Too Much to Bear, My Love

Tiffany's operation had been going on for about nine hours before the red lights above the door finally extinguished. As the group of doctors walked out of the operating theatre, Amelia rushed up to them and asked anxiously, “Doctor, how is my friend?”

“Things are not looking so good. While we managed to save her, we still need to observe her for forty-eight hours in the intensive care unit. If she can wake up then, she'll be fine. Otherwise, she might just remain in a vegetative state. Miss, I suggest that you make some preparations.” Amelia was completely dumbfounded. Clutching onto the doctor's arm, she continued asking worriedly, “What do you mean, Doctor? What do you mean by “vegetative state?’ She's such a good person; she can't be reduced to that state!”

Tiffany was her best friend and her family. While she could con money out of anybody with her face and her words, Tiffany was that one person that she could never lie to. In this cold and unfamiliar city, they only had each other to rely on.

Now that Tiffany was about to fall into a vegetative state because of her, she found herself driven to the brink of insanity. Her stomach knotted up in pain as beads of perspiration dotted her forehead. Jimmy came forward to support and console her, “Mrs. Clinton, calm down. I'm sure Ms. Winters will be alright.”

The doctors were also sympathizing with her as they said, “Miss, please calm down. We will definitely do all we can to heal your friend.”

Amelia leaned weakly against Jimmy as her stomach hurt more by the second. In the end, she lost consciousness.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself on a hospital bed with Jimmy staring at her. When she saw that Amelia was awake, she said, “Mrs. Clinton, the doctor says you're three months pregnant.” Amelia's pale face turned cold and she looked at Jimmy defensively. “What are you trying to do?”

Jimmy looked at her curiously and said solemnly, “Mrs. Clinton, this is good news. I'm sure Mr. Clinton will be overjoyed to hear it.”

Amelia calmed down and stared at Jimmy quietly. “Jimmy, let's be frank with each other. You know my relationship with Mr. Clinton very well. If he finds out that I'm pregnant, he'll definitely ask me to abort it. You're a woman too; I don't think you can bear to see a child being denied the very basic chance to live, right?”

Jimmy nodded and broke out into a smile. “Mrs. Clinton, I understand where you're coming from. My job here is to take care of you, and it does not include telling Mr. Clinton about your pregnancy. Therefore, you don't need to worry.”

Amelia heaved a sigh of relief and said sincerely, “Jimmy, I'm so sorry for misunderstanding you. Also, thank you!"

Jimmy shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Don't say that; I didn't do anything anyway. Even though I've never had children, I do like them. Anyway, as an outsider, I'm in no position to help you decide whether to tell Mr. Clinton about your pregnancy.”

Color finally returned to Amelia's face.

“No matter what, I still want to thank you,” Amelia said earnestly.

She then continued, “Oh yes, how long did I sleep for? And how's Tiff?" Jimmy said, “You were asleep for about three hours. The doctor said that you were too agitated, hence you fainted. But don't worry, your baby is fine. About your friend, the doctor says they need to observe her for another forty-eight hours first.”

The atmosphere became chilly instantly.

Jimmy faked a cough and changed the topic. “Mr. Clinton called and said that he was already on the plane. He should be able to come and see you within two hours.”

Amelia merely nodded. “Can I be discharged now?"

Jimmy shook her head. “The doctor says they have to observe you a little more, and you can only be discharged if they're completely certain that you're fine. Don't worry, I told Mr. Clinton that you sustained a minor injury from the car accident as well. He won't suspect anything.” Amelia smiled weakly and said, “Thank you, Jimmy!"

“Mr. Clinton pays my salary and it's my job to take care of you. Don't keep thanking me, or it'll just get awkward.”

“Alright.”

Oscar arrived an hour earlier than expected. When he came into the room, he looked at Amelia and said coldly, “Why didn't you mention that you were injured yesterday?”

Amelia smiled coquettishly and said, “Mr. Clinton, are you worried about me now?”

Jimmy left the room quietly when she saw that they were launching into some flirtatious banter.

Oscar removed his jacket and draped it across the chair before sitting down to ask her, “Where's your injury?”

Amelia glanced at him and suddenly opened up her arms while feigning weakness. “I was nearly shocked to death by the accident yesterday. I thought I would never see you again. Could you give me a hug, please?”

Oscar's eyes grew chilly but he still stood up and drew her into his arms. His right arm hovered for a good ten seconds before it lowered to pat her back gently. “With me here, no one will dare to bully you.” Amelia leaned into his chest quietly. The warmth from his body helped to calm her nerves, which were rattled by Tiffany's unconscious state.

A vague smile emerged on Oscar's face at the rare sight of her being so compliant and submissive.

