Chapter 2532
After uttering those few words, Dean couldn’t really hear what Balfour and Ivy were saying in response.
His gaze was fixed on the “In Surgery” sign above the operating room. That ominous light seemed to burn forever, and he wondered when it would finally be extinguished.
Balfour clasped Dean’s hand, noticing the slightly bent fingers that had worked so hard over the years.
Ivy, already in tears, stood silently by. Seeing the concern etched on Balfour and Dean’s faces only tightened the knot in her chest.
If Alyssa were to pass away today, their family would face the greatest challenge it had ever known. And Ivy couldn’t even begin to fathom the impact on her own heart.
Since the day she arrived in this family, Alyssa had showered her with love. The affection she had missed from her own kin had been wholly compensated for by these two wonderful elders. Ivy had never known the warmth of a family until Alyssa had wrapped her in hers.
But now, Alyssa lay on that cold operating table, and Ivy’s heart twisted in anguish.
Then, with a quiet click, the light above the operating room went out. It was a silent signal, but to Ivy, it sounded like a thunderclap. She stood up reflexively, pushing through to the operating room door with Balfour and Dean.
When the doctor finally came out and assured them that it was over, Ivy snapped out of her daze.
“How is she? How’s Alyssa?” she asked urgently.
The doctor’s relaxed expression was a balm to their nerves.
“Don’t worry, sir, and you two as well. The clot in your wife’s brain has been successfully removed. Now, we just have to wait for her to wake up. She may not bounce back
immediately-we’ll have to see how she recovers in the coming days,” the doctor explained.
They could only guarantee that Alyssa was out of immediate danger; the rest was up to her body’s ability to recover.
At that moment, Ivy’s tears fell anew, never before had a doctor’s words sounded so sweet.
“Thank you, Doctor. We can’t thank you enough,” she managed to say, her voice thick with gratitude.
Dean, choked up with tears, could hardly speak. He just stuttered, “Good. That’s good!”
Even Balfour had to swallow hard, uncharacteristically overcome with emotion.
Ivy thanked the doctor profusely before helping Dean to a chair.
“Take it easy, Grandpa. I’ll get you some water. Balfour, stay with him, will you?”
As she moved, she wiped away her tears. Now that Alyssa was no longer in immediate danger, Ivy clung to the belief that Alyssa would recover fully.
With that resolve, she went to get them some water. They needed to stay hydrated after such an emotional roller coaster, and it was vital that Dean didn’t suffer any further stress.
Alyssa was down but not out, and they couldn’t risk Dean having any mishaps from the shock.
Their hands remained tightly clasped until, soon after, Alyssa was wheeled out.
Dean couldn’t help but turn his face away, his heart aching at the sight of his quiet wife. He berated himself – if only he had insisted on going upstairs with her, maybe this could have been avoided.
Understanding his thoughts, Balfour patted him on the back.
“Grandpa, Grandma’s out of danger now. She’s going to wake up,” he reassured, as much to convince himself as to comfort Dean. He echoed Ivy’s sentiment. Grandma had to wake up. There were no proper goodbyes yet, and she wouldn’t leave them hanging like this.
