Chapter 4 Signing for Myself

Calvin still didn't come home that night. He stayed with Emily. All my colleagues were discussing the two of them in the group chat. "Isn't Mr. Pierce overprotective? It's just a tiny cut, and he insisted on taking her to the hospital." "Don't you get it? She's his precious one! Mr. Pierce was worried sick." "Did Summer come to the office today just to confront the mistress?" "I heard Mrs. Pierce came to ask for money. She's so pathetic; it's just 100 thousand dollars. That necklace Emily was wearing costs 190 thousand dollars." I silently closed WhatsApp. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. To think that the wife of the president of Pierce Group was being pitied was laughable. I couldn't fall asleep after being woken up by the messages, so I started packing my things for the hospital. This wasn't my first time being hospitalized for surgery. I was familiar with the routine. Everything in the house was of the finest quality. Calvin was particular about his lifestyle. Everything from the bedsheets to even the tissues were the most expensive ones available on the market. I didn't hesitate to throw them all into the suitcase. Items sold at the hospital were outrageously priced, and I couldn't afford to waste a single dime. Even though I had the 100 thousand dollars now, who knew what other complications might arise during surgery? Money would lose its value in the hospital. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was better to be prepared. I didn't have much jewelry that I could easily pawn off. I stood in front of my jewelry cabinet, but I gave up looking at the electronic lock. If I broke it now, I might not even stand a chance to undergo the surgery. In the end, I took out a pair of gold earrings and a pitifully small diamond ring from the box. Calvin had once said that this was the engagement ring he'd planned to propose with. He'd had no money back then, and there was no telling how long he'd saved just to buy this ring. I carefully slipped the ring into my finger, feeling a wave of mixed emotions. Diamonds lost their value the moment they were bought. This probably wasn't worth much either since the craftsmanship was rough. But it was better than nothing. Perhaps it could save my life in a pinch. After having prepared everything, I began thinking about where to find a cheap yet reliable caregiver. And before I knew it, dawn broke. Ralph called me with excitement. "I've spoken to the inpatient department. You can come in now to handle the paperwork. "You can pay 30 thousand dollars for the deposit. I reserved a double room, so you can share a caregiver with the other patient." Ralph knew my condition well and thought of every possible way to save me money. I thanked him repeatedly while dragging my suitcase out the door. As if sensing my departure, I heard Duffy whimpering from next door. Phyllis opened the door, and Duffy ran straight to me, circling me with soft cries. I crouched down and held back tears as I hugged his head. "Behave, okay? I'll be back soon. You need to take care." I wanted to say, "Even if I don't come back, you need to take care of yourself." But I held myself back. Phyllis hesitated and said, "Wait a minute." She went back inside and returned with a protection pendant. "I got this for you the other day while I was visiting a church in the mountains. It's for peace and safety. Keep it with you, okay?" Looking at the poorly made pendant with a missing stroke in the words, I smiled and nodded. Phyllis was kind. Duffy would be fine with her. I stepped into the elevator and gripped the pendant tightly. Did a missing stroke on the pendant mean adding length to my life? … Thanks to Ralph's arrangement, I got admitted at the hospital smoothly. Thinking about the surgery the next day, I felt surprisingly at ease as I lay in the hospital bed. I seemed to have drifted into another dream. This time, it was about waiting for Calvin at the college gates as he returned from his job. He would always buy me my "favorite" blueberry tarts. The truth was, the tarts had been terrible and full of artificial flavoring. But they'd been cheap at only a dollar each. Whenever I'd happily eaten them, Calvin had smiled so brightly and looked incredibly handsome. Hearing the familiar ringtone of my phone, I instinctively picked it up. "Calvin, I want the blueberry tarts today. Make sure you get in line early." There was a moment of silence on the other end before a gentle voice replied, "Okay, wait for me." I smiled, turned over, and fell back asleep. It was a rare, sweet dream. The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. The nurse teased me, saying I was going to have good news since I looked so energetic. She said my surgery would surely be a success. But Ralph gave me a stern look. "It's one thing on regular days, but don't you have any family here even when you're about to have surgery? Someone needs to sign the papers." I lowered my head, feeling a little irritated. I had only one family member left—Calvin. Seeing my reaction, Ralph sighed and told me to think it over. The surgery was about to begin. I stared nervously at my phone as an inexplicable sense of unease crept in. Was something going to go wrong this time? The phone rang again. It was from Calvin. Almost instinctively, I picked up. My tone was laced with hope. "Calvin!" "Are you messing with me? Didn't you say you wanted blueberry tarts? Where the hell are you?" His irritated voice stunned me. So yesterday hadn't been a dream. Calvin had indeed called me and bought those tarts. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of Ralph's words. I choked out, "Calvin, right now I'm—" Before I could finish, Emily's voice came through the phone. "Calvin, these tarts are so good! No wonder you insisted we queue for them!" I hung up immediately. Calvin had finally taken Emily home. I put on my shoes and walked into Ralph's office. "Dr. Baldwin, I'll sign for myself."