Chapter 549 Aftermath
Winona flipped straight to the last page of the consent form. She gripped the pen tightly, trying to steady her trembling hand, and quickly signed her name.
Just as she finished, before she could catch her breath, the nurse handed her another form. "This one's for the surgery consent."
Winona signed several more forms before the nurse finally turned to go. As she left, she glanced at Winona's dirt-covered hands. "You should get those wounds treated. They're covered in dirt and could get infected."
"Okay, thanks," Winona replied. Only then did she have a moment to ask about Zachary's condition. "How is he? Is he going to be okay?"
"The patient is still in critical condition. We'll keep the family updated if anything changes," the nurse said before hurrying off with the stack of signed forms.
As the door closed, Winona slumped against the wall, feeling utterly drained after the intense stress.
"Winona," Someone called her name.
Winona opened her eyes to see Austin striding towards her. "What are you doing here?"
"I was worried about you," Austin said, glancing at her untreated hands with a knowing look. "Go wash your hands. I'll get some medicine."
Winona's hands were filthy. She needed to wash them with clean water and then rinse the wounds with saline.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Austin cut her off. "Go wash your hands first. I'll stay here and keep watch. Once you're done, I'll go get the medicine. Zachary's surgery won't be over anytime soon. Do you really want to be covered in dirt when you take care of him?"
Austin ended up applying the medicine for her. The nurses were too busy with other accident victims to help. Winona had wanted to do it herself, but Austin wouldn't let her.
As Austin carefully dabbed the cotton swab on her wounds, Winona said, "It doesn't hurt. You don't have to be so gentle."
Both of her hands were injured, and the wounds were quite large. If Austin continued at this pace, it would take forever.
Without looking up, Austin said, "You need to stop being so tough. Zachary has low emotional intelligence. If you say it doesn't hurt, he'll believe you. Even if it doesn't hurt, you should act like it does so he'll worry about you more."
"You need to be a bit more dramatic. That way, Zachary will cherish you more. You're so independent and capable, of handling everything on your own. It makes him think you don't need his care, so he won't put in the effort. And when someone doesn't invest much in you, they won't feel bad about losing you."
"It's like artifacts. The ones in museums that need constant care are more cherished than the tools left out in the elements. You wouldn't give a second glance to a hoe, but a vase or hairpin, even a small chip would make you upset. If they break, you'd pay a lot to have them repaired."
The analogy was vivid and clear, even someone with low emotional intelligence would understand instantly.
Winona felt a pang in her chest, her eyes welling up. "Okay."
Austin's concern was like that of an older brother worried his sister would be mistreated by her future in-laws. He seemed ready to write a book about all the ways men could be awful for Winona to carry around.
Afraid she might start crying, Winona quickly changed the subject. "Where's Samuel?"
With Zachary injured and his fate uncertain, Samuel wouldn't just ignore it.
Austin replied, "Julia went to the scene."
They had been about to drive off when Samuel suddenly stopped, as if sensing something. He turned around and saw Julia's car parked in the shadows by the roadside, its lights off. It was unclear how long she had been there.
But it was clear Julia didn't want Samuel to see her. Otherwise, she would have honked when they came out.
After applying the medicine, Austin got up to throw away the trash.
Unfamiliar with the hospital, he wandered through several hallways before finally finding a trash can. Just as he was about to head back, he saw a familiar figure.
It was Abigail.
She was standing at the entrance of an emergency room, her wrist held tightly by a man. The man's face was dark and stormy, while Abigail, though shorter, exuded an air of defiance. They knew each other well.
Austin decided to approach and figure out their relationship. If they were close, he would ask the man to take Abigail home.
As he got closer, he heard the man ask coldly, "How long are you going to keep this up?"
Abigail sneered, her tone dripping with disdain. "Since we're already at the hospital, why don't you get your head checked? When my dad was alive, you pretended to be a good man. As soon as he died, you broke off our engagement, married someone else, imprisoned me, and took over my inheritance. I've been avoiding you like the plague, and you and your new wife still have the nerve to show up in front of me? And you have the gall to say I'm causing trouble?"
The emergency room hallway was crowded, and Abigail's loud voice drew everyone's attention.
She tried to pull her hand free, but the man held on tight. "Let go. Your woman is inside getting stitches, and you're out here holding onto me. Are you trying to cheat on her?"
"Abigail," the man growled, his patience wearing thin. "You're the Watson family's eldest daughter. Where did you learn to speak like this?"
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "You're still the Watson family's eldest daughter. Your status doesn't change because of who I marry. Move back to the Watson Villa. If you don't want to see me, I'll move out."
Abigail bent down, took off her high heel, and without hesitation, aimed it at his head. She didn't hold back, clearly intending to hurt him.
The man had no choice but to let go. Abigail, holding her shoe, turned and walked away.
Austin was speechless.
He hadn't looked into Abigail's background and didn't know much about her, but the man deserved a beating.
Winona, noticing Austin had been gone a while, was about to call him when the operating room door opened and Zachary was wheeled out.
She quickly put her phone away and rushed over. "How is he?"
"He's still unconscious. He has a head injury, and we don't know if he'll wake up or what the long-term effects might be. He needs to stay in the ICU for a few days for observation. There's no need for family to stay with him. You can visit once a day at four o'clock. There's no visiting time today, so you should go home and rest."
Winona nodded and followed them to the ICU, where a nurse stopped her at the door.
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