Chapter 19
Joanna hesitated before finally passing her phone to Jerry, her reluctance palpable.
The lazy female voice was replaced by a male voice, and for a moment, Elizabeth was taken aback. She stepped out of the car with Jerry’s explanation and pleading ringing in her ears. He said anxiously, “Ms. Yvonne Jones is in a critical state. You need to return immediately. If her condition worsens and affects her brain, the consequences could be
dire
She felt the scorching pavement under her feet and the dusty wind making it hard to breathe. The sun was at its peak, casting a harsh light on the scene. Elizabeth felt a twinge of sympathy for Yvonne, but also a deep sense of her own sorrow.
“Did Franklin ask me to return and donate blood to his sister?” After a pause, she phrased a question distinctly.
Jerry, stealing a glance at Joanna who was chewing gum, gave a vague reply. “Yeah, I suppose.”
Being back in Yaville felt like being under Franklin’s constant surveillance. No matter where she went, she couldn’t escape his influence. With a glimmer of hope, she pressed, “If I go this time and it kills me, would he still want me to?”
“Ms. Taylor, this isn’t a joke. It’s urgent, or I wouldn’t be calling you,” Jerry explained.
It seemed there were no other options left.
As evening fell, the dwindling twilight enveloped everything. Within the dim light, the South Building remained brightly lit. Its gates were shut tight, preventing anyone from coming out or going in. The eerie silence that surrounded them was terrifying. Around six, Jerry led Elizabeth to the entrance, her familiarity with the place sending a chill down her spine.
The door creaked open. She was greeted by a group of people in surgical scrubs that held scalpels.
Ascending the stairs led to a cramped operating room. They waited for two to three minutes until the door was pushed open from inside. The blinding surgical light immediately cast its glow on Elizabeth’s pale face.
Franklin emerged, his attire matching the others, but his eyes stood out–clear and pure, reflecting a constant kindness, a feature that made him instantly recognizable.
Franklin’s gloves were stained with blood, and so were his scrubs. His gaze towards
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Elizabeth was cold and aloof and his voice was stiff as he gestured. “Get in and lie down.”
Without a word, Elizabeth complied, her indifference evident.
The operating table was eerily familiar, even more so than her own bed. As she lay down, a chill spread through her bones, threatening to numb her. Her wrist was gently lifted, her slight tremble unnoticed by Franklin. Without any preamble, he coldly inserted the needle into her skin.
In an instant, Elizabeth’s face twisted, and her wrist reacted accordingly.
Franklin hesitated briefly. Pressing on the wound, he showed a hint of compassion as he asked, “Does that hurt?”
It hurt, of course.
The sharp pain grew alongside the physical agony. Elizabeth closed her eyes to hold back her tears. “It’s fine. In your eyes, I’m invulnerable to pain.”
Franklin detected her reluctance and distress, but he knew that the surgery couldn’t pause. ‘Elizabeth is still young, just in her early twenties. Drawing a little blood wouldn’t do much harm to her, thought Franklin. He then pushed the needle further in. “Bear with it. It’ll be over soon.”
Bearing the pain, Elizabeth opened her eyes, which were glistening with tears as she looked at him. Under the lamplight, his features were sharply outlined. With steady breathing, he looked focused and intent, yet it seemed as if he was earnestly taking away her life.
At eight o’clock, the night lingered between warmth and chill.
The wind felt piercing, yet the air remained stuffy, especially the air inside the South Building where the scent of blood permeated every corner. As the commotion settled and others departed, Franklin changed clothes and ascended the stairs, only to find the operating room pitch black. He casually stopped a passing young doctor. “Where’s Elizabeth?”
The young doctor shook his head in confusion. “She left a while ago.”
“But she was still unconscious when I finished the surgery,” Franklin said.
“She left right when you went to change,” that doctor replied.
She left in such a brief time. Was she avoiding me on purpose?‘ Franklin thought to himself.
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Franklin was puzzled, his words sharp with confusion. “She lost so much blood. How could she leave alone?”
“She… she always left on her own after the blood draw,” that doctor stuttered.
