Chapter 18

Jasper sounded anguished on the phone. "Esther, you finally called. The doctor said that Tinkerbell's organs are showing signs of failure. Come over now…" Jasper's voice carried a hint of a sob. "It'll be too late otherwise." Esther had just undergone surgery, and the anesthesia's effects had yet to wear off, but she received such cruel news. She removed the needles and cables from herself without hesitation and stumbled out of the hospital ward, disregarding that she was still in a patient gown. She rushed to the elevator. "Ms. Quill, where are you going?" The nurse on duty stood in front of Esther, her voice filled with concern. "You've just gone through surgery. You have to rest—" "I have no time. Move away." Esther pushed the nurse aside and rushed into the elevator. As she leaned against the smooth wall inside, she panted harshly. The other patients and their families in the elevator avoided her, assuming she was a psychiatric patient. Esther didn't care about what they thought. She just wanted to see her daughter at the hospital as soon as possible. Esther stumbled out of the hospital building, catching Cole's attention from afar. She looked sickly and on the verge of fainting at any moment. Cole hurried to her side, held her arm gently, and asked with concern, "Mrs. Warner, what's wrong?" "Cole!" Esther grabbed his arm and pleaded, "Can you take me to People's Hospital right now?" Cole immediately realized she wanted to see Tinkerbell, so he agreed without hesitation. "I'll take you there now." He helped the extremely weak Esther toward the parking lot, but they saw Bradley blocking their path just as they arrived at the elevator. "Cole, you're my assistant," Bradley coldly said. His handsome face was icy and merciless. Chills ran down Cole's spine. "Mr. Warner, Mrs. Warner—" "Mrs. Warner?" Bradley smirked mockingly. "Her?" He brushed past Cole and Esther gracefully but said ruthlessly, "Cole, three seconds…" Esther was afraid of causing Cole to lose his job and struggled to pull her arm from his hold as she weakly thanked him. "Thank you." Without looking back, she headed toward the hospital exit. Cole hurried to catch up with Bradley and explained on Esther's behalf, "Mr. Warner, the child from the welfare home has acute leukemia. Her organs are failing…" Bradley remained impassive, showing no concern for Esther's pitiful state or Tinkerbell's life. - Finally, Esther hailed a cab from the roadside and arrived at the hospital. "Esther, you're finally here!" Jasper received Esther at the hospital lobby. Esther paid no attention to how weak she felt as she gripped Jasper's hand and pleaded, "Jasper, take me to the doctor, please. I can have a more detailed test now. I can proceed with the surgery at any time." Jasper held Esther and advised her with concern, "Esther, I know you're anxious, but we should trust the doctor now that Tinkerbell is in the hospital." If it hadn't been for Jasper supporting Esther, she might have fainted at any moment. Fortunately, Jasper spotted a wheelchair rental and got one for Esther. He then wheeled her to the floor where Tinkerbell's ward was. As soon as they got out of the elevator, they saw doctors and nurses sprinting toward Tinkerbell's room.