Chapter 364 Drowning
Elissa woke up feeling groggy, like she was still swaying. Thinking Francis was still around, she stretched out her arms and legs, but hit nothing but air.
She opened her eyes and realized she was alone in the cabin. Spotting a white shirt draped over the sofa, she slipped it on and headed out the door.
The hallway was empty, and the deck was deserted too. Elissa leaned against the railing, enjoying the breeze and the view, when she noticed the cruise ship had stopped, and there were ripples in the water.
She smiled and walked to one side, watching the ripples follow her. When she reached the ladder, Francis emerged from the water and climbed up.
Elissa leaned against the railing, her eyes tracing from his handsome face down to his well-defined muscles, glistening with water droplets.
Francis slicked back his wet hair, bent down close to her, and smiled. "You like it?"
Elissa reached out, her manicured nails tracing the edge of his swim trunks. Her eyes lifted slightly, carrying a lazy allure. She withdrew her hand, and the tight waistband made a sound.
Her hand moved over his firm muscles. "Yeah, it's also useful."
Francis hooked her slender waist and pulled her into his arms, speaking into her ear while lightly biting her earlobe. "I guess I've proved myself?"
Elissa lightly scratched his broad back with her nails. "I'm going for a swim."
"I'll join you."
"No, I want to go alone."
As she unbuttoned her shirt, Elissa asked, "No one can see us around here, right?"
Francis had reserved this part of the sea. Simon and the others were watching the perimeter; no one would come in. After what happened that night, Francis had become more cautious.
He shook his head and said, "No one."
Elissa took off her shirt and jumped into the sea. Francis leaned on the railing, watching the blue water where a figure was moving. Even though he had swum several laps to cool off, he felt his desire rising again.
Francis had always thought he never showed excessive fondness for anything. He couldn't afford to show too much affection for anything, because it would become a weakness for others to exploit.
He had never liked anyone enough to want to spend all day in bed with them. If his opponents knew he had someone he liked this much, it would become his Achilles' heel, and he would be constantly constrained.
Francis actually restrained his feelings for Elissa at the beginning, but as things progressed, he realized he couldn't live without her.
Lost in thought, he looked back at the sea, which was now calm, and the figure had disappeared. Francis thought Elissa was playing with him.
But as time passed, he felt something was wrong and immediately jumped into the sea. Elissa had already sunk, not struggling, clearly drowning.
Francis quickly dove down, grabbed her, and brought her back to the deck. He covered her with a black shirt and performed CPR and chest compressions.
But after a long time, Elissa showed no signs of movement, and her cheeks were gradually swelling. Francis hurriedly carried her to the cabin and told the captain to speed back to shore.
Madison was waiting for the elevator when she saw Francis rushing out with Elissa in his arms. She noticed both of them were still wet; Francis looked grim, and Elissa didn't greet her.
Madison quickly followed, with Garry pushing a stroller behind her. Simon showed up too, bringing a female doctor along.
"What happened?" Madison asked as she walked in.
Garry stayed at the bedroom door, listening to Francis's trembling voice. "She just went for a swim and suddenly drowned, but it doesn't look like just drowning."
Madison frowned. "You were swimming in the sea?"
Francis nodded.
Madison panicked. "Could there be sea snakes or something that bit her?"
Madison had heard Hope mention that Elissa could swim well. She could only think of some freak accident.
Francis shook his head. That part of the sea was supposed to be safe; he had it checked out before letting Elissa swim. If there was any danger, he wouldn't have let her go.
Seeing he was also distressed, Madison didn't press further. They just waited for the doctor's examination results.
The female doctor finished the check and said, "Mr. Peterson."
"How is she?" Francis asked.
The female doctor said, "It seems seaweed tangled her legs, causing her to drown, but Ms. Wilson seems to have had an allergic reaction, leading to shock."
"Allergic to what?" Francis asked.
The doctor replied, "Can't be sure. There are many factors in the sea; maybe she's allergic to seaweed. Has Ms. Wilson swum in the sea before?"
