Chapter 520: So Be It If They Died
Michael shook his head when he saw Wendy looking at him. He didn’t know if Christian was telling the truth either.
Wendy pursed her lips and spoke softly to Michael, "I felt something was wrong when Zen said those things to me before she left. Christian might be telling the truth. Zen might have lost all hope, so much so that she didn’t want her baby anymore."
When Wendy thought back to Zen’s hopeless expression as she left with Christian, her heart was gripped by another wave of pain.
Unfortunately, regret could not change anything.
No matter how much regret she had, she could not go back in time.
Zen had loved her baby so much. She had only gone to Rheinsville City to spy on Wendy because Christian had threatened her baby.
She had done everything for her baby’s safety.
How deep was her despair that it made her give up even her precious baby?
Michael draped his arm over Wendy’s shoulders. He reassured her, "Let’s wait and see what the doctors say first. The car wasn’t traveling very fast. Perhaps Zen and her baby will be fine."
He was only saying that to console Wendy.
They were on the main road and even if the car was not traveling very fast, it was still moving at a speed of at least 30 to 40 miles an hour.
It would be unlikely for a regular person to escape unscathed, not to mention a heavily pregnant woman like Zen.
Christian had kept his eyes on Wendy since he asked her that question. He saw Michael’s arm draped over her shoulder and his gaze hardened.
His fingers slowly closed into a tight fist. Christian inhaled slowly and forced himself to close his eyes.
When his eyes opened again, they were back to normal, as if nothing had happened... His clenched fist slowly relaxed.
"Tell me exactly what happened," Wendy asked again, looking at Christian.
"Okay. I will tell you exactly what happened." Christian tilted his head back slightly and said, "When we were in the car, Zen asked me if I had ever loved her. I asked her not to ask such a stupid question. She said she hoped never to see me again, then opened the door and threw herself out. That’s all."
"Ah..." Wendy now knew why Zen had lost hope.
Christian’s reply to her to not ask such a stupid question had been the last straw.
His answer had been so flippant and thoughtless. He definitely did not love Zen. In fact, he probably did not even care about her at all. Still, he forced Zen to stay by his side, until she had no choice but to try to kill herself to get away.
"Christian, you should be the one dying!" Wendy was so furious she was at a loss for words. She could only repeat what she said earlier.
Christian only smiled. He didn’t seem to take Wendy’s words to heart at all.
There were so many people who wanted him dead. Now, Wendy was just one of them too.
He lowered his eyes and remained silent.
The seconds ticked by and after some time, the doors of the emergency room opened.
Christian saw them open, but he did not move. It was Wendy and Michael who hurried to the doctor.
"How is Zen?" Wendy asked anxiously.
"The patient is suffering from intensive internal bleeding. Both mother and child are in danger. I will try my best to save them both, but I need to ask the patient’s family, do I prioritize the mother or the child?" asked the doctor.
This was a question the doctor would not usually ask. Doctors would always choose to save the adult first.
However, Zen was a special case. The baby she had in her womb was Christian’s child. The doctor dared not make a decision without asking for Christian’s opinion.
...
"You’re obviously supposed to save the adult!" Wendy’s tone was indignant. "In this day and age, how can you even ask a question like that? Are you even a doctor?"
She was furious as she questioned the doctor.
However, the doctor felt helpless. It would not have mattered if he did not know who the patient in the treatment room was, but he did. He knew that it was Zen Tanner in there and that the man seated outside was Christian Lucas.
He had no choice but to gather the nerve and ask Christian, "Mr. Lucas, that’s your baby. Please decide."
"I will make the decision today!" Wendy grew even angrier. "You obviously have to save Zen first. If anything happens to her, your hospital better prepare to hear from my lawyer."
"I..." The doctor was alarmed by Wendy’s threat.
He could not afford to offend either Christian Lucas or Wendy Stewart!
Throughout this exchange, Christian sat in his seat, neither reacting nor responding.
"Mrs. Lucas, we do not have full confidence that we will be able to save Miss Tanner, but we will try our best." Since Christian did not answer, the doctor took it as him agreeing with Wendy’s decision.
He immediately turned and returned to the treatment room after that.
As the doors of the emergency room closed, Wendy stood fuming with her arms on her hips. "What kind of rotten hospital is this? How can they ask such a question?"
"Calm down..." Michael was afraid she would harm herself while being angry.
Holding out a hand to support Wendy, Michael said, "Let’s take a seat over there and wait."
Glancing at Christian, Michael led Wendy to a different set of chairs.
"Mrs. Lucas, you’ve even made the decision regarding my child’s life." Christian finally spoke. "My poor baby, he hasn’t even had a chance to see this world."
