Chapter 6 Grandma Had a Stroke

Wendy pressed her dry, cracked lips together. "I'm fine."

Susan's tone turned serious. "Wendy, cut the crap. If you don't tell me, I'll go to the hospital myself. I need to see your test results."

Wendy's heart tightened. She knew she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "It's liver cancer."

Susan was stunned. The other end of the line fell into a long silence, with only the sound of heavy breathing breaking through.

"How can this be? You're so young," Susan's voice was filled with disbelief and sorrow, gradually choking up.

Wendy could feel Susan's sadness, and a small warmth rose in her heart. At least in this cold world, someone still cared about her.

"Don't worry, Susan. I'll be okay," Wendy tried to comfort her, but her voice was weak.

"Wendy, you need to get to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible!" Susan said urgently, her medical background making her acutely aware of the severity of the disease.

Wendy wanted to live, but she knew her own condition and understood the harshness of fate.

"Susan, I know my situation. Maybe this is just my destiny," Wendy's voice was filled with helplessness and despair.

"Don't say that! Wendy, listen to me. You need to face this positively. We'll figure something out together. And you should divorce Ethan. He's not worth your sacrifices. Look at what you've become," Susan said, her voice full of pain and frustration.

The word "divorce" stirred a storm in Wendy's heart.

Once, she had loved Ethan so much, giving him everything she had. Now, being asked to let go was no easy task.

It felt as if her very soul was being torn apart.

"I'll think about it," Wendy said with difficulty, tears blurring her vision once again.

Susan sighed softly on the other end of the line.

Her sigh was filled with pain and helplessness for Wendy. She knew that pushing Wendy any further would be futile, so she let go of the topic.

After a brief silence, Susan slowly said, "Wendy, did you know? Professor Taylor hasn't been doing well lately. He looks very worn out. He often talks about you. If you have time, you should go see him."

Wendy's heart stirred at these words.

Harold Taylor was a renowned figure in the field of ophthalmology, highly respected.

He had been a close friend of Wendy's grandfather, Billy Knight, and after Billy's death, that deep bond naturally extended to Wendy.

Throughout her college years, Harold took Wendy under his wing, offering guidance and support. He was more than just a mentor; he was practically family, always there to help her along the way.

Susan continued, "Wendy, if you have time, go back to the school and see him. I think seeing you would make him very happy. Maybe he could even give you some advice about your condition."

Wendy knew that Susan hoped Harold could help her regain her strength and not be consumed by sadness and despair.

After a moment of silence, Wendy's voice, slightly hoarse, said, "Okay, when should we go?"

Susan's voice was filled with surprise. "How about next Friday? I don't have anything important that day. We can go to the school together and bring Professor Taylor some of his favorite wine. You know how much he loves that."

Wendy nodded slightly, a rare glimmer of light in her eyes, as if she had found a ray of hope in the darkness.

"Alright, next Friday it is. I'll get ready," she replied softly.

After hanging up the phone, Wendy tried to sit up, but a strong wave of dizziness hit her, and her head throbbed painfully.

She forced herself to sit up, fumbling on the nightstand until she found the thermometer.

After placing it in her mouth for a moment, she took it out and saw the reading had shot up to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit, the red column glaringly obvious.

She knew her condition was bad and wanted to take some fever medicine to ease the symptoms.

As she wobbled to get up and fetch water and medicine, Sarah suddenly burst through the door, the door slamming against the wall with a loud bang.

With her hands on her hips, her face full of impatience, Sarah yelled at Wendy, "What time do you think it is? Why haven't you made breakfast yet? Mom and I are waiting. Do you want us to starve?"

Wendy looked at her arrogant demeanor, too exhausted to argue, swallowing the retort that was on the tip of her tongue.

She took a deep breath, fighting the dizziness and discomfort, dragging her leaden legs to the kitchen.

Juniper also walked in, her eyes filled with disdain and dissatisfaction, sneering, "I don't know what Ethan saw in you. Look at you, useless and always sick. You're such a burden!"

Sarah joined in, laughing harshly.

Wendy bit her lip, gripping the kitchen utensils tightly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.

She kept telling herself to endure, not to lose control of her emotions now.

She held back her tears and anger, continuing to make breakfast silently, letting the insults and mockery stab at her heart repeatedly.

After getting some medicine from the pharmacy, Wendy stayed home for two more days.

When the intense discomfort subsided a bit, she headed to the hospital, eager to see Margaret, whom she hadn't seen in days.

Since Billy and Wendy's parents had died in a car accident, Margaret was her only family left in the world.

On the way, she kept picturing Margaret's gentle, loving face, imagining how happy Margaret would be to see her, a smile unconsciously forming on her lips.

However, when she rushed to Margaret's hospital room, the scene before her made her freeze, the food she brought for Margaret falling to the floor, scattering everywhere.

The room was in chaos, medical staff urgently pushing a stretcher with an unconscious Margaret on it, rushing her to the emergency room for surgery.

Wendy's face turned pale, her legs almost giving out.

She grabbed a nurse, asking anxiously, "What happened? What's wrong with my grandma?"

The nurse, busy preparing for surgery, didn't look back as she said, "The patient had a sudden stroke. We need to operate immediately."

The words hit Wendy like a thunderclap, her eyes filled with terror.

As a doctor, no one knew better than her how serious this was.

Margaret was already old and frail, with years of kidney failure. This sudden stroke was a devastating blow!

Wendy's voice trembled as she clutched the nurse's sleeve, pleading, "Please, save my grandma. Please!"

The nurse paused to look at her, then continued her work.

"Hurry up, move quickly!"

Doctors and nurses worked together to lift Margaret into the operating room, closing the door behind them.

Staring at the cold, hard door, Wendy finally collapsed, tears streaming down her face.

Just then, she caught sight of a figure slowly emerging from Margaret's ward—it was Lydia, sitting in a wheelchair.