Chapter 366: Spouse’s Priority to Sign
The night grew deeper, and the entire city fell silent.
Outside the operating room, the air was like frozen ice. The lights were blindingly bright, illuminating everyone’s anxiety and leaving it nowhere to hide.
The heavy doors to the operating room were suddenly pulled open from the inside. A cold draft, laced with the smell of disinfectant, swept out, shattering the deathly silence of the hallway.
"The family," the doctor said, his voice hoarse and his expression grave.
All eyes snapped toward him, their hearts leaping into their throats.
"Halfway through the surgery, an unexpected complication arose: massive active bleeding in the abdominal cavity, accompanied by insufficient blood supply to multiple organs."
"We need to perform an emergency hemostatic intervention and administer a massive blood transfusion. The procedure is extremely high-risk and could trigger allergic reactions, infection, or even shock."
"This is a critical condition notice and an emergency surgery consent form. They need to be signed."
"According to regulations, the spouse has priority. Who is Adrian Lancaster’s wife?"
Wren Sutton immediately stepped forward. Her voice was strained but clear. "I am."
She reached out a trembling hand, her fingertips ice-cold, and took the few thin sheets of paper that now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
The words "critically ill," "high-risk," and "potentially life-threatening" were like red-hot branding irons, searing her eyes until they ached. Tears welled up, threatening to fall.
Signing her name meant agreeing to the rescue attempt. It was a bet on Adrian Lancaster’s survival, a gamble that placed all their hopes on the operating table, not an admission of any guilt.
Wren Sutton didn’t hesitate. She gripped the pen tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. She pressed the tip to the paper, writing each stroke with immense solemnity. The pen trembled from the pressure, but she showed no sign of backing down.
She handed the consent form back to the doctor. When she looked up, the bloodshot veins in her eyes were clearly visible.
She cast aside all her pride and pleaded devoutly, her voice choked with emotion. "Doctor, I’m begging you, you have to save him. Nothing can happen to him. Please, help him."
The doctor nodded grimly. "We will do everything we can."
The heavy doors of the operating room closed once more, separating Wren Sutton from the life-and-death struggle within, as if they were in two different worlds.
Lucia Lancaster rushed forward to support Wren Sutton’s limp arm.
"Sis-in-law, don’t be scared. My brother is so strong. He’ll pull through. He’s going to be okay."
Wren Sutton sank onto a chair, all the strength drained from her body. The hands at her sides were clenched into tight fists, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that the piercing pain only made her more alert.
’I can’t fall apart. I have to wait. Wait for Adrian to come out safely.’
The hallway once again fell into a deathly silence.
Wren Sutton sat on the cold chair, her back ramrod straight, not daring to relax for a moment.
Her eyes were red and so dry they ached, but she kept them fixed on the three illuminated words on the operating room door—"Surgery in Progress"—not looking away for a single second.
The composure she had forced herself to maintain while signing the papers slowly crumbled during the long wait. Panic and fear spread like wild vines, twisting around her insides.
She didn’t dare close her eyes. If she did, the image of Adrian Lancaster, covered in blood and unconscious after the car accident, would flash before her. She was even more terrified to think about the dangers inside the operating room.
She could only pray over and over again in her heart, begging God to show mercy and let Adrian live.
Claire Sterling leaned against Theodore Lancaster, her tears long since dried up, leaving only silent, choked sobs.
The couple held each other’s hands tightly, praying together for their son.
Lucia Lancaster sat with Wren Sutton, occasionally handing her a cup of warm water, silently keeping her company as they endured the endless wait together.
The long night dragged on. The chill slowly seeped through their clothes, a cold that reached from their skin to the very marrow of their bones.
No one left. No one closed their eyes to rest. Everyone remained outside the operating room, their hearts filled with anxiety, not moving an inch.
During that time, a nurse hurried out a few more times, either to get more blood products or to confirm the next steps of the rescue plan and have the family sign more forms.
Wren Sutton signed her name with a trembling hand. Each stroke carried the heavy weight of hope, but also a hidden, unspeakable fear.
Time ticked by, minute by agonizing minute.
Outside, the darkness of the night slowly faded, and the horizon began to glow with the pale light of dawn.
The first rays of morning light streamed through the hallway window, landing on the cold floor and dispelling some of the late-night chill.
The surgery had lasted the entire night.
Just as everyone’s exhaustion and anguish reached their limit, the glaring red light above the operating room door went out.
The doors slowly swung open, and the head surgeon emerged with a team of medical staff. They all looked exhausted, but there was a hint of relief in their eyes.
Claire Sterling was the first to rush forward, her voice trembling and so choked she could barely speak. "Doctor, how is my son?"
Wren Sutton also hurried forward, her body stiff and her fingertips cold. She stared at the doctor’s lips, forgetting even to breathe.
She was terrified of hearing bad news. Her heart was in her throat, nearly beating out of her chest.
The others did the same, quickly surrounding them, waiting anxiously for the doctor’s verdict.
The head surgeon let out a long breath. Looking at their anxious faces, he slowly began to speak.
"The surgery was a success. We’ve completely stopped the abdominal bleeding, and the patient’s vital signs are temporarily stable. He is out of immediate danger."
With that one sentence, the family, who had been on edge all night, finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
Everyone began to cry, including Caleb Caldwell and Sean Sterling. Tears streamed down their faces, but this time, they were tears of joy for having survived the ordeal.
Lucia Lancaster covered her mouth, her eyes welling with tears. "That’s wonderful! My brother’s okay! That’s wonderful! I knew my brother was the strongest, most amazing person in the world."
Seeing their relieved expressions, the doctor quickly added, "However, the patient’s injuries were severe, and his bodily functions are still very weak. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. He’ll need to be transferred to the intensive care unit for 24-hour close monitoring. Only after he makes it through the infection and recovery periods can we say he’s completely out of the woods."
"Understood," Theodore Lancaster said, nodding quickly, his voice filled with gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Doctor. Really, thank you. You’ve saved a member of the Lancaster family. This is a debt the Lancasters will never forget."
The doctor smiled. "We were just doing our job."
After that, the patient’s bed was wheeled out of the operating room and toward the intensive care unit.
Adrian Lancaster lay quietly on it, his face so pale it was almost translucent. He was connected to all sorts of monitoring tubes and wires, his breathing faint but steady.
The group followed the hospital bed all the way to the doors of the ICU. The heavy automatic doors slid open and then closed, once again separating Adrian Lancaster from the outside world.