Chapter 572 Might Need Amputation
Harper picked up her phone and saw Noah's number flashing. She answered, "Noah..."
Before she could say more, Noah's frantic voice cut in, "Harper, where are you? Francis..."
Noah sounded all over the place.
Hearing Francis's name, Harper's heart skipped a beat.
Francis hasn't come back to Northfield yet?
Harper tried to calm him down, "Take a breath. What happened to Francis?"
Noah replied, "Francis passed out in the hotel. I called an ambulance, but they said it'll take twenty minutes. I'm freaking out."
Harper was stunned "Which hotel?"
"Regal Crest Hotel." Noah replied.
Harper remembered it was just a few miles from her place.
"That's super close." Harper got up and said, "Listen, follow my instructions for first aid. I'm coming over with Vincent right now."
She threw on a coat, giving Noah instructions as she rushed downstairs to find Vincent.
By the time she hit the first floor, she had just hung up, and her legs felt like jelly.
Before she could knock, Vincent had already opened his door, hearing the commotion.
Seeing Harper's state, Vincent's calm face turned serious, "Harper, what's going on?"
"Francis... Francis fainted. Vincent, can you call a doctor?" Harper was out of breath, struggling to get the words out.
Vincent rubbed her back, "Don't worry, I'll handle it."
He pulled out his phone and made a call. Then he told Harper, "Got the best doctor on Emerald Isle. Let's go."
They rushed out and got to Regal Crest Hotel in five minutes flat.
Coincidentally, the doctor Vincent called arrived at the same time.
Upstairs, the suite door was wide open.
Harper walked in and saw Francis lying on the bed, looking pale as a ghost.
"Harper." Noah, with red eyes, came up to her.
"What happened?" Harper had a million questions but didn't know where to start.
Noah filled her in, "When I got back, the room reeked of alcohol. Looks like Francis had been drinking and slipped in the bathroom, which made him pass out."
Harper looked at Francis, anxiety gnawing at her.
A grown man falling shouldn't make him faint. It had to be an old injury acting up. Clearly, he hadn't healed properly.
The doctor checked Francis and gave him some special meds.
Miraculously, within minutes, Francis's face started to regain some color.
Just then, the ambulance arrived.
The doctor came over to Vincent and said, "Preliminary diagnosis shows his knee device is infected. He needs a hospital for a detailed check-up."
Harper felt a wave of shock and almost fainted.
Luckily, Vincent was there to catch her.
The paramedics put Francis on a stretcher and took him to the hospital. Harper took a deep breath and looked at Vincent, saying, "Vincent, I..."
Before she could finish, Vincent cut in, "Let's go together."
Harper nodded, determined.
At the hospital, Harper sat in the hallway, waiting for Francis to finish his examination.
She had thought that after the wedding, Francis had left.
But he had stayed in Emerald Isle for over a week, holed up at Regal Crest Hotel, so close to the Perry Estate.
What was he doing here?
Harper should have figured it out, but she didn't want to face the implications.
It felt like that curse was at work again.
If it weren't for Noah tonight, Francis would have fainted in the hotel, and nobody knew how bad that could have been.
Seeing Harper's anxious state, Vincent felt a pang in his heart.
He gently said, "Harper, I told Mr. Getty that we could safely send him away, but he wouldn't leave."
"He..." Harper was at a loss for words; her mind was a mess.
Vincent waited a moment, and seeing Harper not speaking, he continued, "There's something else. Today, when we went to the park, I saw a black SUV following us. Later, I had someone to have a look, and it was Mr. Getty inside. He probably misunderstood something and turned to alcohol."
Vincent was always straightforward. He felt that Francis's actions were definitely because of Harper, so she had the right to know.
Harper was stunned. So, it was Francis in the black SUV today.
No wonder she felt something strange when she saw that car.
Vincent asked, "Harper, how do you want to handle Mr. Getty's situation?"
When he asked this, he felt a bit uneasy. He could tell that Harper and Francis had genuine feelings for each other.
It was very obvious back in Northfield.
No matter how many times they broke up, their feelings for each other never faded.
Vincent had heard that Francis was trying to help Harper eliminate future troubles in the wrong way, hurting Harper's feelings.
That was why Harper, even while pregnant, was unwilling to look back.
Actually, it should be Jasper asking this question, not Vincent.
But because Vincent was a bit emotional today, he really wanted to know how Harper wanted to handle it.
No matter what, he would respect her decision.
Even if she still loved Francis and wanted to go back to him, Vincent would hide his own feelings and then bless them.
Facing Vincent's intense gaze, Harper softly said, "I don't know right now. I want to wait until he wakes up to decide."
Vincent didn't say anything more and gently said, "Alright. Don't worry. The doctors here are very professional."
After a thorough examination, Francis was already being treated.
