Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 269: "The Greatest Charm Comes from Your Imagination.
Ryan Sterling was visibly stunned when he saw Rory Linden.
He didn’t know the girl he brought was the last patient, and he certainly didn’t expect Rory Linden to come out of her office so quickly.
The girl glanced at Ryan Sterling and hurriedly explained on his behalf, "Doctor, I went to another hospital before, and they recommended I be admitted. Senior Brother Sterling said you’re a brilliant doctor and suggested I come here for a second opinion."
Ryan Sterling stood to the side, silent as a child who’d been caught misbehaving.
Rory Linden explained, "Here, the standard for surgery is an aortic dilation of around 50 millimeters. Based on your measurements, I don’t believe you need an operation, but it will require continuous monitoring."
She glanced at Ryan Sterling before adding, "But different doctors can have different opinions. If you feel you should be hospitalized and undergo surgery, you can go back to your previous doctor."
"Thank you. To be honest, I’m scared of having surgery, too,"
the girl said earnestly.
"But with your condition, surgery is inevitable. It’s only a matter of time. When that day comes, a surgical plan will be tailored to your specific situation."
Rory understood how the girl felt.
Her condition would require surgery for an aortic dissection, a procedure that not only involves opening the chest but is also highly complex.
Anyone would be afraid.
"Still, I want to put it off for as long as I can. The last doctor recommended I be admitted, but I came back to school precisely because I didn’t want to be." The girl glanced at Ryan Sterling. "I’m sorry. I just really don’t want to be hospitalized this soon."
Ryan Sterling squeezed his eyes shut. "It’s okay, really. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to make that decision for you."
The girl looked between the two of them. "I’m going to grab a bottle of water from the convenience store. Why don’t you come find me in a bit?"
After the girl left, only Rory Linden and Ryan Sterling remained in the hallway.
Nearby, other doctors were still calling out numbers, and patients were coming and going.
Ryan Sterling stared at the nearby wall, unable to meet Rory Linden’s eyes. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered. You’re the doctor; I should have deferred to your judgment."
"Good, as long as you know that."
Rory Linden turned to leave.
Ryan Sterling hurried to catch up. "Ms. Rory, I’m really sorry. I used to ask Auntie Wagner about you all the time. Now that you’ve moved, I have no idea how you’re doing..."
The two of them walked out of the outpatient lobby together.
Only then did Rory Linden stop walking.
It was an August afternoon, and the sun was intense.
Rory Linden raised her right hand to shield her eyes from the sun, looking at the young man before her. "Ryan, you and I are on completely different paths in life. You need to keep moving forward. When you look back one day, you might realize I’m just an ordinary person, and that my greatest appeal was a product of your imagination."
"That’s not..."
Just as Ryan Sterling started to speak, the phone in Rory Linden’s pocket began to ring.
She answered the call and, a few seconds later, said, "I’ll be right there."
Rory Linden hung up and said to Ryan, "I have an emergency surgery, I have to go. You should head out. If the girl feels unwell, just have her come back."
Rory Linden hurried away.
Ryan Sterling remained where he was, watching her retreating figure.
He stood there until the girl came up beside him and held out a bottle of water.
-
When Rory Linden got back, she immediately changed and headed to the operating room.
Over two hours later, when she came out of the operating room, the sky outside had already darkened, and it was time to get off work.
There was a missed call on her phone from Sean Harrison.
Rory Linden took off her surgical cap and called the number back.
"Sorry, there was an emergency surgery. It wasn’t supposed to take long, but we ran into an unexpected complication. I just got out of the OR. I’ll do a quick round and then I’ll be right down."
Rory Linden briefly explained her situation.
Sean Harrison’s voice was gentle on the other end. "Don’t worry about it. I’m downstairs with Leo and Bianca. He’s having a lot of fun, so we’re in no rush to leave."
After hanging up, Rory Linden headed first toward Charlotte Rhodes’s room.
After a few days of care, Charlotte Rhodes’s condition had stabilized, and she had been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular ward.
The hospital had specially arranged a private room for her.
Evan Hollis had taken to staying there every day.
After he signed the consent for the last surgery, most of the medical staff knew that Evan Hollis was not Charlotte Rhodes’s son.
But that didn’t stop the stories of Evan Hollis’s incredible devotion as a son from spreading among the patients on the cardiac surgery floor.
In the hospital room.
