Chapter 21 He's Afraid Eleanor Won't Wake Up

Sebastian's emotions gradually turned around. He glanced at David and then walked towards the intensive care unit. The room was filled with the smell of disinfectant,and Sebastian frowned unconsciously as he approached the bed where Eleanor lay,her face pale and lifeless.
The ward was quiet,loneliness pervading every corner. It felt different from being alone at home; the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe. Sebastian sat down and looked up at the drip in Eleanor's arm,feeling afraid for the first time.
What was he afraid of?
He was afraid that Eleanor would never wake up again.
A sour taste rose in his nose,overwhelming him until tears streamed down his face. Trembling hands reached out to grasp Eleanor's delicate wrist.
Even though she wore a size small hospital gown,it still hung loosely on her frame. When she lifted her hand slightly,the sleeve fell back to reveal several prominent needle marks on her slender white arm surrounded by purple-red bruises and dried yellow medication stains.
"Eleanor... I didn't know you were sick... so seriously ill."
He suddenly remembered when he had locked her in their bedroom before - how she had pounded on the door screaming that she was dying - but he had dismissed it as one of her tricks.
Just because he hadn't seen Eleanor get sick before didn't mean that she couldn't fall ill or die like anyone else could have done so easily...
Why hadn’t he listened carefully to what she said? Why did he let her go?
"Eleanor...Eleanor..." Tears blurred his vision as Sebastian leaned closer to whisper into her ear over and over again while holding onto her hand tightly hoping against hope that somehow this would bring about a miracle awakening...
Time passed slowly by; halfway through David came in to check on Eleanor’s condition – all vital signs seemed stable enough,but it was still a waiting game to see if she would wake up in forty-eight hours.
David glanced coldly at Sebastian. Although both men were worried about Eleanor,they didn't exchange any words or insults like before.
Sebastian hadn’t slept for 40 hours straight; his eyes were bloodshot and dry with exhaustion. His body craved rest,but he dared not close his eyes for fear that Eleanor might wake up feeling scared or thirsty...
He gently touched the wound on her forehead with trembling fingers. The current Eleanor was as fragile as a glass doll - one touch could break her apart.
How long can someone live with advanced stomach cancer?
Sebastian didn't dare to ask nor did he want to know the answer because it would be something he couldn't accept.
In fact,anyone could guess what the outcome of this disease would be – terminal illness meant that there was no chance of living out a normal lifespan. For late-stage patients like Eleanor,their lives were like dead leaves hanging from tree branches in autumn.
Eleanor had been receiving intravenous nutrition all day long: two bags per day every four hours plus other medications which added up to twelve or thirteen hours of infusion time alone each day.
The needle on her hand back was an indwelling catheter; although the flow rate is slow and painless,her hand still swelled up and felt icy cold despite being covered by blankets most of the time...
At eighteen years old,Eleanor took over The Stone Family business empire when she was just barely an adult herself. She had always been strong-willed and determined - not only did she have to shoulder company responsibilities but also deal with those "family members" who called her names behind her back...
She carried so much weight on such young shoulders that people almost forgot how young she really was - less than twenty-four years old!
A nurse came in again to change some medication for Eleanor while Sebastian watched her deft movements. He couldn't help but ask,"Will she wake up?"
The nurse turned around after finishing the infusion and caught sight of his bloodshot eyes. It had only been two days,yet he looked like a completely different person - red-eyed with dark circles under them,unshaven and unkempt.
She couldn't quite figure out what was going on in Sebastian's mind; two days ago,Eleanor knelt down in front of reporters for half an hour while it rained heavily...and Sebastian stood nearby with a cold expression on his face without offering any help or support...
According to reliable sources,Eleanor had kneeled in the pouring rain for half an hour that day. Even ordinary people would have found it unbearable to kneel for so long let alone someone who was already sick like Eleanor...
It wasn’t surprising that she vomited blood later that night due to gastric cancer flare-up – now hanging onto life by a thread was considered lucky enough.