THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 303: Lynch Her To Death

By evening, Dr Whitaker arrived in a private jet specially arranged by the hospital to bring him.

As soon as he arrived, Steffan was taken back into the theater.

Like before, the atmosphere outside the theater was tense as Lauren and other family members paced anxiously, their eyes glued to the closed doors, each praying for a successful operation.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the light went off and the doors of the theater swung open.

Lauren’s heart skipped a beat as she rushed forward, her hands trembling with anticipation. "Please, tell us how he’s doing," she pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.

Dr Whitaker, the head surgeon, stepped forward, his expression grave but reassuring. "The surgery went as well as we could have hoped for," he began. "He is stable, and we were able to remove the obstruction successfully."

Relief washed over Lauren and the rest of the family as they exchanged hugs among themselves.

Breaking from Sarah’s embrace, Lauren turned back to the doctor. "Can we see him now?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.

Dr Sullivan nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Of course. We’re taking him to the ward now for recovery. He’ll need some time to rest and heal.

Lauren and the other family members followed behind as they wheeled Steffan to his previous ward.

After settling him in bed and the necessary drips fixed, Dr Sullivan turned to leave.

"Excuse me, I need to see our guest off."

"I’ll go with you if you don’t mind," David Rosse, Steffan’s father, said and followed him out accompanied by Stanley and Lauren’s two brothers, leaving only the ladies behind to watch over Steffan.

Sarah clasped one of Lauren’s hands in hers. "The surgery was successful, Lauren dear, I think you should get something to eat now."

"But I’m not hungry, mom."

"You don’t need to be hungry before you eat something. You’ve not had anything since morning," Monica pointed out.

"Where do you intend to get the strength to take care of your husband when he wakes up?" Sarah asked.

Lauren couldn’t help but blush when she heard Steffan’s mother referring to Steffan as her husband.

"What’s with the blush? You’re already husband and wife that should be on your honeymoon by now if not for that evil child of the Dawson family." Sarah lamented.

"It’s ok sister. Let’s not remind Lauren of what has happened. Like you said before, they will hold a wedding as soon as Steffan recovers," Monica comforted.

"They should have even started the process of giving me a sweet granddaughter by now," Sarah groaned with a brooding look.

That’s right," Monica nodded in agreement. "She dares to delay us holding our grandchildren. Once I get my hands on her, I’ll make her taste hell."

"Wait till I get her, I will personally lynch her to death," Sarah added while twisting her mouth.

"Can you both stop and get me something to eat?" Lauren snapped. What’s with these two old women? Is this what they should be discussing in a hospital where someone was lying critically ill?

’I pray Steffan gets well fast so that we can escape far away from these two.’

"I’ll go get food for everyone," Candace volunteered, as she rushed out. She barely got to the door before she erupted in laughter.

With one hand she opened the door, and with the other, she held onto her side and hurried out.

Those two will not kill somebody. She knew they were trying to cheer Lauren up and make her eat but she didn’t know they’d come up with such crazy antics.

She tried to suppress her laughter before people would start wondering what was wrong with her, laughing so hard in the serene atmosphere of a hospital.

The thought had barely left her mind when she met her husband and father-in-law in the hallway.

"What happened that made you suddenly this happy?" A smile stole across Stanley’s face as he saw his wife’s eyelashes glistening with tears as she tried to suppress her laughter.

"I’m going to get food for Lauren."

"She finally agreed to eat?" Stanley asked in disbelief.

"Is that why you’re trying so hard not to laugh?" David Rosse, her father-in-law asked.

"Our two drama queens scared her into eating. I can’t explain more than this." Stifling another laugh, she made to leave but her husband stopped her.

"I’ll go with you. Dad, you can go be with Steffan."

"He just abandoned me as soon as he saw his wife, thank God I have my own wife," David muttered and walked down the hall, leaving Candace and Stanley speechless.

*************

As the evening sun cast its warm glow through the hospital window, Lauren sat vigilantly by Steffan’s bedside.

The quiet hum of medical equipment filled the air as she watched over him, her heart heavy with worry.

