Evan Doughty really did not know what he should be feeling right now. Did he want Wood's mother to remain in a coma or to wake up successfully? He told Wood to wait for his mother to wake up before talking about retirement. If Sophia woke up, the matter would be put on the agenda. What should he do then? Agree to Wood's retirement request? Stop joking! He's only 32 years old and he's the core of Nottingham Forest. If he retires, what are we going to do?
There was another thing that made him angry — the Arabs suddenly filled up the progress of the negotiations.
What made him even angrier was that this matter had something to do with Wood!
George Wood's sudden leave of absence from the team cast a shadow over the team's prospects. Moreover, these Arab infidels also got the news from who knows where that Wood might retire. In this case, they needed to reconsider their offer for Nottingham Forest.
Allan Adams was also very helpless about this. He thought it was simply a trick by the Arabs. They were looking for every excuse to lower the offer and strive to buy Nottingham Forest at the cheapest price. Otherwise, how could a player be compared to a club?
If the Arabs used this excuse to lower the price, Evan Doughty could not accept it. He initially approached this Arab consortium because they were rich and could afford a high price. He did not expect that the more they talked, the less money they would get …
Now how Evan Doughty wished that God would come and save him.
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There were fewer reporters outside Wilford than usual. Everyone knew why — compared to here, the University of Nottingham Royal College of Medicine was obviously more worthy of attention. Even among the players training here, there were some who were absent-minded. They were on the training ground, but their hearts had flown to the hospital. George had not appeared in front of everyone for two days. No one knew how he was. Gareth Bale, Aaron Mitchell and others, who were usually close to him, were a little distracted in training because of this.
McAllister saw it and was anxious. He had already reminded the players not to focus on anything other than football and to focus on preparing for the game. But his words were useless. The players were still absent-minded. Their next game was to go to Anfield to challenge the powerful Liverpool. That was not an opponent that could be defeated easily. Anfield was also not a stadium that could be conquered by a distraction. If the team's mind was not on the game, what would be waiting for him as a manager?
McAllister didn't dare think any further.
"After training, I'm going to the hospital to visit George and his mother," Bell said to Mitchell during a break in training. He looked at him.
Mitchell, of course, knew what that meant. He also said, "I'll go with you."
Bell laughed at his reply. However, this smile only flashed on his face for a moment before changing into another expression. Bell looked around and motioned for Mitchell to lower his waist. He whispered into Mitchell's ear, "I heard that George might retire …"
"What!!" Mitchell exclaimed. He couldn't believe his ears. Seeing that Bale was gesturing to him to keep his voice down, he quickly suppressed the shock in his heart and asked in a low voice, "Where did you hear that?"
"It's a rumor from the hospital. It's said that someone overheard the conversation between George and his agent … It's just a rumor. I don't know if it's true or not." Bell hurriedly comforted Mitchell when he saw that he seemed to have no intention of continuing to train and was about to leave the training ground.
Mitchell calmed down again when he heard the rumor. "I don't believe it … The captain is not that kind of person. Besides, he's only 32 years old. Why would he retire? "
In fact, Bell only comforted Mitchell, but he did not succeed in comforting himself. In his heart, he had always been worried that George would retire.
Seeing that Freddy Eastwood was calling the players back to the training ground to continue training, Bell patted Mitchell on the shoulder and comforted him as well as himself, "Don't think so much. We'll know when we go to the hospital after training."
※ ※ ※
The ward was quiet. Only the sound of the instruments could be heard. George Wood waited by his mother's bed and gently held his mother's hand, unwilling to let go. Vivian, on the other hand, recorded the various data that appeared on the instruments and organized them into reports for important reference for the doctors' diagnosis and treatment. His agent, Billy Woox, was outside trying to deal with the increasingly impatient media. He did not know where the news had leaked out, but the media actually guessed that Wood was going to retire. For a moment, the crowd was "excited", and the number of reporters who came to interview him was double that of yesterday. If these reporters were to swarm in, the daily work of the hospital would not be able to be carried out.
Vivian recorded the data on the instruments while peeking at Wood sitting in front of the hospital bed. She had already learned the latest rumor from the newspaper that Wood was going to retire. Although she was not a die-hard fan, as a Nottingham citizen, she still knew about football. In the past, when the Forest team was at its most glorious, they could see a grand parade in the city at the end of every season to celebrate the Forest team winning another championship trophy. Moreover, the hospital where she worked had a partnership with the English Football Association. How could it be that she knew nothing about football?
