Blood is thicker than water, after all. Maybe he can persuade Auntie Rhodes."