The doctor said that the device in Francis's knee had been dislocated for a long time due to his negligence. The dislocation caused inflammation, which was very painful. An ordinary person would find it unbearable. The doctor could hardly believe Francis had been here for so many days without seeking treatment.
Now, the best course of action would be to replace the device in his knee and keep off his leg for two months. After healing, a new device could be installed.
This meant Francis would be bedridden for two months.
Harper thought of Wesley, who knew a lot about medical stuff, and called him even though it was late.
Wesley was shocked to hear the news and kept calling Francis a "madman"!
He knew Francis had attended the wedding but didn't know he hadn't left with Victor and had stayed in Emerald Isle instead.
Emerald Isle, being cold and damp, was not good for healing.
Staying there would only make Francis's leg injury worse.
Now, with the injury dislocated and inflamed, surgery could be done in Emerald Isle, but what about post-op care?
Emerald Isle's climate was clearly unsuitable for recovery!
Wesley's suggestion was that Francis should return to Northfield for surgery, as it had a better environment for him to recover quickly.
Wesley also said, "He must not want that leg anymore, knowing that cold and damp are bad for his leg and still not coming back."
Harper was shocked to hear how serious it was. She asked, "Mr. Redstone, why is his leg still so bad?"
After nearly two months of recovery, how could it get worse?
Wesley hesitated and said, "Actually, it's not that bad."
Harper didn't buy it. Seeing Francis's pale face and the doctor's expression, she knew it couldn't be good.
She pressed on, "Mr. Redstone, I want to know the real condition of his leg. Can you tell me the truth?"
Harper pursed her lips and added, "I can find out if I want to, but I'd rather hear the most objective evaluation from you."
Wesley sighed and said, "Harper, honestly, he hasn't rested properly for a single day in these two months. His recovery is worse than a week's rest for others. His insomnia is severe; he doesn't sleep at night and only gets three to four hours of sleep a day. The rest of the time, he's working. How could he possibly recover well?"
He also said a lot of medical jargon that Harper couldn't understand. In short, if Francis insisted on staying in Emerald Isle, the consequences would be bad.
As for how bad, Wesley didn't specify.
"How bad could it get?" Harper stubbornly said, "Mr. Redstone, please tell me."
Wesley coughed and said in a low voice, "In such cases, amputation is not unheard of."
Harper was stunned, not saying a word for a long time.
For a moment, she thought Wesley was exaggerating. How could it come to amputation?
She couldn't imagine what it would be like if Francis had to amputate his leg. The thought alone was devastating! Although she found it hard to believe, seeing Francis's pale face made her think Wesley might not be exaggerating.
Francis had been in a coma for many days in the hospital before. If his recovery was poor, amputation was indeed possible.
Harper clenched her fingers and said softly, "Mr. Redstone, I'll persuade him to go back."
Wesley sighed, "It will be difficult. You two really..."
He paused then sighed. Matters of the heart were too complicated.
After hanging up, Harper stood in silence for a long time.
Vincent looked at her pale face and the shadow cast by her eyelashes, making her look even more melancholic.
He couldn't bear it and pulled her to rest. "Harper, listen to me. The babies in your belly need rest too."
"Vincent..." Harper suddenly spoke. "I have to make him go back for treatment."
Harper looked up at Vincent, as if making a decision, and said softly, "Please help me."
Hearing this, Vincent felt a sudden sense of relief.
He understood what Harper meant.
He had thought long and hard before telling Harper about Francis following them in the afternoon.
For a moment, he didn't want to tell her.
Because he realized he wasn't as generous as he thought, willing to give up the person he loved.
His words about blessing Harper and Francis were insincere.
Vincent said softly, "Harper, whatever you decide, I'll support you."
The next day.
Francis finally woke up.
When he opened his eyes and saw Harper sitting by the bed, he thought he was dreaming.
He didn't even dare to reach out, fearing the dream would shatter if he did.
Harper had just arrived. She had slept poorly last night.
She kept having nightmares, even dreaming of Francis's death, making her restless all night.
This made her eyes very swollen in the morning. She had just applied something to reduce the swelling.
Seeing Francis awake and staring at her, Harper spoke softly, "You're awake. I'll call the nurse to help you freshen up."
As she was about to call the nurse, Francis grabbed her. "Is this a dream?"
His words were heartbreaking, as if he was asking humbly.
The warm touch of his hand told Francis it wasn't a dream.
In those days, he didn't sleep well at night and felt groggy every day.
He didn't want to wake up because he couldn't accept the reality.
He didn't believe Harper was really married. He kept thinking it wasn't true, but couldn't find any evidence to the contrary.
No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, it seemed to be true.
"Harper." Francis called her softly.
Harper turned back and said, "I'm not leaving. Freshen up and eat something."
Francis obediently let go and freshened up with the help of the nurse and even ate some breakfast.
After he finished eating, Harper sat by the bed again.
Francis then noticed Harper was wearing a large, ill-fitting black wool coat, which didn't seem like hers.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
