Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 111

He stood with his back to the door, his tall, broad-shouldered frame clad in a dark coat.

He kept his head slightly bowed, occasionally nodding as he listened to the doctor beside him.

On the hospital bed, Celeste Carlyle leaned back against the pillows, her leg wrapped in thick bandages; her face was pale, but her eyes were fixed entirely on him.

She reached out and tugged at his sleeve.

He leaned in to hear what she had to say, then reached out and gently patted her shoulder.

Sunlight streamed through the window, washing over them like a deeply devoted married couple.

Sienna Sloan stood in the hallway, silently taking in the scene.

Suddenly, she found the sunlight a bit too glaring.

Just then, the specialist's voice drifted out from the room. "Jarred, Eleanor, Helena... Ms. Carlyle's right leg is not looking good.

After her first two falls, her bones were in a critical healing phase, but she didn't rest properly. The repeated movement worsened the fractures, and now, with the addition of a new comminuted fracture, the compounding damage is far too severe.

We most likely won't be able to save this leg. Even if it manages to recover to some degree later on, she will be permanently disabled, essentially paralyzed in that limb."

A dead silence fell over the hospital room, so quiet that even the wind outside seemed to have stopped.

But outside the room, it felt like a bomb had gone off.

Sienna found it equally unbelievable.

"How could this be..." Helena stumbled back, grabbing the edge of the bed to steady herself, her voice trembling. "Celeste is still so young..."

"Doctor, check again, please take another look!" Eleanor's voice carried an urgent edge.

"Eleanor, I could check a hundred times, and the result would be exactly the same," the specialist replied calmly.

"However, the main reason Ms. Carlyle's condition is so severe isn't just from the fall."

The specialist glanced at Celeste and pushed his glasses up his nose. "The critical factor is that after her leg was fractured, it sustained a massive, heavy blow.

She knew exactly how much force she had used. It was enough to make Celeste suffer a little.

But to completely cripple her? As much as she might have wanted to, it was impossible unless Celeste was made of paper!

Eleanor was far too sharp; she immediately caught the strange look exchanged between Jarred and Celeste.

Her face instantly darkened, and her voice was sharp and authoritative. "Jarred, Celeste, what heavy blow? Did something happen at the rescue site that we don't know about? What exactly happened? The two of you better explain this to me right now!"

Jarred didn't say a word.

He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a small shadow over his cheek, the hard lines of his jaw tightening further.

Celeste looked up with tear-filled eyes, gave Eleanor a pitiful glance, and then quickly lowered her head again.

"Eleanor, please don't ask..."

Her voice was choked with sobs, soft and fragile like an injured little animal. "This leg of mine... it was supposed to be ruined anyway. I don't blame anyone else. I only blame my own incompetence..."