Was he really going to retire?
Vivian looked at Wood and thought.
Wood sensed that someone was peeking at him. He looked up and happened to meet Vivian's gaze. The startled Vivian quickly looked away and returned her gaze to the instrument screen. She held the pen in her hand and scribbled on the notebook, pretending to record the data. In reality, how could she have the mood to work?
Wood could feel that someone was peeking at him, and she could also feel that Wood did not immediately look away.
It seemed like an hour had passed, but in fact, the minute hand of the clock on the wall had only moved one tick. Vivian felt that Wood had looked away, and only then did she secretly let out a sigh of relief. As soon as she relaxed, she felt strange. When she first met Wood's gaze outside the ward, she did not feel nervous or frightened at all. Why did she feel so pressured when she was stared at by him now? It was as if he was a lion, and she was just the helpless prey in front of the lion …
After recording the data, Vivian should have gone straight out because her work was done. But she said to Wood, "Mr. Wood, you should go and rest first …"
Wood raised his head again and looked at Vivian. This time, Vivian did not hide. She also looked straight at him.
Wood did not agree to the other party's suggestion, but he said, "Thank you."
Vivian knew that she could not persuade this stubborn person. From what she had seen and heard in the past two days, there might be someone in this world who could make Wood listen to her, but she was currently in a coma in the hospital bed. No one else would be able to persuade Wood to change his mind, even if it was just a small matter like resting.
Vivian sighed softly and turned to walk to the door of the ward. She and Wood did not know each other, and it had only been two days since they first met. She was in no position to think too much about Wood.
When she opened the door of the ward, she saw two people walking towards her from the end of the corridor. She knew one of them. It was Mr. Billy Woox. The other person beside him looked a little unfamiliar, and she could not remember who it was.
"Mr. Woox." Vivian stepped away from the door and greeted Wood's agent, whom she had become very familiar with over the past few days.
"Miss Miller. How is George's mother today? "Woox stopped and asked Vivian.
"Not yet awake, but her vital signs are stable." After Vivian answered Woox's question, she glanced at the person next to him. She felt that the person looked a little familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen him before.
Woox could not tell what she was thinking, so he simply pointed to the silent man next to him and introduced him, "Mr. Tony Twain. I think you must have heard of this name, so I won't go into details. "He smiled.
The name was well-known, how could Vivian not have heard of it? Just four months ago, he had just led the England team to win the World Cup, and then he announced his retirement and disappeared from everyone's sight. She did not expect …
Vivian hurriedly greeted the legendary figure in English football, "Hello, Mr. Twain. I'm Vivian Miller, the nurse in charge of taking care of Madam Sophia. "
She very generously extended her hand to Twain, and Twain also held her hand, at the same time staring intently into her eyes. Such a gaze was not considered polite, but Twain had always been like this. He was taking the opportunity to observe the other person. The eyes were the window to the soul, and one could see many things by looking at the eyes.
As Twain let go of her hand, he also shifted his gaze away.
Vivian also secretly heaved a sigh of relief in her heart. The feeling of being stared at by him was similar to the feeling of being stared at by Wood just now, both made her feel a lot of pressure.
Of course, Woox did not know what happened when the two of them exchanged glances. He introduced to Twain, "Miss Miller is a very responsible nurse. With her taking care of Sophia, Wood and I are very assured."
Twain nodded, "Thank you for taking care of Wood's mother, Miss Miller."
Vivian smiled in return, "It's my job, Mr. Twain, no need to thank me."
The three of them did not exchange any more words. After thanking Vivian, Twain and Woox walked into the ward, while Vivian closed the door and left.
But as she left, she suddenly remembered that it was a well-known fact that Twain and Wood had a good relationship. Perhaps he could persuade Wood to change his mind? Mr. Woox appeared here with him, so it was obvious that he had called Mr. Twain over.
※ ※ ※
When Twain entered the ward, Wood clearly heard someone enter, but he did not look back. It was obvious that his thoughts were on his mother.
Woox saw that Wood did not care about anything other than his mother, and was about to remind him that there was a guest. But he was interrupted by Twain's outstretched hand. On the way here, Woox had already briefed him on Wood's recent condition, but seeing was believing. From the moment he saw Wood's back, Twain felt that the matter this time was very tricky.
Twain just stood behind Wood, not saying a word, and Woox did the same. It was only when Wood felt that something was not right that he remembered that someone seemed to have gone out and come in, so he turned his head …
When he saw Twain standing in front of him, he almost could not believe his eyes, and an expression of shock appeared on his face.