"Christian, the one lying in there now is your woman, the woman who is pregnant with your child. I feel like cutting open your chest to see if you even have a heart.
How can you be so heartless?" Wendy berated him angrily, her chest heaving.
"Is that so? I’ll wait for you to take a look inside me then." Christian replied flippantly.
"Are you itching for a fight in the hospital?" Michael cast a steely glance at Christian.
Christian merely sat there with his arms crossed and did not reply.
More than an hour passed.
The doors to the emergency room opened again.
Wendy quickly stood up and approached the doctor who exited the room to ask about Zen’s condition.
With a somber expression, the doctor said, "I’m sorry, we couldn’t save the child. It was a little boy. Miss Tanner started hemorrhaging, the baby died from lack of oxygen in the womb."
"What about Zen? Is Zen okay?" To Wendy, Zen was more important than the baby.
"Miss Tanner is not out of danger yet. Whether she can regain consciousness or not will depend on her." The doctor lowered his eyes, not daring to meet Wendy’s gaze.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Wendy stared at the doctor confused and in disbelief.
"If Miss Tanner’s will to live is strong enough, there is hope that she will awaken," explained the doctor with a sigh.
Wendy staggered backward at the news. Luckily, Michael was there to support her.
"Wendy..." Michael wanted to console Wendy, but he did not know what he could say to make her feel better.
In the end, he could only sigh.
Zen was pushed into the Intensive Care Unit. There were tubes up her nose to aid with breathing. Wendy gazed upon her through the glass window. Looking at her pale face and battered body, Wendy felt a fresh wave of sympathy for Zen.
...
Christian walked up to the Intensive Care Unit window and took one look at Zen, then turned and made his way to the exit.
"You’re leaving just like that?" Wendy questioned as she watched him leaving.
Christian stopped in his tracks when he heard Wendy’s question.
He turned around and looked flatly at Wendy, then asked, "What else?"
What else... That reply was just like Christian, heartless and dispassionate.
"I will arrange for the best medical staff to attend to her and provide the best possible care. However, I am not a doctor and will not be able to do anything even if I stay here. I am a busy man and have many other matters that need my attention. I will not stay to accompany you, please excuse me." Christian continued on his way out.
After another two steps, he seemed to suddenly think of something and spoke again.
"Oh, right. Don’t try to transfer her to another hospital to get away from me. You should know that I am capable of anything. She might wake up to find her family members all gone."
With that, he left.
"Ah..." Wendy found she did not have the words to describe the feelings she had.
How could there be such a man in the world?
Michael worried that Wendy would harm herself with all the pent-up anger and hurriedly rubbed her back with soothing strokes to calm her down.
"That was his baby. Does he not feel anything at all now that it’s gone?" Wendy pointed at Zen in the Intensive Care Unit and said, "That woman in there loved him for years. Does he not feel anything at all? He even threatened us with her family!"
"He’s even more cruel and heartless than I thought." Michael sighed. He was at a loss for words too.
As Wendy gazed upon Zen lying in the hospital bed, her tears fell unbidden.
Wendy whispered as she reached out to wipe the tears off her face, "Zen, why did it take a life for you to see Christian for what he really is?"
She stood there and looked at her friend for a long time.
Michael squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as he urged, "Let’s go home. We can’t go in to see her now anyway. We’ll come visit again tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," nodded Wendy.
She was exhausted, and it was by sheer force of will that she was still standing.
Zen was in the intensive care room and could not be disturbed. Wendy would not be able to help her even if she stood watch over her.
...
Christian sat in his car. He lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
He did not feel anything for Zen or the baby. So be it if either died.
Zen would not be the only one who had died in front of him.
Ten years ago, he did not care. It was the same now.
Zen was nothing special to him, at least, that’s what Christian told himself.
Taking another long drag of his cigarette, he took out his cellphone and made a call.
Emotionlessly, he ordered, "Send a picture of Zen in intensive care to the media. Tell them to write it up as her being overworked due to staying up late to work on her designs. Also include the fact that her dream is to see her designs well received by everyone."
"Yes, Mr. Lucas," answered the voice on the other end of the line.
Christian did not continue talking, but he did not end the call.
His assistant, who was on the other end of the line, dared not hang up either.
Tentatively, he asked, "Mr. Lucas, is there anything else?"
"Get Zen the best doctor, and..." Christian paused before saying, "Give the baby a proper burial."
He then hung up.
Christian had taken a look at the baby earlier. He was covered in blood. That was his first child, and he had died, just like that.
Closing his eyes, Christian took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, his expression was again cold and callous, as always.
