Chapter 16 Eleanor is in a bad state

Eleanor loves Sebastian very much and has kept this secret in her heart for sixteen years,being careful not to let anyone know.
Eleanor looked up and cried and laughed. She suddenly reached out to Sebastian,but before she could touch him,the man in front of her recoiled from her hand with disgust.
In the void,Eleanor grabbed at nothingness as raindrops fell on her hands,bringing coldness into her heart.
At that moment,Eleanor felt they were so far apart that even if she spent a lifetime trying to reach Sebastian,she would never be able to catch him. It was like the raindrops slipping through her fingers...
She looked up at Sebastian's cold face and choked out each word: "Sebastian... it hurts so much..."
Sebastian just frowned tightly. He didn't believe what Eleanor said. After all these years together he knew Eleanor very well; he knew she was afraid of pain and suffering but kneeling for half an hour wouldn't kill anyone.
"Eleanor stop pretending! You look like you're dying after only kneeling for half an hour. Don't worry your father won't die; you can stand up now."
Her body felt like it had been pricked all over by needles; every part hurt but most painful of all was her heart which seemed already rotten beyond repair.
Eleanor continued laughing but it was uglier than crying.
Sebastian couldn't understand why she was laughing - he hated that laugh because it made him feel uneasy inside.
"Crazy woman!" Sebastian cursed as he tried to grab hold of Eleanor's arm only to find that she felt as cold as ice.
Suddenly stopping mid-laughing fit,Eleanor swayed forward without warning causing Sebastian unable to catch hold of her. He watched helplessly as she fell sideways into a puddle looking like a rag doll thrown away carelessly into the water.
Eleanor stopped laughing and didn't move at all. Her whole body lay limp on the ground,silent as death. She opened her mouth and blood flowed out in waves,staining the puddle beneath her face a bright red.
Sebastian's entire body stiffened; it felt like he had been hit by a heavy hammer. His brain was dizzy with confusion as he watched this scene unfold before him - it all seemed so unreal.
Finally his body reacted faster than his mind could process what was happening. He threw down his umbrella and picked up Eleanor who felt no heavier than before despite being soaked through with rainwater. Her complexion was so pale that one could see tiny veins under her skin.
"Eleanor!"
Eleanor leaned weakly against Sebastian's chest,her seaweed-like hair covering his heart completely while she squinted painfully with half-closed eyes.
She looked deeply into the man holding her,feeling more and more drowsy but afraid to close her eyes because she feared that if she did,she would never wake up again. The last of her willpower was used to look at Sebastian; trying to imprint every detail of him onto memory before fading away bit by bit.
"Sebastian... do you know... sixteen years ago... Eleanor really liked you... for sixteen years... now she doesn't have any strength left to like you anymore..."
She had said these words many times before but Sebastian couldn't understand why since they only met each other recently after not seeing each other for sixteen years!
Eleanor's vision blurred gradually until darkness enveloped everything around them; she couldn't see Sebastian's conflicted expression anymore...
Her chest suddenly convulsed causing another mouthful of blood to spurt out which stained Sebastian's shirt even redder than before.
"Eleanor! What is wrong with you?!" Sebastian frantically wiped away the blood from Eleanor's face but only ended up smearing more of it around. His hands were stained red but he couldn't wipe it all away.
He was sweating profusely and his eyes were bloodshot; for the first time,he realized how fragile human life could be. Eleanor lying in his arms looked like she was about to die any moment.
Eleanor... Eleanor...
Sebastian repeated her name over and over again in his mind. He refused to admit that he cared about her but deep down inside,he felt a sense of panic rising because they shared the same blood type as Victoria.
...
When Sebastian burst into the hospital with Eleanor covered in blood,everyone was shocked. The receptionist immediately called for help on the intercom and a nurse quickly brought a surgical cart.
"Take her to the emergency room!" The doctor made the decision upon seeing Eleanor barely breathing.
Sebastian was stopped at the surgery door,his heart pounding as he watched it close. He felt an inexplicable fear that almost overwhelmed him. His hands were shaking as he tried to push open the door but hesitated,feeling lost and scared like a child leaving home for the first time with unknown fears.
The hospital had air conditioning which made Sebastian feel cold and numb as he stared blankly at the surgical light. The blood on his shirt had been dried by the air conditioning,turning into dark red clots emitting a rust smell.
The nurse standing beside him had never seen such a handsome man before in real life. She walked over to comfort him softly when she noticed his pale face: "Don't worry,everything will be fine with your loved one..."
Sebastian seemed not to hear her words; instead,he lowered his head and looked at his bloody hands before rubbing them together absentmindedly. He watched small pieces of blood dust fall from between his palms while realizing that not only were there stains on his hands but also on his clothes,pants and arms... all stained with Eleanor's blood.
Why did she have so much blood?
...
Inside the operating room,
Eleanor lay on an operating table with her stomach convulsing violently as she vomited mouthfuls of endless bleeding water onto sheets soaked in redness.
It hurts so much... Eleanor couldn't hold back tears anymore; her brain was muddled while her body hurt so badly that she could hardly tell if this was reality or just an illusion.
Many images flashed through her mind - Sebastian's angry face,Sebastian holding her tightly in his arms,Sebastian calling her name,Sebastian slapping her face,and Sebastian humiliating her...
One by one they turned into bubbles that congested in her mind before breaking apart bit by bit until finally merging into the last picture.
That was sixteen years ago with a different Sebastian.
Eleanor couldn't remember what the young Sebastian looked like anymore. She only vaguely remembered that he was a head taller than she was with a clean smile on his face. His arms were thin but when he carried her on his back,there was an age-inappropriate strength that made her feel safe.
It was springtime then when seven-year-old Eleanor had been taken to an amusement park by Robert who abandoned her there. It was Sebastian who "picked" her up and carried her back home while buying candy for her along the way. He smiled and coaxed: "The candy I bought you is very sweet; don't cry after eating it."
She tasted one piece of candy which turned out to be sour outside but sweet inside - so good that she would never forget its taste even now.
After returning home,she broke out in hives and found out later that she had an allergy to hawthorn fruit ever since then; she never touched it again.
Liking Sebastian felt just like liking the candy which caused allergies - knowing full well it could not be touched yet still touching it anyway.
Life is like a play; sixteen years passed in a flash turning once gentle boy into someone cold-hearted as if he were another person entirely. He wasn't the same person who used to coax this little crying girl with candies anymore.
For four years straight,Eleanor gambled everything on whether or not Sebastian would love or remember their past together but ultimately lost everything without any hope left at all.
Her naive infatuation from youth had been nothing more than wishful thinking on Eleanor's part.
"Not good! Blood oxygen saturation has dropped dangerously low; the patient's condition is critical!"
"The patient has advanced stage stomach cancer. We must have family members sign a surgical agreement and a notice of critical illness. Quickly,go get Dr. Miller to perform emergency surgery!"
"Drip..." The instrument emitted an icy and piercing sound...