A Second Chance at Forever

Chapter 1475
Eleanor’s hospital bed was situated by the window, the window was cracked open just enough to let in a gentle breeze that
danced with the snowflakes, twirling the white curtains before sweeping across the headboard, bringing with it a wave of
coolness.
Feeling the shift in temperature, Eleanor shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the window, taking in the pristine sky outside.
Snowflakes fell softly like frost petals, cascading down in a delicate flurry.
She attempted to move her fingers, to catch a snowflake that had ventured in, but the slightest motion sent waves of pain
radiating from her fingertips, spreading through her abdomen, her heart, her lower body, and into her head, until her whole body
spasmed and tears streamed down her face.
At the door of the room, Dr. Brown, carrying his medical bag, entered. Seeing Eleanor in tears, he paused momentarily, then
quickly strode over to her side. He checked her eyes and felt her pulse to make sure she was truly awake before he bellowed
out.
“Ms. Vulpe, Mrs. Laurence is awake!”
Hailey, who had been in the bathroom rinsing out a washcloth, heard Dr. Brown’s excited voice and dashed out. Upon seeing
Eleanor’s eyes open and looking at her, Hailey’s emotions, long kept at bay, erupted.
“Eleanor!” She ran over, tears streaming, and grabbed Eleanor’s hand, crying tears of joy, “You’re finally awake!”
It had been half a year, and if Eleanor hadn’t come around, Hailey wasn’t sure if Bernard-or even she herself-could have held on
much longer. Thankfully, it seemed like fate had finally lent them a hand.
Seeing Hailey so distressed, Eleanor wanted to reach out and wipe her tears away, but the pain was too much, she could barely
move. All she could manage was to move her lips, “Hailey...”
Merely whispering a name was a struggle; her throat was so parched it felt like it was being sliced with a knife. Dr. Brown,
noticing her discomfort, quickly opened his medical bag and retrieved a few acupuncture needles, inserting them into her arm.
With the needles in place, the pain Eleanor felt subsided significantly, though the discomfort, especially from the tubes inserted in
her body, remained.

She tried to pull at the tubes, but Dr. Brown held her hands down, “You’ve just woken up, and you still need treatment. This is
necessary for your recovery. Just bear with it for now.”
Eleanor, enduring the discomfort, turned to Hailey with her tear-stained face, “Hailey, I’m so thirsty. Could you get me a glass of
water?”
Instead of comforting Hailey, Eleanor gave her a task to focus on. Hailey, still in tears, agreed and managed to calm down a bit
after fetching the water.
Returning with a glass, Hailey spooned water gently into Eleanor’s mouth. She was indeed thirsty, and it took several spoonful
before she indicated she had enough.
Hailey set the glass down, trying to contain her excitement, and took Eleanor’s hand again, “Eleanor, I’ve been hoping every day
for the past six months that you would wake up.”
Six months? No wonder Hailey was so emotional. Eleanor had been unconscious for half a year. She felt a twinge of guilt,
“Hailey, I’m sorry for always causing you worry...”
Hailey shook her head, then reached out to touch Eleanor’s cropped hair, “Between us, let’s not talk about who’s causing whom
worry. As long as you’re awake, I’d gladly trade a decade of my own life.”
Perhaps it was the closeness, but Eleanor noticed the fine lines at the corners of Hailey’s eyes and expressed her surprise, “It’s
only been half a year. How have you gotten wrinkles already?”
Hailey, still riding the high of Eleanor’s awakening, touched her own face in surprise, “At my age, it’s normal to have wrinkles,
isn’t it?”
Eleanor, concerned less about Hailey’s aging and more about who was missing, looked around the hospital room, “Hailey,
where’s Garett? Why isn’t he here?”
That was unexpected.
Eleanor’s first concern should have been for Bernard. Why was she asking about Garett?
Hailey grew more uneasy, “Eleanor, why aren’t you asking where Bernard has gone?”

Upon hearing the name Bernard, Eleanor felt a twinge in her heart but couldn’t place the memory. Confused, she asked,
“Bernard... who is that?”
At her words, Hailey froze in place, and even Dr. Brown paused his examination.
Hailey’s grip on Eleanor’s hand tightened in disbelief, “Eleanor, don’t you remember Bernard?”
Eleanor, her head aching, countered, “Should I remember him?”
Should I remember him? Those four words cut through the air like a knife, severing the close bond Eleanor and Bernard once
shared.
Hailey’s concern, oddly, was not for Eleanor but for Bernard-the man who would do anything for her. If he learned that Eleanor
didn’t remember him, would it be too much to bear?
Tears welled up in Hailey’s eyes again, “Eleanor, Bernard is your husband. You two have been through so much together to get
to where you are. How could you forget him?”
Eleanor felt estranged from Hailey’s recounting, “Hailey, I’m only eighteen and still in school. How could I be married? Besides, if
I were to marry, it would be to Garett.”