The four of them took the elevator down to the fourth floor, passed through the long corridor filled with the smell of disinfectant alcohol, and finally arrived at the door of the ward with the sign 'Intensive Care Unit'. Number One stopped and turned to look at Su Xue.
"I won't be going in."
"There's something I need to discuss with Zhou Wei. You three can go in and accompany her."
Indeed, this sudden accident was one of the reasons why they came to Manchester early, but at the same time, Number One and the others still had other tasks to deal with. They had stayed in St. Edin Hospital for almost an entire day and night, and they were already a little late. Now that the girl's condition in the ward had stabilized, they could take a breather and continue to deal with other matters.
As soon as Number One finished his sentence, Number Three chimed in from the side.
"I'll go with you."
He paused for a moment and looked around in disgust. "A place like a hospital … really isn't a place for humans."
With his temper, he couldn't stand the gloomy atmosphere in the first place. Moreover, it had been raining for the past two days in Manchester City, adding to the unbearable dampness. If it wasn't for the fact that he was equally concerned about the girl's condition, he wouldn't have stayed here for even a moment.
Number Five gave Number Three a reproachful look.
"If you don't like it, take care of yourself."
"He smokes every day. I can't stop him."
Number One's lips twitched. "That won't work on Number Three. That's all he is. Let him be."
Number Three laughed. "You know me well. Alright, don't you have things to deal with? Let's go —"
Number Three started urging them to go.
It was obvious that he didn't want to stay here for even a second longer.
And so, the four of them parted ways. Looking at Number Three dragging his fiancé away, Number Five shook his head helplessly and turned to Su Xue apologetically. "I'm sorry, Number Three is just like that …"
"It's fine, it's fine." Su Xue waved her hand and glanced at Number Three's back. "I think he's fine too."
"Yup." Number Five smiled and changed the topic. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go take a look at Steamed Bun first."
Su Xue nodded. She watched as Number Five held the door handle and turned right. She couldn't help but hold her breath.
Creak —
The handle made a slight sound as it was twisted.
Then, the door was gently pushed open.
Su Xue followed Number Five into the ward.
Although it was called an intensive care unit, it wasn't much different from an ordinary sickroom. It had the same spotlessly white walls, white gauze curtains, clean and tidy beds, and the faint smell of alcohol disinfectant wafting through the air. The only difference was that unlike ordinary sickrooms, where two or three small beds were placed side by side, this intensive care unit only had one soft, white bed placed neatly in the center of the room.
Su Xue's gaze subconsciously shifted to the bed.
Naturally, too.
He saw the girl on the sickbed.
…
Half a year had already passed.
For Su Xue, she had thought countless times about what kind of life the girl who had left without saying goodbye was like. She had always hoped and hoped that one day, she would be able to see her again.
In the past few days, after learning the truth and even the grievous news, she couldn't help but feel anxious and worried about the girl's situation. She was worried about the girl's condition at all times. She was worried about the girl's illness. She was so anxious that her imagination ran wild. She thought about how the girl, who was as crafty as a fairy, was suffering from an unimaginable illness.
Until this moment.
When she saw the girl on the sickbed with her own eyes, even though she had already made all sorts of plans and even tried to mentally prepare herself before entering the ward …
Looking at the young girl on the sickbed whose eyes were tightly shut and whose face was pale to the point of being devoid of any color, her heart still felt as if it was suddenly clenched by an invisible hand. Her feet uncontrollably staggered two steps back.
This …
Was this still the girl she was familiar with?
Yes, it was familiar.
It was still the same delicate and beautiful face with almost flawless facial features. Her soft and powerless long hair fell behind her shoulders like a waterfall and scattered on the clean white bedsheets of the sickbed.
But it was also so unfamiliar.
Because the girl she was familiar with had a pair of eyes as bright as jewels. Her face always carried a crafty and lively smile, and she was always full of energy and vitality. She even infected the people around her, and they couldn't help but feel excited and happy because of her existence.
But now, the girl was lying on the sickbed with a pale face. Her eyes were closed, and her brows were furrowed. It was as if she was in great pain even in a deep sleep. It was a weakness that she had never shown in front of others. It made people's hearts tremble. They wanted to reach out and touch her, but they didn't dare. They were afraid that even a simple touch would bring more pain to the girl.
Behind her, Number Five spoke softly.
"The doctor in charge of the surgery said that the new experimental drug can't be anesthetized. So, even in a comatose state, undergoing such a surgery would still cause extreme pain."
"There have been other patients with ALS, even patients from Ossen Mohr, who underwent similar experiments. However, almost no one was able to withstand the pain without anesthesia, which led to the failure of the surgery. This is the risk of requiring family members to sign an agreement."
"But the previous surgery lasted for a whole four hours from beginning to end …"
"It went very smoothly."
He spoke softly and slowly in an extremely tactful manner.
But what it revealed was a seemingly inadvertent soul-stirring feeling that made people tremble.
"The doctor said that even if a person is usually mentally strong, when they are seriously ill and weak, or even unconscious, they will always reveal their true and fragile side. So, it is almost impossible to control oneself while unconscious."
Number Five's voice still sounded in the empty and quiet ward.
"But …"
"Steamed Bun did it."
"She did something that shocked all the doctors and nurses who were in charge of the surgery, because in their decades of experience, they had never met a girl who could subconsciously try her best to hold on to the only glimmer of hope when she was on the brink of death, almost as if she was subconsciously trying her best."
Su Xue looked at the girl on the sickbed in a daze. Tears had already crept up her cheeks.
"She shouldn't have to bear this."
Number Five slowly walked forward and held Su Xue's hand. He also looked at the girl on the sickbed in front of him.
He said softly, "This is not up to us."
"But at least —"
"We know that she has never given up."
*****
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