Francis didn't know Elissa's past well enough to answer. He couldn't possibly investigate her as thoroughly as he does others. They were dating, not negotiating a deal.
"I'll make a call," Francis said. He didn't want to disturb Hope and Jerry, but things kept happening. They had just gone through a lot and finally had a peaceful honeymoon. Now they were being disturbed by him and Elissa again.
"Jerry," Francis said when the call connected. "Can you ask Hope if Elissa has swum in the sea before? And if she's allergic to anything."
Jerry took the call outside to avoid disturbing Hope's sleep. Hearing Francis's question, he went back in and woke Hope.
Jerry's voice was gentle. "Hope, something happened with Elissa."
Hope's eyes opened instantly, worriedly asking, "What happened? The surveillance didn't get fixed?"
"Not that," Jerry repeated Francis's questions.
Hope was confused. "She had swum in the sea before, with..." She changed her tone. "But I never noticed any allergies. She might not even know herself."
Jerry told her to rest and said to Francis, "Some people's allergens are only discovered upon contact. Like eating seafood, mangoes, or using certain medications. Some allergens are so rare that they might never be discovered."
Francis paused, then said, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Elissa. Don't rush back; I'll keep you updated."
Jerry agreed, hung up, and told Hope.
Hope got out of bed, saying, "I can't just wait. Allergies are serious or fatal, especially unexpected ones."
Jerry thought differently; it was too coincidental. While accidents did happen, the recent events seemed targeted at Elissa. From this perspective, it wasn't hard to predict the one behind all these events.
"Leave it to Francis," Jerry said, sitting on the bed with Hope on his lap. "Going back won't change anything; waiting here is the same."
How could it be the same? Hope would feel more at ease seeing Elissa, unlike now, where she was extremely worried.
"How about we find a time for another honeymoon?" Jerry suggested.
The female doctor gave Elissa an IV and told Francis, "Mr. Peterson, I need to draw blood for testing."
Francis nodded, "Get the results quickly."
The doctor drew the blood, "I'll be as fast as I can."
Simon followed the doctor out.
Francis looked at Madison, "You and Garry go take care of your things. I'll stay here and watch."
Madison didn't want to disturb Francis and Elissa, "If you need any help, just call us."
Francis saw them out, promising, "I can handle it."
"Alright," Madison said and then left.
Francis closed the door and returned to the living room, asking his subordinates, "Where's Jessa?"
Felix Peterson replied, "Arthur and the others sent her back. She should be in Maple Valley for a while now, and we've been keeping an eye on her."
A flicker of something crossed Francis's eyes. 'Could it really be an accident?'
He still doubted and said, "Confirm if it's really Jessa."
Felix immediately called Arthur Peterson.
Francis fetched some hot water, wrung out a towel, and wiped Elissa's face. Then he sat by the bed, staring at the IV drip. Watching Elissa's face slowly deflate and the red spots fade, he let out a shallow breath.
Francis murmured, "Sorry, dating me has caused you so much trouble."
Francis couldn't bear to think about the future. Maple Valley had so many eyes on him.
The IV drip slowly emptied, and time passed. After it finished, Francis removed the needle and pressed on the puncture site to stop the bleeding.
"Elissa." Hope pushed the door open and walked in.
Francis wasn't surprised she could come in freely, given that Jerry had booked the entire floor. What surprised him was that they had come back.
"I told you..." Before Francis could finish, Jerry interrupted him, "Do you think Hope could enjoy herself after your call? Her best friend is in trouble."
Francis set his lips into a line. He got up from the bedside to make room for Hope.
After a few seconds of silence, he still said, "Sorry."
Hope only asked, "What exactly happened?"
Francis recounted the entire process.
Hope was puzzled, "If it's a private area specifically for tourists to swim, and you cleared the area, with only the captain and you two there, logically, there shouldn't be any chance of foul play. Did you check the captain?"
Francis replied, "Yes, he is clean. He was in the cockpit the whole time, and there's surveillance."
