Sonia clasped her hands tightly together, unable to sit still. Meanwhile, Tom already gave up on any pretense of being calm as he stood up and paced around in circles. "Damn it. How long has it been? Why isn't the surgery over yet?"
His mutter storm came to a stop as he glanced at the red light shining above the doors of the operation room. It was all he could do to stop himself from hitting the red light to turn it off. Perhaps Toby's surgery would be over, and he would be out immediately.
Sonia pursed her lips and didn't say a word, but the anxiety in her heart was equal to his—she, too, wished to see the red light turn off.
Of course, it would be best if the outcome was positive after seeing it dim.
Otherwise… No, there is no other outcome! Definitely not! It doesn't matter whether the light goes off or when it does. Only good news awaits.
While she was busy reassuring herself, there was a click, and the red light above the operation room dimmed before turning gray.
The red light was switched off!
Sonia's pupils shrank as she jumped up from the chair, and Tom halted mid-movement before slowly turning toward the direction of the operation door.
They reached the center of the doors at the same time, their hands clasped in a prayer's hold as their anticipatory stares never left those doors.
A few minutes of torment later, the doors of the operation room finally swung open, and Tim walked out with an opened can of energy drink in his hand and an exhausted look on his face.
His surgical mask was off, revealing his handsome, pale face that was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
Exhaustion and lethargy were written all over his beautiful face, proof of how long and tiring this surgery had been.
"Dr. Lancaster." Sonia and Tom rushed to him as the tense line of their shoulders only got tenser when they hadn't received a clear answer from him.
"Dr. Lancaster, how's President Fuller doing? Is the operation a success?" Tom asked worriedly.
Although Sonia wasn't able to ask the question that was at the tip of her tongue, her anxiety and concern were apparent for all to see from her tightly clasped hands and uneasy expression.
Tim glanced at them and didn't give them an answer immediately. Instead, he threw back his head and finished the canned drink in his hand. After he recovered some of his energy, he said, "They always say the villain never dies. So, how could he die so easily? Alright now, make way, both of you. Let me take a nap, and we'll speak once I'm fully awake."
He shoved them aside and staggered out. However, after a few steps, he came to an abrupt stop and said to Sonia in a gentler voice, "You should hurry and catch some rest as well. Your body won't be able to take it after not resting for a day and a night. Don't fall sick when there's no one to take care of you."
Then, he left with those parting words.
Tom opened his mouth but closed it again as he stared at Tim's retreating silhouette. "Miss Reed, did you understand what he meant? You're thinking what I'm thinking, right?"
"Yes, I do. Toby's surgery is a success!" Sonia's body shook as she broke down in tears as a wave of happiness and relief overwhelmed her. "Toby's surgery is a success. Mr. Brown, the surgery is a success! It's a success!"
Just like her, Tom's eyes were red-rimmed and filled with tears, and he nodded firmly. "That's right. President Fuller's surgery is a success and won't be in danger anymore."
After the words left his lips, he suddenly fell to his knees and started sobbing on the floor.
Honestly, it was a little amusing to see a six-foot-tall man crying without abandon on the floor. Usually, Sonia would be amused by the sight of this happening if it happened on any other day.
Yet, considering the great news, she also wanted to join him on the floor. She was so delighted that she didn't know how else to express the excitement and happiness in her heart.
Tom seemed to be doing better as he got off the floor after a few minutes of crying into his hands. He even managed to clean his glasses as he chuffed in embarrassment, "I'm so sorry you had to see this, Miss Reed."
"It's alright." Sonia wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes as well. "That's a normal reaction to the situation earlier, and I totally understand. Moreover, I'm not doing any better than you."
She kept rubbing away the tears that were flowing down her cheeks as Tom chuckled in response. Then, he quietly put on his glasses and continued waiting at the door for the medical staff to roll Toby out.
About half an hour later, Toby was wheeled out. He was dressed in a typical green operation robe, but coupled with the pallid tone of his skin, and the ventilator covering his face, it made him seem strangely fragile.
