Chapter 357 The Blood That Connected Them
Rose climbed into the ambulance.
The moment she saw Ariel lying there, her heart nearly stopped.
Her daughter was still conscious.
But her tiny face was completely drained of color.
Her beautiful princess dress was stained red, and one of her small arms was covered in deep cuts where her skin had been torn when Samantha threw her against the rooftop ledge.
Rose froze.
She was a doctor.
She had treated countless patients.
She had seen injuries far worse than this.
But this was different.
This was her child.
Her hands trembled as she reached toward Ariel, yet she couldn’t bring herself to touch her.
For the first time in her life, Rose felt afraid of her own medical knowledge.
Afraid of what she might find.
Afraid that if she examined Ariel herself, she would discover something she couldn’t handle.
“Mommy...”
Ariel’s weak voice broke her.
Rose immediately leaned closer.
“I’m here. Mommy’s here.”
The paramedic beside them noticed Rose’s panic and quickly reassured her.
“Don’t panic yet. The arm injury looks worse than it actually is. There doesn’t appear to be a fracture.”
Rose looked up.
The paramedic continued.
“She was protected during the fall, which likely prevented more serious injuries. Right now, the biggest concern is the bleeding. We need to get her to the hospital as soon as possible so she can receive clotting treatment and be checked for internal injuries.”
Rose heard every word.
But it felt like they were coming from far away.
Her entire focus was on Ariel.
Sweat covered her daughter’s forehead.
The little girl was trying so hard not to cry.
But the pain was too much.
Small sobs escaped her despite her efforts.
Rose’s heart shattered.
She wanted to hold her.
She wanted to tell her everything was okay.
But she was terrified of hurting her.
The paramedic’s words gave her a small amount of comfort.
Ariel had most likely avoided major fractures because Ryan had protected her.
But they still needed to check for internal injuries.
And then—
A warm hand suddenly grabbed hers.
Rose looked down.
Her vision blurred.
A tear slipped from her eyelashes and landed on the back of the hand holding hers.
She slowly looked up.
Ryan.
He was lying beside Ariel.
His eyes were closed.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
His face was pale, almost colorless.
His white shirt was covered in blood.
Rose couldn’t tell whose blood it was.
Ariel’s.
His.
Maybe both.
His jaw was clenched tightly, as if he was forcing himself to endure unbearable pain.
Yet even unconscious or barely aware, he was holding her hand.
Rose didn’t know why.
Was he looking for comfort?
Or had he heard her crying and reacted instinctively?
“His condition...”
Her voice was hoarse.
“How is he?”
The paramedic glanced at Ryan.
“His lower leg is fractured. We suspect internal injuries as well. He has several severe bruises, and there’s a possibility of a concussion.”
Rose went quiet.
She looked at the hand holding hers.
For once, she didn’t pull away.
*****
When they reached the hospital, everything had already been arranged.
Oliver had contacted the hospital ahead of time.
The ambulance was immediately given priority.
Ariel was rushed straight into emergency care.
Before leaving, Rose looked back at Ryan.
Slowly, she removed his hand from hers.
Then she stepped out of the ambulance.
“My daughter has a bleeding disorder.”
Her voice was urgent.
“Based on the amount of blood she has lost, she needs clotting factor plasma immediately.”
The medical team moved quickly.
Ariel disappeared behind the operating room doors.
Moments later, Trevor arrived.
He had run the entire way.
The perfectly styled hair he had when he arrived at the resort was now messy, his suit wrinkled, his usual calm expression completely gone.
He walked straight toward Rose.
“Don’t be scared.”
Rose looked at him.
Trevor forced himself to stay calm.
“I checked the situation.”
“The fall wasn’t as far as it looked. The hotel had planted large trees along the exterior balconies, and those branches helped slow their fall.”
He paused.
“And...”
His expression became complicated.
“Ryan protected Ariel.”
Rose lowered her eyes.
Trevor continued.
