Chapter 5 Unlucky

Ralph stared at me for a moment before sighing and pulling out the consent form for the surgery. "Are you sure? If anything happens during surgery, it'll be difficult to handle things." "Dr. Baldwin, I trust you. Really." I quickly signed my name. My fate was in my own hands. Ralph seemed to want to say something more when the door to his office suddenly burst open. A group stormed in, shouting angrily. Someone shoved me hard. I lost my balance and hit my head on the corner of the desk. Everything went dark for a moment as I felt warm liquid trickling down my forehead, blurring my vision. The room was in chaos. Everyone was yelling at once. "What kind of chief surgeon are you? We paid so much money, and now you say we need another surgery?" "You're just a bunch of liars! You said the tumor was removed, so why has the cancer returned?" "You money-grubbing frauds! Watch me beat you to death!" I pressed my hand to my forehead and struggled to stand back up. Someone stepped on my clothes, and I couldn't free myself no matter how hard I pulled. The office was a mess. The security guards arrived only after a few minutes and finally broke the fight. Someone screamed, "There's blood! Someone's dead!" I could feel everyone's eyes turn toward me, and the crowd backed away. A young nurse helped me up. "Ms. Jefferson, are you okay? Let's go treat your wound." But she was too weak to support me properly. Ralph came over to help. I noticed one of the lenses of his glasses had shattered, and his hair, which was usually neat, was a mess. There were even scratches on his face. He had clearly been caught in the scruffle. I wanted to laugh but was too weak to do so. He sighed. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this. It looks like your surgery will have to be postponed." I shook my head and wanted to tell him it didn't matter. It didn't matter to people like me whether I lived one more day or less. No one cared anyway. By the time the police arrived to take statements, I had somewhat regained my composure. The female officer glanced at me, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Your condition seems quite serious. The people who barged in to stir up trouble are in custody, and you can request compensation. We've contacted your family. They should be here soon." I stared at her, surprised. "My family?" "Yes, although it was your husband's secretary who picked up. Don't worry, he's on his way." I looked down and said nothing. Would Calvin come? I didn't know. Maybe he would since the police were involved. I wasn't the only one'd been caught in the chaos. There had been two other patients in the office, but only Ralph and I had been injured. One of the patients commented that I was incredibly unlucky to be the one most seriously hurt when the others were absolutely fine. I silently agreed at how unfortunate I was. I'd finally secured enough money for the surgery, and now it had to be delayed. I wasn't even sure if my body would afford the wait. Looking around the emergency room, I noticed everyone else had family with them. A pang of loneliness hit me. Ralph's wife and daughter stood beside him. Their eyes were red as he comforted them. I couldn't help but feel envious. My family had once been like that too, but now my parents were gone. I sniffled and tried not to expect anything as I waited. To my surprise, Calvin did show up, but with Emily following closely behind him. I had just received a stitch on my forehead, and the doctor who'd stitched me up couldn't stop talking. "Luckily, the wound is hidden under your hair. Otherwise, a scar would be a shame for a pretty woman like you." I glanced at my reflection in the glass, which was all skin and bones. What was left to be pretty about? It was then that Calvin arrived. Emily rushed ahead and asked the doctor about my condition. When she heard that I'd only needed a single stitch, her eyes filled with disdain. "Just a small injury? Summer, do you even realize there was an important business deal today? Mr. Pierce postponed a video conference for you. Can't you tell what's important?" The doctor frowned and said nothing. "Why are you in the hospital?" Calvin asked, towering over me. "To get admitted." I wanted to explain that I was there for surgery because of my cancer, but the words died in my throat. What was the point of explaining? "You were going to get admitted over a single stitch? Isn't that a little dramatic? You're always causing trouble for Mr. Pierce. You made one phone call, and now an important deal has been postponed. Who's going to cover the company's losses?" Emily took a step forward and stood beside Calvin, perfectly looking like his wife. I thought back to what the police had said about calling Calvin and gave her a meaningful look. "I wasn't the one who made the call. You know that." There was a flash of panic in her eyes, but Calvin didn't seem to notice. Instead, he gave me a cold, disdainful look. "Summer, I underestimated you. You'll do anything to gain sympathy, won't you?" He leaned down and narrowed his eyes at me. "You'd even use a dog. You've really outdone yourself." I looked at him, confused. Then I gave a bitter laugh. After all this time, he'd finally noticed that Duffy had been staying at Phyllis' house. "You still have the nerve to laugh! How did I never realize what kind of person you are?" He moved forward and tried to grab my collar, but a young nurse knocked his hand away. "Who are you? Do you even know what condition Ms. Jefferson—" Before she could finish, Emily tugged pitifully at Calvin's sleeve. "Mr. Pierce, I'm feeling itchy. I think I'm allergic to something." "How is it this bad?" Calvin gently supported her arm and noticed the rash. His eyes were filled with concern. "I told you not to go near the dog, and now you've had an allergic reaction. Let's get you to the doctor."