Twain, who also saw Wood's front, felt his heart ache for seeing such a haggard Wood. Twain did not doubt that Sophia was Wood's entire pillar of support. What he saw in front of him only confirmed this fact once again. But it made him feel bad. His feelings for Wood were very complicated. It was not a simple relationship between a coach and a player, nor was it a master-disciple relationship that had picked him up from the streets and groomed him. The complicated feelings were difficult to explain clearly in words.
"How many hours have you slept in total these two days?" Twain asked.
"I … Less than … five hours." Faced with Twain suddenly appearing in front of him, Wood's brain still could not react, and he stuttered a little.
"Go rest." Twain's tone was unquestionable.
Wood's brain was finally back to normal. He shook his head and refused. "No, I want to accompany my mother."
"Don't tease me, George. When your mother wakes up, do you plan to let her see this face of yours that is neither human nor ghost? Unshaven beard, sunken eyes, messy hair, and a stench that even the air conditioner could not remove from your body. Did you come straight from the training ground? You haven't showered, have you? Do you plan to make your mother so angry that she fainted again? "
Woox, who was watching from the side, could not help but admit that Twain was better than him in terms of eloquence. Moreover, his special relationship with Wood allowed him to speak without restraint and not worry about Wood's strong backlash. But he could not …
Twain's words hit the nail on the head. He only pointed at Wood's weakest point — his mother. He did not dare to disobey anything that was said in the name of his mother.
Wood was still a little hesitant, but his attitude was already much more relaxed. Twain added fuel to the fire.
"What are you still standing there for? Take a shower and have a good sleep. When your mother wakes up, let her see a healthy you. Do you want your mother to be worried about you in her sickbed? George. Do you know how many years your mother has been worried about you? "
This last sentence touched Wood's heart. He was not someone who did not know what was good for him. Of course, he knew that his mother had always been worried about him. When he was young, she was worried that he would be weak and sickly like himself. So, she could not bear to eat the nutritious and tasty food and fed it all to him. As he slowly grew up, she was worried that he would be like those bastards in the slums, doing all sorts of bad things and eventually being sent to prison. So, she would rather become a prostitute to earn money to send him to school so that he could receive an education and find a decent job in the future. Later, when he finally became a professional footballer and was able to earn a lot of money, Wood thought that his mother finally did not have to worry about him anymore because he was an adult. But he did not expect his mother to start worrying about his marriage again, worried that he would not be able to find a girlfriend …
Wood stood up from the chair. "I'm going to shower."
This was a VIP ward. Inside was the patient's resting room, and outside was a guest room. There were also beds for the accompanying staff to sleep, a toilet with a shower, a satellite TV, a telephone, the internet, and other facilities. Wood rushed into the toilet outside. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard from inside.
"Looks like I was right to call you," Woox said with a smile.
Twain did not respond to him. Wood had already given up the seat in front of the bed. Twain walked over and sat down.
He looked at the face on the bed.
He still remembered the first time he saw this face.
At that time in Snington, everything he saw was gray. Gray walls, gray roofs, gray sky, and everyone's face was gray. It was like a black and white television. The first color that reflected in his eyes and heart was Sophia. She was the only source of light in that narrow and dim room. She was the only color in this gray and lightless world.
At that time, he was lost in his thoughts.
Now, he was also lost in his thoughts.
The colors of the past were gradually fading. The light that had once lit up the entire room was also slowly dimming. Her eyes were closed, and she lay quietly on the bed. Her face was gray, and she looked a lot more haggard than the last time Twain saw her. Countless tubes and wires connected her body to those cold instruments. He could not feel any signs of life at all.
Twain stared blankly at Sophia, who was lying on the bed. In a trance, he recalled some things. Those things had happened many years ago. He had thought that they had long been forgotten. He did not expect them to surface from the bottom of his heart.
He had given her a violet dress, which made her gasp in surprise.
In order to protect her from Collymore's molestation, he had confronted Collymore, who was then the manager of the First Team, in the heavy rain.
And that ambiguous night, the two of them had absent-mindedly waited for George Wood to return home.
In those past times, had there ever been a moment in the depths of his heart when he felt love for her?
While Twain was in a trance, he heard Woox suddenly call out from behind him, "Madam!"
His thoughts returned in an instant. When his eyes refocused, he saw Sophia staring at him with her eyes open.
"I'm so happy to see you, Mr. Twain …"
Her voice was so weak that it hurt.
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