Return Of The Heiress For Revenge - Chapter 524
Chapter 524: ICU
Max didn’t waste a second. He lifted Nora into his arms, cradling her fragile form against his chest. Her head lolled weakly against him. As if she had smelt the familiar breath, the faintest of whimpers escaped her cracked lips. Emma pulled her jacket off and draped it over Nora’s trembling frame as they rushed toward the road.
“Go! Go! Call the ER in advance. Tell them she’s overdosing on the sleeping drugs. She is unconscious, and showing signs of hypothermia!” Max barked the order, and one of the men radioed ahead.
The black SUV doors were flung open, and Max climbed into the backseat with Nora in his arms. Emma sat beside him, checking her pulse and pupils. “Her breathing is shallow. Her pupils are pinpricks, classic signs of opiate overdose.”
“We need Narcan,” Max muttered. One of the medics in their team tossed the emergency kit over. With steady hands, he administered the nasal spray, gently tilting Nora’s head back.
Max gritted his teeth, watching her face intently. “Come on, come on… don’t do this to me.”
The vehicle sped down the highway, tires screaming against asphalt. Inside, the silence was heavy and broken only by Nora’s shallow breathing and the occasional whisper of Max’s updates on Nora’s vitals.
After what felt like forever, the car screeched to a halt at Bingham Memorial Hospital. Doctors and nurses were already waiting at the emergency bay. Max climbed out with her still in his arms.
“Twenty two year old female suffering from Hypothermia and suspected drug overdose. She had bruising, lacerations and likely dehydrated and in shock,” Max rattled off quickly as they wheeled Nora in on a gurney.
Inside, the hospital was fanatic about the recovery of their madam, everyone knew that she and Alric were going to get married soon. The nurses were nervous and sweaty as they adjusted her in her room. IVs were hooked in, warm blankets applied, and a tube inserted to help her breathe better. They flushed her system, began rehydration therapy, and started tests to determine what drug was in her system.
Max stood behind the glass window of the emergency room, his hands clenched into fists. He hadn’t moved an inch since they had taken her in. His shirt was soaked with her blood and dirt, and his eyes were hollow.
Then the elevator dinged.
“MAX!” Natalie’s voice cracked through the corridor as she ran down the hall, her heels echoing on the tiles. Her face was pale, stricken with fear. “Where is she?!”
Max turned, and in two strides, Natalie was in his arms. Her eyes darted between the machines and the figures inside the trauma room. Her voice trembled. “Oh god… what happened to her?”
“Someone had kidnapped her. She is in a serious condition.,” Max said quietly as he followed her gaze and watched Nora again. His voice was barely more than a whisper. “They are flushing the drugs from her system. She was overdosed and left to die in the cold.”
Natalie’s hand flew to her mouth. She took a few shaky steps closer to the window, tears streaming freely down her face. “Who did this to her?”
“We got most of them,” Max replied. “One is still breathing. I will deal with him later.”
Just behind them, Emma had stayed quiet, her back pressed to the wall. Her normally calm face was tense. Her arms were crossed tightly and fingers clenched against her own skin.
“It is all my mistake.” she muttered under her breath.
Natalie turned to her, confused. “Do not blame yourself, you could not have guessed it.”
Emma swallowed hard. “Alric asked me to watch her before he left for Germany. He was flying to secure that blue fire diamond for her. He was planning to propose to her in a grand manner after his return. He trusted me with her when he was gone.” Her voice cracked and tears streamed down her face. “But I wasn’t there. I left her alone to go joke around with you, Nat. I left her for the evening.”
Natalie walked over slowly, her own eyes glassy. “Emma… you couldn’t have known.”
“I should have been there without knowing it. That is my job.” Emma’s voice raised. “I was careless, and she paid for it. She nearly died.” She looked at Nora’s still body through the glass. “No one has to blame me. I already do.”
Max’s jaw tensed. He didn’t say anything but stared at Nora again.
Then Natalie asked what they had all been dreading. “Have you told Alric?”
Emma froze with her face turning ashen. “We can not hide it from him for a long time.”
“No, but we can wait for his return.” Max said flatly. “He’s still in the air. His flight should land in two hours.”
“He will lose his mind,” Natalie whispered. “You know what she means to him. The moment he finds out, we must interrogate the men beforehand and keep the information ready for him.”
Emma inhaled a deep breath. “I would do that. But that would not change his reactions toward us.” She whispered. “He is going to hate me and I would not blame him.”
“No,” Natalie said gently, placing a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “He might be furious but you know him. He loves you too, even if he won’t say it out loud. And right now, we all need to hold it together for Nora.”
Emma nodded slowly, her lips pressed together to keep them from trembling. Max leaned his head against the glass and closed his eyes. If only he had not worked as orthopedic but specialises in drugs and overdosing. Now he could only wait while others treated her.
Inside the room, Nora’s body finally began responding. Her fingers twitched slightly. The heart monitor held a steadier rhythm. The doctor gave a thumbs up from behind the mask. He came out and nodded at Max, “She is stable but it would be better to keep her in ICU for the time being to monitor her condition.”