Chapter 55: Chapter 49: Surgery

While Susan Dudley was out with her food cart this afternoon, a sudden downpour reduced visibility, causing her electric tricycle to crash into a tree. She was knocked unconscious on the spot.

Isla Prescott had been in a panic ever since she got the call from Uncle Dudley.

She immediately hailed a cab and rushed to the hospital.

Susan Dudley hadn’t woken up yet. Jude Dudley sat by her hospital bed, his face etched with worry. As soon as he saw Isla Prescott, he quickly stood up and came over.

“Isabelle!”

“Uncle Dudley, how’s my mom?”

“The roads were slippery from the rain. Your mom crashed, and she was thrown from the cart. She didn’t just hit her head; she also fractured her left arm.” Jude Dudley glanced at Susan Dudley on the hospital bed and lowered his voice. “Come outside with me. We can talk in more detail there.”

Seeing Jude Dudley’s grim expression, Isla Prescott had a feeling he had even worse news, and her sense of panic intensified.

She followed Jude Dudley out the door.

“Uncle Dudley…”

“Isabelle, I have some bad news. You need to brace yourself.”

Just as she’d suspected, her premonition was right.

Isla Prescott forced herself to stay calm as she looked at Jude Dudley. “Uncle Dudley, please tell me.”

“When the doctor was examining your mom just now, they found a tumor in her brain. It’s in a difficult location.”

Even though she had braced herself, the devastating news made Isla Prescott’s vision go black. Her stomach clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand, and a strange, feverish chill washed over her body.

“Isabelle, are you all right?” Jude Dudley quickly reached out to steady her when he saw her face instantly turn pale. “You can’t collapse now. Your mom is counting on you.”

Jude Dudley’s words snapped Isla Prescott back to reality.

’That’s right, I can’t fall apart. If I do, what will happen to Mom?’

“Uncle Dudley, Sienna is on her way. Could you please watch over my mom for a little while longer? I’m going to go talk to the doctor.”

“Of course, of course. You go. I’ll watch your mom.”

Isla Prescott went to the doctor’s office, where the doctor pulled up Susan Dudley’s medical report.

“Does your mother normally experience symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, or blurred vision?” the doctor asked.

“I haven’t heard her mention anything like that.”

“The tumor is quite large and in a difficult location. Logically, she should have been experiencing some symptoms.” The doctor glanced at Isla Prescott. “Do you normally live with your mother?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then she probably just didn’t tell you.”

Isla Prescott was instantly overcome with profound self-blame. Her mother had toiled for years, but Isla had never once heard her complain about feeling unwell. For any minor ailment, she would either just tough it out or grab some over-the-counter medicine to get by. Meanwhile, she and her sister, Sienna Prescott, had completely neglected their mother’s health. It had never even occurred to them that she was getting older and needed regular check-ups.

“Doctor, what should we do about her condition?”

“Your mother’s condition is very dangerous. Her accident today may not have been caused by the slippery road, but by a dizzy spell from the tumor. My recommendation is immediate surgery. However, the tumor is in a difficult location and is already pressing on surrounding tissue. The operation is extremely complex. To be frank, a small hospital like ours doesn’t have a surgeon capable of performing it. You’ll have to transfer her.”

“Where would you recommend we transfer her?”

“You could try asking at Meritopia University Hospital.”

Isla Prescott remembered that Ivan Fulton was a doctor at Meritopia University Hospital. She called him the moment she left the doctor’s office.

Ivan Fulton answered quickly. “Hey, Isabelle. Miss me already?”

As flippant as ever.

“Ethan,” Isla Prescott said, holding back a sob as she got straight to the point. “My mom has a brain tumor in a difficult location. She needs surgery at your hospital. Can you help me find a doctor who specializes in this kind of operation?”

Ivan Fulton’s tone immediately turned serious. “Where are you now?”

Isla Prescott told him the hospital’s address.

“Stay put. I’m on my way.”

—

Half an hour later, Ivan Fulton arrived at the hospital, and he’d brought a brain tumor specialist from Meritopia University Hospital with him.

After carefully studying the medical report for Isla Prescott’s mother, the specialist’s expression grew grave.

“Dr. Fulton, this is a very difficult operation. I think only Director King could handle it, but he’s on vacation abroad and we don’t know when he’ll be back.”

Isla Prescott looked at Ivan Fulton. “Ethan, can you help me get in touch with Director King?”

Ivan Fulton shook his head. “I only have his work number, but Director King turns his work phone off during vacation. For this, I’m afraid you’ll have to ask Sean for help.”

“Sean knows Director King?”

“Director King is his aunt’s husband.”

When Isla Prescott returned to the hospital room, Sienna Prescott was already there. With red-rimmed eyes, she and Jude Dudley stood on either side of Susan Dudley’s bed, keeping watch.

“Sis!” Sienna Prescott hurried over as soon as she saw Isla. “What did the doctor say?”

“The doctor said she needs to be transferred for surgery.” Isla Prescott patted Sienna’s hand. “Don’t panic. I’ll figure something out. You stay here and look after Mom. Let Uncle Dudley go home for now. I need to go out for a bit, too.”

Jude Dudley, having overheard their conversation, waved a hand. “I’m fine. I’m in no rush to leave.”

“Uncle Dudley, Sienna can handle things here. You should go home. We’ve already taken up so much of your time today.” Isla Prescott looked at Jude Dudley gratefully. “And thank you for covering Mom’s hospital deposit. I’ll transfer the money to you in a couple of days.”

“Don’t you worry about that money,” Jude Dudley said, walking over to her. “Isabelle, your mom’s surgery is going to cost a fortune. If you don’t have the money, you can tell me. What’s important is her health. Don’t you worry about the cost.”

Isla Prescott had been holding herself together, but at his words, her tears finally started to fall.

Jude Dudley had always been a kind landlord. Years ago, when Susan Dudley had fled to Meritopia with her two children, she didn’t even have enough money for rent. It was Jude Dudley who took them in.

He had told Susan Dudley, “We both have the surname Dudley. That practically makes us family. And family should look after each other. You and the children can stay here for now. Once you find a job, you can worry about the rent.”

And so, for more than a decade, Susan Dudley had been renting Jude Dudley’s house.

Jude Dudley knew they were struggling financially, so he never raised the rent himself. On the contrary, Susan Dudley was always the one insisting on a rent increase, and only then would he reluctantly accept a little more.

“Okay. Thank you, Uncle Dudley.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Despite what she said, Isla had no intention of actually borrowing money from Jude Dudley. She would rather take out a high-interest online loan than drag him into her problems.

Of course, the most urgent task right now was getting Director King to agree to perform the surgery.

Isla Prescott called Shane Sterling, but he didn’t pick up.

’I don’t know if he’s angry and ignoring my call on purpose, or if he just hasn’t seen it.’

When Shane Sterling didn’t answer Isla’s call, Ivan Fulton said, “Let me give it a try.”

But Shane Sterling didn’t answer his call either.

“I bet he’s at Nocturne, drunk and passed out. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately. He’s been in a foul mood, spending every day drinking at Nocturne. When he gets too drunk, he just sleeps in one of the rooms on the third floor instead of going home.”

Isla Prescott’s heart skipped a beat. ’Shane Sterling is in a bad mood… Could it be because I rejected him?’

“I’ll go to Nocturne to find him.”

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