Chapter 17

That afternoon, Elliot's parents arrived at Southport Hospital, with Claire accompanying them. Seeing Elliot lying unconscious in that stark white hospital bed left his mother, Helen Graves, completely heartbroken. Elliot had always been so capable. He became an associate chief physician at such a young age. So, how could Helen ever bring herself to tell him that he'd never be able to return to the operating room? But they had to face the reality, no matter how harsh it was. It was a full week before Elliot finally opened his eyes. When he woke up, both his parents and Claire were there, but the one person he wanted to see most wasn't anywhere in sight. "Dad, Mom, have you seen Nora? Did she... Did she come to see me?" His breathing was still weak, and he struggled to speak clearly, but both his father, Henry Ward, and Helen heard his question. They weren't happy that Nora was brought up, but they held back and managed not to say anything in front of him. With tears streaming do