The degree of Nathan's injuries weren't as alarming as they had looked. Therefore, he was out of the operating room in less than half an hour. With Irena by his side, there was no need to worry about his condition. Irena finished seeing to Nathan's needs and noticed Avery and Charlotte still waiting outside the door.
She walked over and said, "I just asked the doctor. They said that Shane's case is equivalent to ingesting pesticide. It will take a long time to dilute it. We can only hope that the medicine's effect is not too strong."
"It's all my fault." Charlotte rubbed her temples and said, "I should have checked properly before administering it. I didn't think this would happen."
It's too late to say anything. It's her negligence that led to this mishap. If only she had caught on to her mistake earlier.
Irena shook her head and assured, "This is not your fault. Stop overthinking. When I was administering medicine to Nathan, I noticed the hospital did not label many items. When Nathan and Shane have recovered, we can lodge a joint report for medical malpractice. Don't shoulder all the blame yourself when the hospital should be
held responsible as well."
Charlotte sighed and nodded. Avery immediately added, "Although Shane isn't out yet, you'll need to take care of him when he does. He'll be indebted to you, then. It's good for him to be in someone's debt."
Charlotte was dumbstruck. "Avery, sometimes I really think that you have nothing between your ears."
"Why, don't you feel gleeful about his suffering?" Avery sneered, "Compared to both of you at odds with each other, I really think it's better for you to feel guilty about him. Have you ever thought about why Shane was hurt? It's because no one was watching him. He's always pursuing some nonsense, and because he was alone, this happened to him. Do you think this would happen if you were by his side?"
"It's not that I didn't want to be with him. I'm just..." Charlotte trailed off mid-sentence with a sigh. She really didn't know how to face Shane.
"Give it a rest," Irena nudged Avery gently. "Charlotte must be in a bad mood right now. There's no point in aggravating her further."
"Whatever, I'm leaving now. I'll leave them to both of you. I'll stop by tomorrow and will leave for my business trip in the afternoon." Avery glanced at his watch and decided to take his leave first.
Irena looked at his back, her eyes flashing for a moment before turning back to Charlotte again. "Miss Charlotte, do you want to go in and rest for a while?"
"There's no need. I'll be waiting for him here."
"But we don't know how long it will take. It must be uncomfortable for you to stand here. Don't collapse as soon as Shane comes out. It's better to find somewhere to sit down."
Although Charlotte was reluctant to leave, Irena's words did make sense. She made her way to a bench and took a seat.
She fell asleep after a while.
In a stupor, Charlotte felt as if she was in an otherworldly state. She heard a cacophony of sounds, like birdsong and blooming flowers, or cascading waterfall.
Her forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat.
Despite being asleep, she still broke out in a cold sweat for Shane.
Heavy rain.
Sheryl sat in the living room with a doll in her arms, looking at the rain outside with a stoic face. She felt uneasy every time it rained, but she liked the rain. Hence she slowly started accepting this emotion.
The sound of a thunderclap reverberated.
The person beside her quivered at the loud boom. She turned and saw Freddie's ashen face as he clung tightly to his pillow.
"Wow, I've discovered that you're actually afraid of thunder," Sheryl said in a child-like voice.
"I'm not afraid of thunder!" Freddie denied vehemently.
At this moment, a crack of thunder boomed. Freddie was caught off guard and his entire body flinched violently. Sheryl laughed out loud and said, "You really are afraid of thunder and you still denied it. As a man, you are actually afraid of thunder. What a shame."
"Shut up!" Freddie was extremely embarrassed.
"Even if I shut up, you're still afraid. Why don't we play a game?" Sheryl grabbed his hand and led him to the window.
A peal of thunder followed.
At the same time, a bolt of green-purple white lightning flashed across the sky and struck a nearby building. Freddie was so frightened that his face paled. He kept retreating and tried to leave the window, but Sheryl grabbed him, refusing to let him go.
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