Since Toby was just out of surgery, he couldn't be admitted to the general ward and had to be placed in intensive care for seventy-two hours of continuous observation. This arrangement was mainly to observe post-surgery adverse and rejection reactions.
Sonia and Tom didn't exchange a single word as they tagged behind and watched as the nurses gently pushed Toby into the intensive care unit.
"Excuse me," Sonia said, stopping a nurse that was just coming out of the ICU. "Do you know when he'll wake up?"
The nurse pondered over Toby's condition before answering, "Judging from President Fuller's current situation, I reckon he'll wake up within three days."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you." Sonia nodded in thanks as she released the nurse's arm.
Then, the nurse turned to Tom, who was behind Sonia. "Mr. Brown, Dr. Lancaster would like to ask you what to do with President Fuller's old heart. Are you guys going to take care of it, or should the hospital make the necessary arrangements?"
Tom gave it a thought and replied, "We'll take care of it ourselves."
The nurse gave him a professional nod and left as she marked his opinion down.
When all the doctors and nurses had departed from Toby's ICU ward, Sonia turned to Tom and asked, "You guys are probably planning to return Miles that heart, aren't you? I heard that he accepted Toby's invitation and will arrive soon."
"Yes. After all, that heart belongs to President Fuller's younger brother, so we can't simply dispose of it. This was probably on Dr. Lancaster's mind as well, and that's why he instructed the nurse to inquire about it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered and just took care of it as usual," Tom said.
"Well, that's for the better. You guys have found out the truth behind Miles' death, so you can return it to him."
Tom nodded and turned to look at Toby behind the glass wall. "Miss Reed, President Fuller should be fine now, and you don't have to keep vigil by his side after this. Please get some rest. I know that you haven't gotten a good night's rest. Don't push yourself and become another patient."
"I will rest, but you should take your advice too. Toby and the Fuller Group will need you for some time. Don't take things too far and collapse due to overwork," Sonia advised.
She had a point. Tom was exhausted, and his head was spinning and throbbing. Plus, the bright hospital lights weren't helping at all. "I'll rest in a while, but before that, I have to place some bodyguards here in case some unnecessary people show up. Even though I did my best to suppress any news regarding President Fuller, I won't rest well if I don't make the necessary preparations."
"That's true. I won't bother you, then. I'm going to catch some sleep in the ward." After Sonia finished speaking, she took one more glance at Toby before she spun around with a yawn.
When she returned to her ward, she chatted a little more with the nurse and plopped into the bed. She was out like a light the second her head hit the pillow.
She had gone without rest for a total of 24 hours. It definitely didn't help matters that her nerves were tense and high-strung the entire time. In addition, her mental state couldn't relax until she knew that Toby was safe and sound. So, her body and mind finally settled when Tim informed her that Toby's surgery was a success and there wouldn't be any negative issues cropping up in the future.
The instant all the tension left her body, the exhaustion came rolling like a tidal wave, and she almost passed out and couldn't make it back into the room.
Thus, when she finally managed to drag her weary body onto the bed, she immediately tossed everything else to the back of her mind, and sleep was all she could focus on.
Sonia slept for more than ten hours straight before she woke up again. When she blinked the sleep out of her bleary eyes, she felt her stomach grumbling in complaint due to her skipping her meals for more rest. Still, she disregarded her body's protest and immediately scurried to Toby's ward.
She was rather lucky because she happened to bump into Tim speaking to Tom when she arrived. Since she didn't bother hiding her appearance in her haste to see Toby, her arrival soon attracted their attention.
"Oh, you're awake, Miss Reed," Tom greeted, giving her a polite nod.
She returned his greeting and quickly fixated her eyes on Tim. "Dr. Lancaster, how is Toby?"
More than ten hours had passed, so she was worried that Toby would exhibit adverse reactions from the surgery. That was the piece of information she needed to hear the most right now.
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The readers' comments on the novel: Boss, Your Wife's Asking For A Divorce, Again
Same story i read about Jarred and Amber Reed...