Chapter 1430


    When Cedric arrived, the surgery had already begun. Aidyn and Scott stood rigidly outside the


    emergency room, waiting anxiously for news.


    Eleanor sat on a chair nearby, stroking her slightly rounded belly with one hand, while the other gripped


    the armrest tightly. The knuckles on her gripping hand were white from the pressure, standing out


    starkly against her skin.


    Herplexion was far from rosy. The days of confinement had taken their toll, with little decent food


    or rest. And now, having finally been reunited with Bernard, she was faced with his injury, which kept


    her nerves taut with worry.


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    Thankfully, the doctor had said the bullet had hit his shoulder and missed all vital organs, which was


    the only thing keeping her from copsing.


    While Eleanor looked like she hadn’t had a good meal in ages, Hailey, also pregnant, had gained a fair


    amount of weight. Cedric wasn’t one to sympathize with other women, but even he couldn’t help


    frowning at the sight of his exhausted sister-inw. “Eleanor,” Cedric approached her, suggesting she


    return to the hotel to rest. “You look beat. You should head back and catch some Z’s.”


    Eleanor’s gaze shifted from the door of the emergency room to Cedric. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”


    But no matter how tired, she needed to see Bernard through his surgery and know he was out of the


    woods before she could rx. When Eleanor set her mind to something, she was as stubborn as her


    brother, and after a few attempts to persuade her to no avail, Cedric dropped it.


    “I’ll have someone arrange a resting room for you,” he said, not waiting for her agreement before


    waving over a hospital staff member to make it happen.


    They were on the outskirts of the Golden Sea District, and a little money could make many things


    happen quickly.


    As Cedric was convincing Eleanor to go to the resting room, the emergency room doors swung open


    and the doctor emerged.


    “How is he?” Cedric asked immediately.


    Eleanor, mustering her strength, approached as well, her eyes pleading with the doctor for good news.


    “Did the surgery go well?”


    The doctor removed his mask, revealing a confident smile. “The surgery was a sess. He’s been


    moved to recovery. You can see him now.”


    The four of them outside the emergency room finally exhaled in relief, especially Eleanor, whose


    tension snapped, leaving her feeling as light as a bubble and suddenly weak. Her worries dissipated


    alongside her tension.


    As she intended to follow the others to Bernard’s room, a sharp kick from her unborn child caused her


    to pause, her hand against the wall for support.


    The men, preupied, hurried ahead to the room, unaware of her difort.


    In his hospital bed, Bernard was justing to. His eyes flitted open, but not seeing Eleanor


    immediately made him paler than he had been during the operation.


    He thought something had happened to her, his heart plummeting into a cold abyss, chilling him to the


    bone. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he attempted to rise, causing Aidyn, Scott, and Cedric to rush


    to his side to hold him down.


    “Easy, sir. You just got out of surgery. Don’t move,” Aidyn cautioned, but Bernard’s shoulder started


    bleeding again, soaking the white gauze red. He seemed not to notice.


    “Where’s Eleanor?”


    His voice was weak from the anesthesia, and he couldn’t shake off the men’s hands, so he clutched at


    Cedric’s arm instead.


    His eyes bore an intense ‘if anyone’s messed with my wife, I’ll take them down’ kind of fury.


    “Did Yates take her again?”


    Cedric thought Bernard was just asking for the bathroom; he didn’t realize Bernard was so worked up


    because he didn’t see his


    wife.


    “Bernard…” Before Cedric could say more, Eleanor, leaning on the wall for support, made her way to


    the door of the room. When Bernard saw her frail silhouette, his worried heart eased, and his


    expression softened.


    “Are you feeling alright?”


    “I’m fine,” she reassured him with a shake of her head and then gestured to her belly. “The baby’s just


    doing a happy dance in there since he heard the surgery went well.”


    Bernard’s gaze softened as he looked at her belly. “When hees out, I’ll have to teach him a


    lesson.”


    *Eleanor, now inside the room, shot him a wry look at his words. “Thinking about disciplining the baby


    before he’s even born? Who


    does that?”


    She murmured before noticing his bleeding shoulder.


    “Why’s it bleeding again?” Frowning, she bent down to touch the stained gauze. “I’ll get the doctor.”


    Bernard caught her hand, pulling it into his own.


    “It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”


    Aidyn and Scott, who had been enjoying this intimate moment between the couple, suddenly realized


    they were being subtly told to get moving.


    “Uh, I’ll go get the doctor,” Aidyn said.


    “Yeah, and I’ll grab some snacks,” Scott added, as they both made a quick exit.


    This left Cedric, who was trying to decipher the look in Bernard’s eyes.


    “Cedric.”


    “Yeah?” Cedric leaned in, expecting some profound words from Bernard, and sat expectantly at the


    edge of the bed.


    “What’s up?”


    Bernard spoke in his low, maic voice, simply instructing, “Head back home. Take care of Hailey.”


    Cedric stared at his brother for a few seconds,ing to understand the old saying – Useful tools are


    brought to the front; the useless ones get left in the dust.