A heavy uneasiness settled in Luca's heart. She wept and shook her head, tightly holding
onto Old Man Rayne's hand. "No, Grandpa. You can't leave me. I haven't had the chance to
properly take care of you yet. Besides, you have another grandchild now. Grandpa, stay
strong. Don't give up, okay?"
A faint glimmer flashed across Old Man Rayne's eyes. "Another grandchild?"
"Yes. She hasn't met you yet. That's why you must stay alive." Luca held his weathered
hands, knowing that this was not the real world. Everything around her seemed hazy. It
was probably just a dream.
Even though dreams and reality were opposite, the uneasiness in her heart persisted as
she was dreaming about Old Man Rayne.
She did not want anything bad to happen to him, even if it was just a dream.
Hence, she continued to convince Old Man Rayne, giving him hope and encouraging him
to stay alive.
“Bianca..." Old Man Rayne's weary voice came through but gradually faded.
Luca subconsciously opened her eyes. Everything was bright before her. She could smell
the faint scent of disinfectant in the air. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Luke looked down and noticed her teary eyes. "Why are you crying?"
"My eyes are a little dry." Luca shook her head and sat up. She could not tell him about the
dream she just had, afraid that it might come true.
In her dream, Old Man Rayne had called out to her just before she woke up. It kept
echoing in her ears. Luca clenched her fists tight.
Luke reached out and gently rubbed her fingers.
Luca was startled for a moment and loosened her grip. Luke held her hand tight.
"How long was I sleeping?" Luca suddenly asked. The pain in her dream felt so real. She
had no idea how long the dream lasted.
"Less than half an hour," replied Luke. He had been keeping an eye on Luca. When she
closed her eyes, he did not think that she was asleep.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIt had only been less than half an hour. Could that be considered sleeping?
He noticed that Luca's mood seemed even gloomier after she woke up. Did she dream of
something unpleasant?
Luca gently pulled her hand away from Luke's grasp and rose to her feet. "I'm going to the
restroom."
"Sure." Luke nodded and watched her walk away. His gaze then fell on the caretaker who
was sitting not far away from him. He warned her with a low voice, "Don't tell anyone what
happened today."
The caretaker knew he was referring to his close relationship with Luca.
She was aware of the ties between the Crawford and Rayne families. If the Rayne family
found out about Luke's relationship with Luca, they might think that Luke had betrayed
Bianca.
The caretaker was not that foolish. Luke was the one who paid her. She would not tell the
Rayne family anything they should not know.
"Don't worry, Mr. Crawford. I won't say anything," assured the caretaker.
After she promised Luke, she could not help but secretly complain about how bold Luke
was. Old Man Rayne was already admitted to the hospital, yet Luke still brought his lover
along with him. If it were not for him showing concern for Old Man Rayne and there being
nothing he could covet, the maid would have thought that he was planning to rile up the
old man by revealing something shocking.
Luke continued to wait in his chair. No one came out of the operating room, and at times
like this, no news was good news.
Luca walked into the hospital restroom, where the strong smell of disinfectant assaulted
her senses.
Her eyes reddened. As she stood in front of the sink, she looked at her reflection in the
mirror and sniffed lightly.
It was just a dream, yet it had made her eyes turn red.
Luca was aware of her strong sense of familial belonging. Even though Old Man Rayne was
not her biological grandfather, their deep bond over the years had built up her strong
affection for the old man.
She knew about the pain of separation and the hardships in life one would go through, but
she could not bear the thought of anything bad happening to Old Man Rayne at this
moment.
After all, he had no idea that she was actually Bianca...
Old Man Rayne believed that Bianca had lost her memory and was currently studying
abroad, completely devoid of any familial affection...
"Grandpa, nothing must happen to you..." Luca murmured to herself while looking at her
reflection in the mirror.
Luca splashed water on her face, trying to ease the sadness that the dream had brought
upon her. Then, she returned to the entrance of the operating room.
Luke and the caretaker were still waiting there. Old Man Rayne's surgery had not yet
concluded. Luca sat beside Luke.
Luke noticed the water droplets on her face. He raised his hand and gently wiped them
away.
His tender gesture felt like he was handling an extremely delicate gem.
Luca felt comforted amidst her unease. She was glad that Luke had taken good care of her
family while she was away.
Regardless of their blood ties, he treated them with utmost dedication, considering them
his responsibility.
Luca appreciated what he did for her. She loved him from the bottom of her heart too.
"What time is it now?" Luca asked again. She had not had time to charge her phone before
leaving, and now her phone had run out of battery.
There were no power bank rentals available near the operating room, so she had to ask
Luke for the time.
"It's 3:20." Luke checked his watch.
Luca nodded. Before bringing Old Man Rayne to the operating room, Johann had given her
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏma brief overview of the surgery. She knew it was a difficult procedure, and the treatment
being used was relatively new and uncertain—not only in A City but also internationally.
Therefore, the surgery was highly challenging. It would probably take more than two or
three hours to complete.
Luca waited quietly.
Around four in the morning, the operating room door was opened. Luca immediately stood
up when she heard the sound of the door opening.
Johann walked out of the room and looked at Luca and Luke. He let out a sigh of relief as
he removed his mask. "The surgery was successful. We managed to get rid of the blood
clot in Old Man Rayne's brain and stop the bleeding. He's been moved to the ICU for
observation. If there are no complications, he can be discharged the day after tomorrow."
"Dr. Park, what about the follow-up treatment?" asked Luca as she was not familiar with it
and needed to ask Johann more about it.
"The follow-up treatment mainly involves medication and regular check-ups. If he
experiences headaches in the future, his family should take it seriously. The illness struck
out of nowhere, but luckily, it was detected early. Many patients with cerebral vasospasms
face critical situations when the illness strikes, making it difficult to rescue them. So, this
must be taken seriously," explained Johann.
While Johann was on his way to the hospital, the doctor in charge of the patient's
emergency care called him and explained that the patient had been experiencing
headaches in the past few days, but the caretaker did not pay attention to it.
Headaches were a crucial symptom of the condition and should not have been overlooked.
However, the caretaker was careless and overlooked this situation. Johann could not help
but secretly complain about the caretaker Luke had hired. The old man had been
complaining about discomfort, yet she did not think to call a doctor.
If they had noticed it earlier, the surgery would have been much less challenging today.
This kind of illness could not be taken lightly!
The caretaker stood at the side, listening to what Johann said. She felt ashamed and
lowered her head.
Old Man Rayne had told her not to call the doctor, but he collapsed while she was on duty.
It was only natural that she shouldered the responsibility for this mistake.