Chapter 461 Lucas's Gentleness
The emergency light cast an eerie blue glow on the damp walls. Two bodyguards in black suits struggled to maneuver a stretcher, the metal handles screeching in their hands. Edward lay on the stretcher, wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket, his face ghostly pale in the flickering light.
"This way!"
Lila appeared out of nowhere, grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward the stretcher. The hem of her raincoat dripped water, and her bangs stuck to her worried face. "The lookout in the elevator is trapped by the smoke bomb, but we need to get out before the smoke clears..."
She suddenly stopped, staring at my trembling shoulders.
"Diana, listen to me."
She freed one hand and pressed it firmly on the back of my neck, forcing me to look at her.
"He needs you to stay focused. This is not the time to fall apart."
Before she finished speaking, the stretcher tilted, and Edward's head lolled to one side. I rushed to support his neck, his skin icy cold under my fingers. The wires of the heart monitor tangled around the bodyguard's waist, flailing wildly with their running, creating a chaotic noise.
"Watch the steps!" I shouted.
Lila immediately braced the side of the stretcher with her knee, the metal clanging painfully in my ears. Edward let out a weak moan, blood seeping from his mouth and soaking into his collar. Lila quickly wiped the cold sweat from my face.
"Hold on, we're almost there. We can't fail now."
Cold sweat mixed with blood slid into my sleeve. With each step, the hand supporting the stretcher felt like it was being torn apart, but Edward's faintly rising and falling chest kept me from letting go.
As the iron door of the fire escape was slammed open, a rush of cold air hit us. A black SUV was parked at the exit, its doors wide open.
We lifted the stretcher into the car, the metal frame thudding against the door frame.
Lila grabbed my arm and pushed me forward.
"Get in! Protect him!"
I fell into the seat next to Edward, pressing down on his bleeding bandage. Blood oozed through my fingers, the warm, sticky sensation making it hard to breathe.
"Hold on, you have to hold on."
I heard my own hoarse voice trembling. Lila slammed the car door shut, the vehicle shaking violently. The engine roared, tires screeching against the pavement as the scenery outside the window blurred past.
Edward's eyelashes fluttered, and I leaned in close, only to see him cough up a mouthful of blood, staining my sleeve. His breathing grew weaker, the heart monitor's beeps becoming sporadic. I stared at Edward's pale face, counting each labored breath.
Twenty minutes later, the SUV screeched to a halt in front of a private hospital. The entrance was lit by harsh white lights, and a dozen medical staff waited with a gurney. As soon as the car door opened, they swarmed in, quickly transferring Edward to another stretcher.
I tried to follow, but a nurse stopped me at the operating room door.
"Family members, please wait outside."
Watching the doors close, my legs gave out. Lila caught me, her hand cool but steadying. I collapsed onto a bench, noticing for the first time the dried blood under my nails, my legs shaking uncontrollably.
Lila's hand covered mine, gently pressing my trembling fingers into her palm, her voice soothing.
"Don't dig your nails into your wounds. I'm here."
I saw the redness in her eyes.
Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway, the sharp, rhythmic clack of dress shoes on tile, carrying a sense of urgency. Lucas appeared, a chill clinging to him, rain still on his black suit, his dark tie askew, clearly having rushed over.
Lucas clutched a dark folder under his arm, the edges slightly bent, hinting at the urgency. His cold eyes swept over my trembling hands, his brows knitting sharply.
Lucas slammed a thermos onto the bench armrest, the metal clanging loudly, making me jump. The thermos was warm, steam rising with a faint scent of milk, clearly prepared with care. Before I could react, he slapped the folder down beside it, the rustling of paper making the liquid inside ripple.
"Drink it." Lucas's voice was low and cold, but a hint of tension slipped through as his Adam's apple bobbed.
Lila instinctively started to speak, but he silenced her with a raised hand. He irritably loosened his tie, the sound of silk against his neck loud in the quiet hallway. His collar was askew, revealing part of his collarbone. As he bent down, the metal clasp of the folder cast a long shadow on the floor.
"I won't let Edward die." Lucas's knuckles whitened as he tapped the folder, his tone fierce. "Edward has to wake up to be the key witness."
When Lucas straightened, his gaze fell on the wounds in my palms, his eyes darkening.
After a moment of silence, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Lila.
"Wrap her wounds." I noticed Lucas's tense expression soften slightly.
"Don't cause me any trouble here."
Despite the harshness in Lucas's words, the thermos, the handkerchief, and the folder filled with secrets all betrayed his hidden kindness.
I stared at the steam rising from the thermos, my thoughts drifting to Edward, fighting for his life in the operating room.
Lila moved closer, gently wrapping my wounds with the handkerchief. Her nails were neatly trimmed, and I looked at her, seeing silent comfort in her eyes.
Lucas irritably loosened his tie again, the sound of silk against his neck loud in the quiet hallway. His collar was askew, revealing part of his collarbone. As he bent down, the metal clasp of the folder cast a long shadow on the floor. The sharp clatter of surgical instruments broke the tense silence.
Lucas stood up abruptly, his suit brushing the edge of the folder, making a few papers flutter. He adjusted the motion-sensor light to stay on, the cold white light filling the hallway, highlighting the bloodshot veins in his eyes. Clearly, he hadn't rested well.
"Twenty bodyguards are guarding the building."
Lucas lit a cigarette, the flame flickering on the metal lighter, illuminating half his face. Ash fell onto the folder, unnoticed, staining the papers that could change everything.
"When he gets off the operating table, these..." Lucas pointed at the folder with his cigarette,
"Will put Nicholas behind bars for life."
In the flickering light, I saw Lila's hand trembling as she clutched his coat, while Lucas's gaze remained fixed on the "In Surgery" sign. I heard him murmur,
"This is our last chance."
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