Regretting the Wife He Threw Away novel Chapter 82

Stewart ignored his question and asked instead, “You just got back from the ER?”

“Yeah!” Cedric Clarke strode over and dropped onto the sofa across from Stewart. His tall frame slouched against the cushions, exhaustion written all over him. “I’m dead tired. It was a close call at death’s door—if we’d been a minute later, we would’ve lost him for good!”

At that, Stewart’s brow twitched. “That serious?”

“Of course. Internal bleeding. We managed to save him for now, but he’ll have to stay in the ICU for a few more days…”

“Internal bleeding?” Stewart cut him off, his dark eyes locked onto Cedric. A storm seemed to gather behind his gaze.

Cedric, eyes shut and rubbing the stiffness from his neck, didn’t notice Stewart’s sudden change.

“Yeah, just yesterday he was fine, then today—boom, out of nowhere. Makes you realize how precious life really is. You never know what’s coming first, an accident or tomorrow. Take my patient, for example—”

“Where is he?” Stewart demanded.

Cedric blinked, startled by the interruption and Stewart’s grim expression. “Wait, what’s with you?”

“Internal bleeding—who did this?” Stewart’s voice was cold, edged with barely concealed rage.

“Did what?” Cedric straightened up, giving Stewart a look like he’d lost his mind. “Man, we’re talking about an eighty-year-old. Who would lay a hand on him?”

Stewart froze. “An old man?” He frowned, his clenched fists loosening a little. “The person you just saved was…”

“My patient!” Cedric stared at him, baffled. “Seriously, why are you so worked up about an old man? How about worrying about why I was looking for you this morning?”

Stewart pressed his lips together, saying nothing, but the look he shot Cedric was tinged with clear annoyance.

Cedric felt even more lost under that glare. “What’s up with you, Stewart? You’re off today. Did something big happen this morning? You missed my call—where the hell were you? Do you even know— Hey! I’m not finished—where are you going? Stewart!”

The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Cedric stared at the closed door, frowning and muttering, “Seriously, what’s his problem…”

—

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Briony was just waking up.

Stella had been keeping vigil by her side. As soon as she saw Briony stir, she hurried over. “How are you feeling?”

Briony managed a faint, “I’m okay.”

“The one you owe an apology to is Ms. Hudson.” Stella hesitated, her expression growing serious. “She knows about her leukemia now.”

Briony’s eyes widened. “How did she find out?”

“Gina said a new intern let it slip.”

“I need to see her—”

“How? In your state?” Stella held her down gently. “Relax, Ms. Hudson is fine. She just kept insisting she wanted to go home for the holidays. After talking it over with Dr. Clarke, we decided to let Gina take her home for now.”

That finally eased Briony’s nerves a little.

“Worry about yourself first,” Stella said, glancing pointedly at Briony’s abdomen. “You banged your head hard, but those two little ones are hanging in there.”

Briony fell silent for a moment, then reached to touch her belly.

“Can you ask Director Grant if the surgery can still happen this afternoon?”

Stella’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re really going through with it?”