Hope felt something was off, but Jessa had been sent away by Francis, and Efren had returned to Maple Valley. Who else could harm Elissa here? It couldn't be that Jessa was so powerful that she could harm Elissa from Maple Valley, right?
"Stop overthinking." Jerry reached out to smooth Hope's furrowed brow, "Let Francis survey it; he'll have results soon. Elissa has already had an IV, and she will be fine, don't worry."
Hope nodded and said, "Then you go investigate, help Francis. I'll stay here with Elissa."
Since Hope said so, Jerry was definitely going to get involved. Francis would certainly find out the truth, but he was preoccupied with Elissa, unlike Jerry, who could act without such concerns.
Soon, Jerry found some clues. "Jessa hasn't been idle all these years abroad. I thought she came back because she still cared about you, visiting you in the hospital even when her grandfather was in the ICU. Now it seems she was just unwilling to let go."
Jerry paused a while and kept going, "Given how the Peterson family treated her, how could she not harbor resentment?"
Francis looked through photos and videos, finding that Jessa had made many connections. Since Jessa's return, her grandfather had passed away within days. The Peterson family, though ruthless, only cared about their reputation and interests. But Jessa was Rainey's goddaughter after all, raised in the Peterson family.
In such circumstances, Francis couldn't bear to investigate her affairs, only thinking of compensating her somehow. But he hadn't expected to put Elissa in danger.
"But," Jerry glanced at Francis's grim face and continued, "there's no direct evidence to prove it. If she doesn't confess, calling the police won't help. But you should have ways to make her talk. So, do you want to go back and check?"
Francis tossed the tablet aside, and took out a cigarette but didn't light it. After a long silence, he spoke, "Once Elissa recovers, I'll take her back. I'll deal with all the mess, then take her out for a good time."
"That's perfect," Jerry snapped his fingers.
Francis was slightly surprised, "What?"
Jerry said, "We're going back too, let's go together."
Elissa hadn't woken up by evening, making Francis and Hope worried. Hope suggested to Jerry, "Let's take Elissa back to Maple Valley and have Mr. Griffin take a look."
Jerry held Hope's hand to comfort her, "I just consulted a very skilled doctor. She said Elissa is fine, the medication has taken effect, and the allergy has subsided. She should wake up soon."
Jerry's words were also meant for Francis. But after all these years, he and Francis could understand each other with just a glance.
Hope couldn't help but ask Francis, "When will the allergy test results be out?"
Francis was anxious too, no less worried than Hope. "They only said 'ASAP'."
At that moment, Elissa woke up. Francis quickly walked over, but Hope was sitting by the bed, and Jerry was guarding her, so he couldn't get close. Jerry glanced at him, signaling him to wait. Francis had no choice but to wait. Hope, however, voluntarily made room.
Francis thanked her and sat by the bed, helping Elissa sit up. Elissa rubbed her heavy head and was surprised to see Hope, "Didn't you say you were going to the beach for a few days?"
Hope replied, "We changed the plan. If you're not feeling too bad, let's go back to Maple Valley and have Mr. Griffin take a good look at you."
Elissa was still a bit confused, "It's only been a few days, and your honeymoon is over? And why do I need to go back to Maple Valley for Mr. Griffin?"
Hope's eyes showed surprise, "You don't have memory loss, do you?"
"No." Elissa shook her head, "I just think a simple drowning doesn't warrant bothering Mr. Griffin and cutting your honeymoon short."
"You didn't just drown; you had an allergic reaction too." Francis interjected, "Before you passed out from drowning, did you feel like you touched something?"
Elissa was quite surprised, "I had an allergic reaction?"
"Yes," Francis and Hope said simultaneously.
Then Hope asked, "Didn't you have allergies as a child?"
Since knowing Elissa, Hope had never seen her have an allergic reaction.
Elissa replied honestly, "Never. I always thought I was pretty tough, never suffering such a fragile condition like allergies. But now that Francis mentioned it, I do recall that besides the seaweed tangling my legs, I did touch something."
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