“Were you really shocked? And what's this whining all about? You're a full-grown woman, aren't you?” He was being unusually gentle as well. Amelia looked up at him through her bleary eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing, it's just that I feel that you're extra gentle today. You're behaving just like a husband who is caring tenderly for his injured wife.” Oscar flicked her forehead. “You silly girl. I'm your husband, aren“t 1? Amelia was astounded. Is this really Oscar? Or is this a stranger who just took on Oscar's appearance?

“Did you hurt your head in that accident?” Oscar smiled.

She shook her head and feigned nonchalance. “Mr. Clinton, if you had been this gentle to me from the beginning, I'd probably have fallen head over heels for you by now.”

Oscar merely shot a glance at her and said, “Rest well. I'll go find out more from the doctor.”

She clutched his arm and pleaded, “Mr. Clinton, stay with me. The doctor said that I was just shocked, that's all.”

He then sat down. “Did they arrest the culprit?”

She shook her head and said despondently, “It was a hit and run. He better pray that Tiff is fine. Otherwise, I'll hunt him down to the ends of this earth to make him pay for what he has done.”

Oscar was amused to see her ferocious side.

“I'll definitely get the police to find that culprit immediately,” Oscar said. Amelia got up and attempted to get off the bed, only to be stopped by Oscar. “What are you trying to do?”

“I want to go and see Tiff.”

“I'll come with you.”

Oscar accompanied Amelia to the intensive care unit located on the third floor. Through the glass window, Amelia looked at Tiffany, whose body was surrounded by tubes. She could not help but be overcome with sorrow, as Tiffany would not have been so severely injured if not for her.

Oscar drew her into his arms and said, “With a good friend like you looking after her, she'll be fine.”

Amelia's eyes were red as she murmured, “I've known her for a long time. She's a freelance writer and her days and nights are usually reversed. However, whenever something happens to me, she'll sacrifice her sleep just to be with me. This time, she got so seriously injured because she pushed me away from danger. I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her!”

Oscar looked indifferently at the woman in the room. “Don't cry. I'll make a call to the best doctor from Anglandur to come and perform surgery on her. In Anglandur, James is the most authoritative specialist in this field. With him here, your friend will be alright.”

To be honest, Oscar did not know Tiffany very well. They had shared a couple of meals and to him, she was a pretty yet quiet woman. Other than that, she had not left much of an impression on him.

“Mr. Clinton, I thank you on behalf of my friend,” Amelia said sincerely. “You're my woman.”

Amelia's heart was warm. Even though she did not know how sincere he really was, she was still his wife at this very moment. That was all she needed now, and she could only handle the rest one step at a time.

At night, Tiffany started to convulse wildly, setting off all the machines. All of the doctors and nurses were there and they immediately pushed her into the operating theatre. The medical team hired personally by Oscar had also arrived. They went into the operation theatre after a brief exchange with Oscar.

Amelia stood in front of the operating theatre with her pale face and clasped hands as she muttered, “Tiffany, you need to get better. You must survive this.”

Oscar's heart ached to see her in this state. He pulled her into his arms and comforted her, “Relax, she'll be fine.”

Finally, Amelia broke down and sobbed, “How do I explain to her parents if anything happens to her? When she came to the city with me back then, I promised her parents that I'd take good care of her. But now, she’s in this state because she tried to save me. What should I do?"

Oscar frowned and was flustered because of Amelia's tears. “Don’t cry. With me here, I guarantee that she'll be fine.”

Amelia continued crying as her coquettish behavior vanish. Instead, she was just a normal woman who was overcome with fear of her family member leaving her.

Oscar held her tight and kept her company as they waited outside the operation theatre. Because of Amelia, he was also silently worried about Tiffany. He did not know where these emotions came from, but he just did not want to see Amelia cry.

His conclusion was that Amelia was still his woman. As a man, he should not allow his woman to cry.

The operation took five hours. When the doors finally swung open, the doctors and nurses walked out with exhausted faces. Amelia ran up to them and clutched the leading doctor's hand, “Dr. Leonard, how's my friend?”

Dr. Leonard smiled. “She's alright for now. We'll observe her for another twenty-four hours. If she wakes up, she can be transferred to a regular ward."

Amelia cried out emotionally, “Thank you, doctors!”

Dr. Leonard continued, “You don't have to thank us, Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Clinton is a major shareholder of this hospital, and your friend was saved because he pulled some strings to bring a notable doctor like James here.”

Amelia continued smiling.

Tiffany was pushed out of the operating theatre by the nurses. Amelia followed them as Tiffany was brought back to the intensive care unit. As she looked at Tiffany through the glass window once more, she finally felt a lot more relaxed.