Although the media had used the word "critically ill" many times when reporting on Wood's mother's condition, that was just the tabloids using the word imprudently. The hospital had never given Wood a notice of his mother's critical condition, except this time.
When Wood rushed to the hospital, his mother had already been pushed into the emergency room. He only saw Tang En, Woox and the nurse, Miss Vivian Miller, waiting outside.
"How's my mother?" The first thing Wood asked when he saw the two of them was his mother.
Woox only shook his head and did not say anything. Vivian, on the other hand, stood at the side with her head lowered and did not say a word. It was as if Sophia's critical condition was her responsibility as the nurse in charge of taking care of her.
Since the two of them did not say anything, only Tang En answered his question. Tang En said in a low voice, "Her condition is not too good, George. You have to be mentally prepared … "
The behavior of the three of them conveyed an unmistakable message to Wood — his mother might really leave him this time.
He suddenly had no idea what he should do or say. He just stood there, panting heavily.
This behavior surprised Tang En, who had been guarding against Wood's outburst. He had thought that Wood would roar in anger after hearing his words and say something like "I don't believe it" or "You must be lying to me".
To him, this was the behavior of a normal person. But Wood's behavior was more aggressive and had to be guarded against.
But now, Wood did not say a word and stood there in a daze, which made him even more worried. He was worried that Wood could not take the agitation and was in a trance. As a manager who was good at psychological adjustment, he knew that psychological problems were the most troublesome.
Woox had to deal with the reporters who came after hearing the news, and Vivian still had work to do. Soon, only Tang En, who had nothing to do outside the emergency room, was left. He looked at Wood, who was still standing there, turning a blind eye to the two people leaving, and sighed.
He wanted to go up and comfort Wood, but he did not know what to say. He knew that even if Sophia made it through this time, she would not be able to hold on for much longer. From the first time he saw her, this weak woman gave him a feeling that she could abandon Wood at any time and pass away. The fact that she was able to persevere until now had already far exceeded the expectations of the doctors. It was hard to imagine what kind of belief she had in her heart that supported her.
He had personally experienced Gavin's departure back then, and now it seemed like he was going to experience the departure of someone close to him again. Although he knew that "the moon waxes and wanes, and people experience sorrow and joy, parting and reuniting." But when it came to him, he couldn't accept it so calmly. He was still very worried about Wood's future. For Sophia, Wood was her pillar of support, and for Wood, his mother was the same in his heart. Sophia could not lose Wood, and Wood could not lose Sophia. Wood and his mother had depended on each other since they were born, and they had become a part of each other's lives. Now they were about to face the greatest pain in the world — separation between life and death. Could Wood bear such a blow?
If it had happened to someone else, Tang En might not have been worried at all. However, Wood's situation was special. He was like a child who could never grow up. Losing his mother was more than losing a family member.
Perhaps it was because he stood for too long that Wood finally felt tired. He found a chair and sat down, but his eyes were fixed on the tightly shut door of the emergency room.
※ ※ ※
Not long after, Evan Doughty also came to the hospital to visit Wood and his mother. But Tang En could see that Doughty had something on his mind, and it was definitely not on Wood. Wood was absent-minded, and so was Evan.
The two of them chatted absent-mindedly for a while, each with their own thoughts on their minds, and then ended the conversation. Wood was still sitting on the chair, staring at the door of the emergency room in a daze. Evan Doughty, on the other hand, was not in a hurry to leave. He stood in the corridor and looked around. He glanced at Tang En many times, and when he glanced at him, he seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.
When he looked at Wood, he found that the other party was still staring at the door of the emergency room and did not care about him. He walked over to Tang En on the other side.
"Can we talk in private, Tony?" Evan stood in front of Tang En and invited him to talk.
Tang En sat on the chair and raised his head to look at Evan Doughty standing in front of him. He had come alone this time, and Allan Adams was not by his side.
Tang En could not find a reason to refuse, so he nodded.
