Chapter 213 First Session
"What?" William's eyes went wide as he stared at Abigail, then quickly glanced down at the hospital bed. Bradley's chest was heaving like crazy, and there was a nasty splash of dark red blood on the white sheets.
"Grandpa, you good?" William's voice was shaky, his eyes full of worry.
Just a minute ago, Margaret said the acupuncture went fine. Now Bradley's hacking up blood? What the hell happened?
"Margaret, what did you do to my grandpa?" Abigail's finger was practically stabbing the air in Margaret's direction. "He was fine before! Now he's coughing up blood after your acupuncture! Are you trying to kill him?"
Margaret's face tightened as she glanced at Bradley. "Let me check him out."
"No way you're touching him again!" Abigail blocked her, yelling, "You did this on purpose! You made him sick and now you're scared he'll blame you, so you're trying to finish him off!"
"Are you out of your mind?" Margaret frowned. "Bradley's fine. Are you jinxing him or something?"
"Abigail's not making stuff up!" Daisy chimed in, pointing right at Margaret's face. "He was fine when we got here. Now he's coughing up blood after your acupuncture. How's that not your fault?"
Margaret was at a loss for words.
"Enough!" William suddenly stood up, his cold gaze cutting through Daisy and Abigail. "Can you keep it quite in a ward?"
Then he turned to Margaret, his eyes softening a bit. "Margaret, please, take a look. What's going on?"
Margaret felt a little flutter in her chest. Even now, William wanted her to check on Bradley. He still trusted her.
Margaret stepped forward, bent down, and examined Bradley's face.
"How is it?" William's voice was tight with worry.
Margaret gave a small smile. "It's nothing. This is actually a good sign. It means Bradley's getting better."
She didn't see anything wrong with his face. Plus, Pryce had mentioned that coughing up blood after acupuncture could be part of the detox process, a sign of recovery. Bradley's condition seemed to match that.
"No way!" Daisy's voice went up a notch. "You made him cough up blood and now you're saying it's nothing? If something happens to him, can you take responsibility?"
"Mrs. Fisher, don't jump to conclusions. If you don't believe me, get Dr. Hawthorne to check," Margaret said coolly.
Daisy turned to James. "Go get Dr. Hawthorne, now!"
Soon, Patterson followed James into the room.
"Dr. Hawthorne, perfect timing," Abigail jumped in, "Margaret made my grandpa cough up blood. Please check on him."
"Cough up blood?" Patterson adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at William.
William nodded. "Please, check on my grandpa."
Bradley did cough up blood, after all. Having another doctor confirm it would be a relief.
Seeing William's request, Patterson stepped forward and carefully examined Bradley. His serious expression gradually softened.
After a thorough check, Patterson straightened up and said to William, "Mr. Fisher, Bradley's condition has actually improved since this morning. I think it's thanks to Ms. Scott's acupuncture."
William felt a wave of relief wash over him. So, Margaret was right. Bradley was getting better.
"Dr. Hawthorne, how can that be?" Abigail blurted out, "Grandpa just coughed up blood! He should be worse!"
"What, you don't want Grandpa to get better?" William shot back, his eyes cold and impatient.
"William, that's not what I meant, it's just..." Abigail stammered, biting her lip in frustration. She couldn't believe it. How could Margaret, a nobody, actually help Bradley? And now William was looking at her with even more respect. It was infuriating.
"Alright, now that it's clear my acupuncture worked and Bradley's fine, can I go?" Margaret packed up her things, giving Abigail and Daisy a quick glance before heading for the door.
William quickly followed. "Margaret, let me walk you out."
"No need." Margaret shook her head. She checked the time; it was almost 5 PM. She had to get to Lyle's birthday party.
"Where are you going?" William insisted, still following her.
Margaret was about to refuse again when her phone rang. It was Lyle. Under William's icy stare, Margaret answered. "Lyle, what's up?"
"Margaret, remember you promised me tonight." Lyle's smooth voice came through the line.
Margaret nodded. "I remember. It's your birthday. Don't worry, I'm heading to your place now."
"I'm waiting for you at the hospital entrance," Lyle said.
Margaret was surprised. "How did you know I was at the hospital?"
Lyle chuckled. "You mentioned you were doing acupuncture for Bradley."
Margaret sighed. "Alright, I'll be right there."
She hung up and noticed William's lips pressed into a tight line, his face clearly displeased.
"William, I have plans with Lyle. I'm leaving now." Margaret ignored his cold demeanor and headed for the elevator. She pressed the button for the first floor, and the doors started to close.
Just as they were about to shut, a large hand reached in, stopping them. Then William stepped inside.
Now, it was just the two of them in the elevator. William's intense gaze was fixed on her. Margaret turned away, avoiding his eyes.
The silence was awkward.
Seeing her avoid him, William's face darkened. "Margaret, what's your deal with Lyle?"
Margaret took a step back, her voice cold. "It's not what you're thinking."
"Then what is it?" William pressed, his voice low and demanding.
Margaret took another step back, only to find herself cornered with nowhere to go.
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