Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 33

Stella nodded. "Alright, let me walk you through the procedure. Once we're at the hospital, I have to surgically scrape away all the necrotic tissue from your legs caused by the poison."

"To clarify, even though the poison is neutralized, the shriveled muscle has turned into dead tissue. It's useless now. It must be completely removed before healthy new muscle can grow back in its place."

"Once the new muscle begins to form, the third phase of treatment will be much easier. It's essentially just waiting for the muscle to fully regenerate and letting your legs heal over time. Then, you'll be completely cured."

"However, the debridement process is going to be excruciating. The flesh on your legs is destined to die off eventually, but I have to scrape it away while it's still in the process of dying."

"You are going to feel a staggering amount of pain. Even with anesthesia during the procedure, once it wears off, you'll be in so much agony you'll want to slam your head into a wall."

"Ever heard of those brutal old battlefield surgeries where they scraped the bone without painkillers? It's essentially that. I've laid it all out for you—it's your decision whether you want to proceed with this treatment plan."

Stella delivered her brutal assessment swiftly, not stumbling over a single syllable.

Intrigued, Julius asked, "Is there no gentler alternative for this second phase?"

Since there was a mild version for the first phase, he figured there had to be one for this stage too!

"There is," Stella replied. "You'd just need to take medication slowly and wait for the shriveled flesh to die off piece by piece. That process would take about two to three years."

"And over that time, unpredictable variables could arise. If they do, we wouldn't be able to adjust the treatment until the complications actually happen."

"In simple terms, it's like a doctor prescribing meds. They give you a dose for a day or two, see how your body reacts, and adjust accordingly. Does that make sense?"

Julius nodded. "Loud and clear."

She had spelled it out so plainly, how could he not understand?

"So, what's your choice?"

"I'll take the brutal route!"

He decided to wait. She seemed to have a rather short fuse.

What if he pushed too hard about where she learned medicine or why she was hiding it, and she got so annoyed she refused to cure his legs?

That was exactly what had happened two days ago. He brought up signing the marriage papers, she lost her temper, and she threatened to leave for good.

For some inexplicable reason, when she had said she'd never see him again, his chest had tightened with a fleeting sense of panic.

Besides, she swore like a sailor when she played video games.

Around noon, Julius broke the news to Nadine about heading to the hospital.

"Grandma, I'm checking into the hospital this afternoon. I might be there for a while, and Chloe is coming with me to help out. Make sure you eat and sleep on time while we're gone, and don't worry about me, okay?"