Charlotte Rhodes was propped up in bed, still awake.
Evan Hollis sat by the bed, massaging the elderly woman’s calves.
"Dr. Linden, you’re here."
Upon seeing Rory Linden enter, Evan Hollis stopped what he was doing and quickly stood up.
Rory Linden briefly asked about Charlotte Rhodes’s condition.
Admittedly, Charlotte Rhodes’s condition had been steadily improving since the surgery. Though she couldn’t walk yet, she could stand for short periods by holding onto the bed rail.
Rory offered a few words of encouragement to Charlotte Rhodes. As she was about to leave, she added, "Remember to change the artificial heart’s battery. You absolutely cannot forget this, understand?"
"Don’t you worry, I’m on top of it!"
Evan Hollis promised, patting his chest.
Charlotte Rhodes also said with a smile, "Yes, with him here, I don’t need to worry about it."
Still, Rory turned to the caregiver standing nearby. "In case Evan Hollis gets tied up with something, you should also keep track of when the battery needs changing."
The caregiver hurriedly agreed.
Evan Hollis asked in a joking tone, "Dr. Linden, are you saying you don’t trust me?"
"The artificial heart’s battery is crucial. It’s always better to have more than one person keeping track." Rory waved a hand dismissively. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading off."
She walked out of the room, and Evan Hollis immediately followed her.
"Dr. Linden, thank you so, so much. Not only was the surgery a success, but Auntie Rhodes’s health is improving every day." Evan Hollis paused before asking, "At this rate, about when do you think she’ll be able to be discharged?"
Rory Linden glanced at Evan Hollis warily.
She had always remained on guard around him.
’When can the patient be discharged?’ It was a question most family members would ask.
Yet, when Evan Hollis asked it, Rory’s heart constricted. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
’She couldn’t shake the worry that he was just waiting until after Charlotte Rhodes was discharged to harm her.’
’They put on such a show of being a loving mother and devoted son at the hospital. If something were to happen, with so many doctors and nurses to vouch for him, it would be incredibly difficult for the police to suspect him.’
"It depends on the patient’s recovery. She’ll need to stay for at least another month," Rory Linden said.
"That’s fine. She can stay as long as she needs to," Evan Hollis said lightly. "I just want Auntie Rhodes to make a full recovery. I hope she lives to be a hundred, so I can care for her in her old age and be there for her at the end."
Rory Linden didn’t react.
Evan Hollis pressed, "That should be possible, don’t you think, Dr. Linden?"
By now, Rory Linden was standing outside another patient’s room.
She didn’t answer his question and walked straight into the room.
Evan Hollis didn’t follow her in.
Rory breathed a sigh of relief when, after finishing her rounds, she saw no sign of Evan Hollis in the hallway.
’Sean Harrison and Leo Linden were waiting for her downstairs right now.’
’She didn’t want Evan to see her with Sean and Leo, fearing it might give him some wicked ideas.’
Rory Linden changed her clothes, grabbed her bag, and went downstairs.
In a small open area in front of the inpatient department entrance, several people had gathered around.
As Rory Linden walked closer...
"Bianca, sit."
"Bianca, shake."
"Bianca, spin."
Leo Linden stood there, giving commands to the mechanical dog in his adorable, childish voice.
The mechanical dog was about the size of a four-month-old poodle, though its features more closely resembled a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
With each of Leo’s commands, the mechanical dog performed a different action, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
Someone asked, "How much did this dog cost?"
Someone else in the crowd answered for Leo, "His dad just explained. It’s not on the market yet, so you can’t buy it even if you have the money."
Sean Harrison, standing nearby, explained, "The plan is to launch by the end of the year."
Just then, Leo Linden looked up and saw Rory Linden approaching.
"Mommy!"
The little boy ran over and grabbed her hand.
"I’m sorry, an emergency surgery came up. I made you wait so long."
Rory Linden apologized.
Leo shook his head vigorously. "It wasn’t long at all! I was just playing with Bianca!"
Sean Harrison looked over. "Don’t worry about it. Leo was perfectly happy with Bianca to keep him company."
Evan Hollis stood alone in a corner of the inpatient building, watching the family of three in the distance through a thick pane of glass.
He was holding a phone, the screen showing an incoming call.
Because he hadn’t answered it for too long, the call disconnected, but it quickly rang again.
Evan Hollis finally answered, his voice laced with impatience. "I know. I’m on my way now."
