Chapter 77: Eleanor Rhodes Injured
Vivian held her phone, her mind a chaotic mess.
On the other end of the line, Henry Sterling apparently took the phone back. He said to Vivian, "We’re almost at Concordia Hospital. Vivian, if you’re free, you should come over too."
"I... I’m hanging up now to help Eleanor Rhodes with her admission paperwork. You—be careful on your end."
"I understand."
Vivian’s emotions were a complicated mess. She just said, "Professor Sterling, thank you for all your trouble. And thank you for helping Tanya."
"You’re welcome."
The call ended after Henry’s reply.
Vivian stared at her phone screen until it went dark, only then turning to look at Julian beside her.
A moment ago, when the call had come in, Julian had been right beside her. He’d asked why she wasn’t answering, so he knew the call was from Henry Sterling.
Afraid that Julian would get the wrong idea, Vivian had put the call on speaker.
So now, of course, Julian had heard everything that was said.
"Julian... that business with the raincoat man... how could it turn out like this? His son is dead? Is it because Tanya and I posted about him online?"
Vivian found it impossible to believe.
Before this, Vivian had always felt that she had done nothing wrong regarding the raincoat man.
His business had failed and his cat café had gone under. All the cats got sick, but instead of getting them treatment, he wanted to use them to make some money back.
So he’d used the cover of a rainy day to sneak to the entrance of their pet hospital and abandon the cats. His plan was to wait until Vivian and Eleanor Rhodes had rescued and nursed them back to health, then "adopt" them back just to sell them.
The raincoat man was a bad person, through and through.
He cared only about profit and gave no thought to the little cats.
Vivian had exposed him hoping that, in the future, no one else would get the same idea and abandon sick cats at their hospital’s doorstep.
They wouldn’t provide free rescues; they wouldn’t foot the bill for other people’s irresponsibility. They just hoped more people would learn to love and protect cats.
In fact—
After the incident, netizens learned about her and Eleanor Rhodes’s pet hospital. Some, moved by their "Adopt, Don’t Shop" slogan, came to adopt pets.
Others, who couldn’t take in another cat, brought their own "fur babies" to the hospital for checkups, hoping to boost their income—a way of "investing" in the cat rescue mission, so to speak.
It was supposed to be a good thing.
But Vivian had never imagined that things would take such a turn with the raincoat man.
His hospitalized son had gotten caught up in the affair. Someone had snuck into the hospital, pulled his life-sustaining oxygen tube, and he had died.
"It’s not your fault."
Seeing the dazed look in Vivian’s eyes, Julian softened his tone. "Your intentions were good at the time."
"The raincoat man deserved to be condemned for his actions, morally speaking. But you can’t control how other people behave."
"Someone with an extreme personality found out about it and did something irrational. That’s a problem with their behavior, not yours. It has nothing to do with you."
"Even if the raincoat man incident had never happened, a person that extreme would have inevitably made an impulsive decision about something else."
"A person’s character largely determines their actions. He’s the one who made a mistake. Don’t put the blame on yourself."
Vivian looked at the dark screen of her phone, still feeling a pang of guilt.
The raincoat man’s actions were one thing.
But the death of that innocent child... that never should have happened.
"Julian, I know."
Vivian sighed. "The raincoat man’s actions were wrong. And someone taking revenge on his son was also wrong."
"And the raincoat man’s wife coming to our pet hospital to attack Tanya, and injuring the other two on-duty doctors in the process, is even more wrong."
"Don’t you worry. Every injustice has its perpetrator. That couple did wrong, and they will definitely be punished for it!"
With that thought, Vivian called her assistant.
"It’s about the raincoat man’s son. I need you to find a way to get to the hospital he was in. Check the security footage and find out who pulled his oxygen tube."
Her thoughts clear, Vivian said, "You should probably cooperate with the police. Once you find out who it is, have them arrested."
"We can’t let him get away with harming people in my and Tanya’s name. He hurt someone, and he needs to be punished by the law!"
Her assistant agreed at once, promising to head to the hospital immediately to follow up.
Vivian breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that they were almost at Concordia Hospital, she said to Julian, "It’s almost nine o’clock. Julian, why don’t you head home?"
"Tanya’s been injured. She’ll need someone to look after her, so I have to stay."
"Tanya’s always been a devoted daughter. After something like this, she definitely won’t want her parents to worry. I’ll have to figure out a way to keep it from them for now."
’Of course, that’s only if I can keep it hidden.’
But Julian gave Vivian a very serious look, then said in a tone that brooked no refusal, "I disagree. I’m going to the hospital with you."
"I’m a devoted grandson, too. Grandma will definitely be worried if you’re not home this late."
"If she knew I left you alone at the hospital, she’d be even more worried. So, I have to stay. Let me help you take care of Eleanor Rhodes."
...
Vivian looked at Julian.
He looked completely serious, as if he had thought everything through.
’But for some reason, Vivian had a feeling that what Julian was saying wasn’t quite what he was actually thinking!’
’But that wasn’t important now.’
After Vance Wyatt parked in the underground garage of Concordia Hospital, Vivian and Julian went up to the inpatient department. They found Eleanor Rhodes, who had just gotten out from having her wound stitched.
Eleanor Rhodes was on a gurney, being carried back to a private room by Henry and a few nurses.
Eleanor Rhodes’s face was a little pale, but since the wound was anesthetized, she likely couldn’t feel any pain yet. Her condition seemed stable.
"Dr. Ward and Dr. Miller got dragged into this because of me. I saw Dr. Ward was bitten pretty badly... and Quinn, it was his first day working for me and he had to go through this."
Eleanor Rhodes said, full of worry, "Professor Sterling, could you check on Dr. Ward and Dr. Miller for me later? I’ll cover their medical expenses."
"They were bitten by a dog, so they’ll need rabies shots. And Quinn, his hand..."
Before she could finish,
Quinn emerged from a corner of the private room.
He looked toward Eleanor Rhodes as she was wheeled in and said, "Ms. Rhodes, I’ve already made your bed. I’ll stay here tonight and keep an eye on things for you."
"Professor Sterling," he continued. "It’s getting late, and I remember you have a class tomorrow morning. Shouldn’t you be heading back to the university?"