The two of them left Wood one after another and walked down the stairs into the backyard of the hospital, strolling by the lake.
"To be honest, I was very surprised to see you on the big screen in the stadium during the opening match, Tony." Evan Doughty started the conversation.
"I'm a Forest fan." This was the truth. After coaching Forest for 11 years, Tang En could no longer like other teams, especially the English Premier League teams. They were all enemies that he had lashed out at during his coaching career.
"Have you watched the Forest team's recent games?" The topic naturally shifted to the Forest team's recent games.
"Of course." Tang En was a little wary.
"Do you have any opinions, Tony? From your point of view as a professional manager … "
"I'm no longer a manager, Evan." Tang En declined politely.
Evan did not expect Tang En to interrupt him. It looked like he did not have to listen to him anymore after he was no longer working under him. But then again, when had Tony ever listened to others? He was silent for a moment, unable to find a way to continue the topic.
The two of them walked for a distance in silence. Tang En cast his gaze to the lake outside. There was a small island covered by green trees in the middle of the lake, but there was no bridge to cross over. He looked around but did not find a boat. He was trying hard to divert his attention, otherwise he would feel very awkward.
Evan Doughty was silent but focused. He stared at the road ahead, as if he was making up his mind.
"Uh, to be honest, Tony. I came to find you this time, hoping that you can … come out and coach Nottingham Forest again. "
His bad premonition was hit!
No matter how Tang En tried to divert his attention, he could not turn a deaf ear to such a suggestion.
He stopped in his tracks and retracted his gaze from the small island in the middle of the lake, turning to Evan Doughty beside him.
"I'm no longer a manager, Evan." Tang En repeated what he had said before, hoping that Evan Doughty would back down. But he had clearly underestimated Evan's determination.
"I know you've retired, but you're only 50 years old, Tony. As a manager, you're still considered young. Right now, Forest needs you, the Woods need you … and I need you too! "
Tang En broke into a smile. How many years had it been? For this person to be able to say such words to him, it was no small improvement. In the past, he definitely would not have felt that he needed him.
Evan seemed to be able to see the mockery in Tang En's smile, but he did not take it to heart. Or perhaps it could be said that the current him did not have the right to be calculative with Tang En. Now, he was the one begging Tang En to make a comeback, not the other way around.
"I know you're unhappy with me, Tony. I have to admit that back then … uh, I didn't do well … "
Tang En did not speak. He only quietly watched as Evan admitted his mistakes back then. In his mind, he was thinking of that night more than four years ago in a hotel room in Madrid. He had just led the team to win the club's first Treble in history, but he had broken off relations with the club's top management. All the glory had become a thing of the past.
How ironic it was to be in such a situation …
If Evan Doughty had the insight and attitude he had today back then, the scene today would probably never have happened again.
After all, Tang En could not bear to part with the Red Forest team that he had built with his own hands.
"… You see, I've already learned my lesson." Evan spread his hands.
"Really, Evan?" Tang En asked in return. He looked at him from the corner of his eyes, not believing Evan Doughty's words. "To you, the real reason is that the team's terrible results made you unable to raise your head in front of the Arab consortium and offer a price, right?"
Evan opened his mouth but could not refute, because Tang En was right.
Until now, he still hoped that the Arab consortium could offer him a price that would satisfy him and purchase the Forest team. That way, he would be completely free. As for how the Forest team would turn out in the future, whether its results were good or bad, and whether Wood would retire, what did that have to do with him?
"Evan, I'll say it again. I don't care how you treated me in the past, but I'm retired now."
Having said that, Tang En turned and walked towards the hospital building, unilaterally ending his conversation with Evan Doughty.
Evan Doughty did not say anything to stop him. He only looked at Tang En's back and frowned.
※ ※ ※
By the time Tang En walked back, Sophia had already been wheeled back from the emergency room to the ward. He saw that Wood had just come out of the ward, and Vivian was attending to him by the bed.
