Kneeling for a Second 216

Chapter 216 

1/3 

The car drove smoothly along the road. 

Sebastian turned up the temperature on the air conditioner. 

Following the navigation route, the night road was quiet with few cars, but the surface was frosted over. Sebastian couldn’t drive too fast, and by the time the car stopped at the entrance of the Verdanci District hospital, it was already ten minutes to two in the morning. 

Sebastian rubbed his stiff, sore neck. Tonight, he had joined Shawn’s team for an emergency rescue of a patient and didn’t leave the hospital until almost ten at night. On the way home, he spotted Valeria by the roadside. 

Her car was also parked not far away. 

She had been wearing only a thin jacket, and was crouching on the roadside with a sorrowful expression. 

Sebastian had thought of just driving off. 

He didn’t know why Valeria would be squatting by the roadside in the middle of the night, but Slate City was such a big place, so how had they happened to run into each other? 

No wonder his friends told him that Valeria was an ill–fated encounter. 

After parking, he entered the hospital. The hospital emergency rooms weren’t busy at that hour, so he spotted Valeria at once. 

She was tending to an elderly woman in a bed. As she poured some water and propped up the pillows, her eyes were red, and her face was pale. 

“You’ll need to pay the fees by tomorrow morning. Then, we’ll do the tests and bloodwork before preparing for surgery. The details will be determined by Dr. Hughes from Orthopedics tomorrow,” the ER doctor told her. 

Valeria kept nodding. “What time is the surgery tomorrow? It’s been delayed for two days. Won’t it get worse by tomorrow? Can the surgery be scheduled earlier?” 

The doctor replied, “You already know it’s been delayed for two days. The decision depends on whether the swelling will go down before the surgery, or whether to proceed first and manage the swelling afterward. Let Dr. Hughes decide. Why did you come so late? We couldn’t reach any family for so long.” 

Valeria bit her lip. The doctor’s words made her tear up. 

X CLOS 

Chapter 216 

2/3 

She looked at Margaret lying in bed, enduring the pain and breathing weakly. 

She choked back sobs as she asked, “Where’s Thomas? Why didn’t he come? Grandma, how did you suddenly fracture your leg?” 

Margaret raised her hand, and Valeria clasped it. “Don’t cry. I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt. I just feel a little numb.” 

Valeria didn’t dare to think about it any further. She didn’t dare to recall what the doctor had said when she first arrived. 

The doctor had said it was a neighbor who had brought Margaret in. When she was found, Margaret had already collapsed on the ground, unable to get up, and no one knew how long she had been freezing in the cold wind. 

With all the recent demolition work around Cranary, many neighbors had already moved away. So when she was discovered, she hadn’t been taken to the hospital right away. Margaret had only said her leg felt numb and that it wasn’t serious, so she rested at home for a day. 

The neighbor had first called Thomas. 

Valeria burned with hatred, both toward Thomas and herself. She lowered her head as tears streamed down her face. 

Margaret’s bony fingers gently wiped Valeria’s cheeks. She said pitifully, “It’s so late. How did you manage to rush over here?” 

Valeria, choked with guilt, couldn’t speak. 

Margaret looked past her at a figure not far away. She looked at the handsome, distinguished young man who was wearing a black overcoat, standing tall. 

Margaret’s body was weak, and she was slumped to one side. Sweat dampened her cheeks, yet her eyes 

lit up with a smile. She raised her other hand. “Is that Shane?” 

Valeria froze. 

Margaret had recognized the wrong person. 

Margaret and Shane had only ever met two or three times. Usually, she only heard of him through Valeria’s words. 

The last time was just a few days ago, during the video call with Shane and Selena. He had appeared on screen for just a few minutes. 

Now, Margaret was looking at Sebastian, who was standing just a short distance away, outside 

X CLOSE 

Chapter 216 

the ER ward. 

Margaret held Valeria’s hand. “I can rest easy since Shane is here with you.” 

10 

Valeria said, “Granny, just rest well. I’ll be right here. If you feel unwell, just let me know and I’ll get the doctor. You’ll have the surgery tomorrow.” 

“Let Shane come in. It’s so cold outside, and it’s warmer in the ward. Let me have a good look at him,” Margaret said. Her voice was frail and trembling, but her desire to see Valeria’s husband was strong.