She took his hand in hers, staring at his pale handsome face. "How long will it take for you to wake, my love? Please come back to me soon," she cried.

Not long after as Lauren’s attention shifted to stare at the window, lost in thoughts, Steffan began to stir, his eyelids fluttering as he slowly emerged from the haze of anesthesia.

"Water," Lauren heard a weak voice utter and she looked around the room but found no one. Suddenly her mind recalled where the sound came from and her eyes darted back to the bed.

"Steffan?" Lauren called out, her eyes lighting up with relief as she leaned in closer to him.

"You’re awake, my love!" She whispered excitedly.

"Water," Steffan repeated.

"Yes. Yes. I’ll get you water." Lauren sprang to her feet, poured him a glass of water, and held it to his mouth.

"Here, my love. Drink."

Steffan took a few sips and shook his head afterward before Lauren withdrew the cup from his mouth. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"How do you feel?" She asked as she saw that his eyes were still closed.

Steffan blinked groggily as his eyes came in contact with the light and he closed his eyes back.

The sterile scent of the hospital filled his nostrils, and the dull ache in his head confirmed to him that he was in the hospital.

"Can you hear me, my love?" He heard the same soft voice that he had heard in his dream and he tried to open his eyes again.

He frowned slightly when his eyes locked onto a pair of soft beautiful amber eyes brimming with concern.

His gaze wandered around the room and as his vision slowly cleared, confusion washed over him.

He struggled to make sense of why he was lying in a hospital bed. From the splitting headache he felt and the plaster wrapped around his head, he knew he was injured, but how?

He tried to adjust his position, his movements slow and unsteady, and couldn’t help but let out a groan in the process.

"Easy there," the same gentle voice sounded beside him, and Steffan turned his head to stare at her again.

Her expression was kind and reassuring. "You’ve just come out of surgery. Take your time."

Steffan nodded weakly, his head still swimming with the remnants of anesthesia. "How...how long was I out?" he managed to say.

"You’ve been asleep for a few hours," Lauren replied softly. "But the surgery went well."

Steffan nodded, but he was confused as to why it wasn’t a nurse or his parents who were by his side.

"Who...who are you?" he rasped, his voice still weak from the effect of anesthesia.

Lauren’s heart sank at his words, but she still reached out to gently touch his hand.

"It’s me, Steffan. It’s Lauren, your Lauren."

But Steffan’s expression remained blank, his mind struggling to piece together the fragments of memory. "I...I don’t understand," he murmured, his brow furrowing in frustration.

Realizing that something was amiss, Lauren pressed the call button by the bedside, summoning the attention of the medical staff.

A doctor promptly entered the room and inquired, "How can I help you, Lauren?"

He was one of Steffan’s Doctor friends and had followed them back from the church after Steffan got shot.

Lauren glanced anxiously at Steffan, her heart heavy with worry. "He’s awake, but he doesn’t seem to recognize me. I don’t know what’s wrong."

The doctor nodded understandingly, his expression sympathetic as he approached Steffan’s bedside.

"It’s not uncommon for patients to experience confusion or disorientation after surgery," he explained soothingly.

"Let me call Dr Sullivan to come and assess him. I’m sure everything will be alright," he assured.

A few minutes later, Dr Sullivan rushed in and went straight to Steffan’s bedside.

"How are you, son, you’re finally awake."

"Doctor. What happened? Why was I operated on?" Steffan asked.

Hearing Steffan referring to him as "doctor", Dr Sullivan’s countenance fell. What he feared most had happened.

Steffan had always called him Chief and not Doctor.

"You had an accident and needed to be operated on."

"And where are my family members? Has no one notified them?"

Lauren felt her world crashing all around her. Wasn’t she his family member? They were supposed to be husband and wife a few hours ago for Pete’s sake!

This can not be happening. She was sure it was a dream that she needed to wake up from.

She closed her eyes and pinched herself hard. Wincing from the pain, she opened her eyes again and reality was staring her cruelly in the face.

"Who did I offend to be punished this way?"

She sprang to her feet and dashed out through the door.