“He used himself as a cushion.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Trevor knew something else.
Oliver had secretly arranged for the emergency air cushion before the accident.
If he hadn’t...
Today would have ended differently.
But Ryan didn’t know that.
When Ryan jumped, he didn’t look down.
He didn’t check whether there was a safety measure.
He didn’t hesitate.
He simply jumped.
Because Ariel was falling.
“I know.”
Rose closed her eyes.
Right now, she couldn’t think about anything else.
Not Ryan.
Not Samantha.
Not the chaos left behind.
Only Ariel.
After a moment, she spoke quietly.
“You should go back to the hotel.”
Trevor frowned.
“I’ll be fine.”
“There are too many people there. You need to handle the situation.”
Trevor shook his head.
“I already sent my assistant to deal with it.”
He looked toward the operating room.
“Ariel is my daughter too.”
His voice softened.
“I’m staying.”
Rose didn’t argue.
The operating room light turned on.
Both of them waited.
Then—
Less than ten minutes later, the door opened.
Several nurses rushed out.
Rose’s heart dropped.
A doctor followed.
His expression was serious.
“The child’s condition is more complicated than we expected.”
Rose immediately stepped forward.
“What happened?”
“She is losing blood too quickly.”
The doctor took a breath.
“Her body cannot clot normally. Because of her age and condition, she requires a very specific type of plasma with a high concentration of clotting factors.”
Rose’s face turned pale.
“The hospital doesn’t have it?”
The doctor shook his head.
“Our current supply does not meet the requirement.”
Silence.
The words hit Rose harder than anything else.
She knew exactly what this meant.
Ariel had always had special medical needs.
Since birth, Rose had been terrified of even minor injuries.
Because a small wound could become dangerous.
And now...
The bleeding wouldn’t stop.
The blood loss was increasing.
Her daughter was at risk of shock.
“What about family donation?” Trevor asked urgently.
The doctor hesitated.
“Unfortunately, direct relatives cannot donate in this case.”
Rose’s expression changed.
She understood why.
A direct match could actually worsen the reaction.
More complications.
More danger.
Her mind started racing.
If immediate family couldn’t help...
Then maybe—
A relative further removed.
Someone else connected by blood.
James.
The thought appeared instantly.
But before she could act—
A calm voice came from behind them.
“I’ll provide the plasma.”
Everyone turned.
“It will arrive within ten minutes.”
Rose froze.
Trevor turned sharply.
Ryan was sitting in a wheelchair.
He shouldn’t even have been there.
His face was still pale.
His lips had no color.
One leg rested on the support in front of him, completely immobilized.
Oliver stood behind him, his expression dark.
He looked furious.
He had intended to take Ryan straight into surgery.
But Ryan had refused.
The moment he woke up, his only demand had been to come here first.
Oliver had argued.
Ryan had ignored him.
And now he was here.
“What do you mean?”
Rose stared at him.
For the first time since the accident, fear appeared clearly in her eyes.
Ryan lifted his gaze.
“You and Trevor should complete the remaining examinations.”
His voice was weak but steady.
“The plasma will arrive in ten minutes.”
He paused.
“Send someone to the rooftop helipad.”
“The delivery team will be waiting there.”
Rose stared at him.
“How do you know?”
Ryan didn’t answer immediately.
“Don’t waste time.”
His voice became quieter.
“Trust me.”
Trevor immediately reacted.
“Go. Get someone to the helipad now.”
The hospital staff moved.
But Rose didn’t.
She slowly walked toward Ryan.
Her breathing became heavier with every step.
He simply watched her approach.
Then she stopped in front of him.
Her voice trembled.
“How do you know what kind of plasma Ariel needs?”
Ryan had never asked.
He hadn’t asked about Ariel’s condition.
He hadn’t asked what type of plasma was required.
He had already known.
He had already arranged everything.
And the more Rose thought about it...
The colder she felt.
“How did you know?”