Tang En carefully observed Wood's expression and realized that it did not change for the better, but it did not change for the worse either. This made it impossible for him to guess Sophia's current situation.
There was no need for him to guess. After Wood saw Tang En, he said, "Mom wants to see you."
Having said that, he walked to the sofa to rest.
Tang En glanced at Wood and walked into the ward. He first greeted Miss Vivian, whom he was getting more and more familiar with, and then sat beside Sophia's bed.
In the past ten days, Sophia had changed again. She looked different from when Tang En first saw her when he returned to Nottingham. She was thinner and weaker. It would not be wrong to describe her as "skin and bones." Her originally beautiful face had been tortured by the disease to the point that it no longer looked like a human. Her cheeks were sunken, her cheekbones were bulging, and her eye sockets were dark and sunken. Her originally black hair had also become thinner because of the long-term treatment. As for the body covered by the blanket, it had long become a skeleton.
This scene made Tang En's heart ache. He could not bear to watch a beautiful woman turn into such a state, so he could only look elsewhere.
Sophia seemed to have the same thought. She did not want Tang En to see her like this. She did not hold Tang En's hand and say many words.
After seeing Tang En sit down, she only said, "Mr. Tang En, I know you've always been concerned about George. He's already 32 years old, but he still acts like a child and doesn't know anything. He made you rush back from Los Angeles … "
Tang En once again had a bad premonition in his heart …
"… Please continue to take care of him in the future."
Tang En's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly pressed down on Sophia's withered hand. "George has a mother like you."
Sophia did not speak anymore. She only closed her eyes. Seeing this, Tang En knew she wanted to rest, so he could only get up and leave.
Walking out of the ward, Tang En saw Wood still sitting on the sofa. He only raised his head when he heard him come out. The two men looked at each other. Tang En felt guilty and looked away.
He wondered what Sophia had said to her son. If it was the same as what he had said, what would George think?
Could he accept the future that was becoming more and more likely to become a reality?
※ ※ ※
When Tang En walked out of the hospital, he received a call from Pierce Brosnan. On the phone, the reporter, who had not contacted him for a long time, asked anxiously, "Tony, I heard you might return to Forest to coach?"
"Who did you hear that from?" Tang En asked.
"The news is spreading everywhere. I've met a few Forest fans these days. They all told me mysteriously that you're coming back to save the team! Is that true, Tony? "
Tang En was not in the mood to discuss the authenticity of the rumor. He interrupted Brosnan's incessant questioning. "I'm sorry, Brosnan. I'm not in the mood for an interview. "
"This is not an interview, Tony. I'm just asking you to verify this matter as an ordinary fan. "
"That's just a rumor, Mr. Reporter." When Tang En addressed Brosnan that way, it meant that he was not in a good mood.
As expected, Tang En hung up the phone after saying that. He did not want to say anything more. He was not even in the mood to talk right now.
Today, he did not leave from the side door. Instead, he walked through the front door. Before he reached it, he could already hear the noise. Countless reporters were trying to verify whether the news of Wood's mother being critically ill was true. Woox was nowhere to be seen. When the security guards and police officers at the door saw Tang En's figure appear in their field of vision, they knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, the reporters around them seemed to have been injected with adrenaline when they saw Tang En. They pushed forward with all their might and aimed their cameras at him. Countless questions were thrown at him, hoping to dig out some valuable information from his mouth.
Of course, there were also people who did not care about Wood and his mother. They shouted loudly, "Tony! Hey, Tony! Are you really going to make a comeback?! "
"Mr. Tang En, the rumor that you're going to coach Nottingham Forest again. Is this true?!"
Tang En acted as if he did not see such a large group of people in front of him, nor did he hear the questions they were asking him. He stopped at the main door and pulled out his sunglasses from his shirt pocket. He then walked down the steps and squeezed out under the protection of the police and security guards with his head down.
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