Unloved Unwanted Unstoppable (Seraphina and Dominic) novel Chapter 86

"My wife made this first thing in the morning and told me to bring it over so you could recover your strength."

Seraphina's heart swelled with warmth. "Professor, she's so busy, I shouldn't be troubling her..."

"It's no trouble at all."

Victor took a seat by her bed, frowning again as he took in her pale, exhausted appearance.

"Julian told me the accident happened out in the suburbs? This is my fault. I really should have had him run that errand. You haven't been back for long, and you don't know the roads out there at all."

Julian stood beside him, completely unable to hide the guilt plastered across his face.

"Seraphina, this is totally on me. I was supposed to be the one submitting those files, but the Professor and I got so wrapped up debating lab data that I lost track of time, forcing you to go all that way alone. If only..."

"Julian."

Seraphina cut him off firmly. "I actually wanted to go out there and check the site out myself. Submitting the paperwork was just an excuse; I wanted to walk around and get a feel for the surrounding environment. This has absolutely nothing to do with you, so stop blaming yourself."

Julian sighed heavily. "Alright, I'll drop it. But next time you need to go out there, you call me. I'll drive you myself."

Seraphina nodded. "Deal. I'll remember that."

Julian finally managed a small smile. "Well, getting hit by a car is awful, but at least it forces you to actually take a break and rest."

Seraphina blinked in surprise before chuckling. She had been worried they'd be upset about her delaying the project, but her colleagues clearly just wanted her to recover.

The three of them chatted easily for a while longer.

The hospital room door swung open once more.

Chelsea Sterling stormed in, clutching a massive bag of fresh fruit and premium snacks.

Seeing Seraphina sitting up and actually eating soup, she let out a loud sigh of relief, finally slowing her frantic pace.

She dumped the bag onto the nightstand, planted her hands on her hips, and glared down at her. "Unbelievable. I take my eyes off you for half a day and you end up in the ER. Did the cops find the maniac who hit you? What's the update?"

Seraphina smiled faintly. "They're still investigating. I'm just waiting for the results."

Chelsea opened her mouth to interrogate her further, but her gaze swept over Victor and Julian standing nearby, and she forcefully swallowed her words.

"Whatever. As long as you're in one piece. What are you craving? Point me in the right direction and I'll go buy it."

Chelsea pulled up a chair next to the bed, dug an orange out of her bag, and started peeling it.

Clara walked back in, holding a brand-new towel she had just bought from the convenience store downstairs.

Seeing Chelsea, she greeted her warmly, then immediately moved to pour Seraphina a fresh glass of water.

Seraphina spoke up quickly. "Mom, don't bother. You've been awake all night watching over me, please go home and get some sleep."

Clara insisted she wasn't tired in the slightest.

Chelsea chimed in to help. "Mrs. Sinclair, please go home and rest easy. I'm on duty now, I promise I won't let her out of my sight."

After a few more rounds of convincing, Clara finally gave in.

"Alright then. Thank you so much for stepping in."

She looked back at Seraphina. "Sweetheart, Mom's going to head home to make you some BBQ ribs, and I'll be back later tonight."

Seraphina sighed. "Mom, you really don't need to be running back and forth. I have everything I need right..."