Chapter 6 - The Shadows of the Hospital
The emergency room was a blur of fluorescent lights, shouting doctors, and rattling gurneys. Ethan refused to leave Lily's side, pacing the hallway like a caged predator while team of doctors worked desperately to stabilize her.
Hours passed. Marcus, Ethan's loyal personal assistant, arrived at the hospital with fresh clothes and a laptop, but Ethan refused to change out of his wet, mud-stained suit. He sat in a vinyl chair outside the ICU, his hands pressed together, praying for the first time in fifteen years.
Finally, the chief physician stepped out of the room, pulling off his mask.
"Mr. Blackwell?"
Ethan snapped his head up instantly. "How is she?"
"She is in critical condition," the doctor said gravely. "She has acute severe pneumonia, extreme physical exhaustion, and dehydration. Her body was pushed past its absolute limits. If you had found her thirty minutes later, her body would have gone into septic shock. We have her on IV antibiotics and oxygen, but the next twenty-four hours will be critical."
Ethan closed his eyes, a heavy sob tearing through his throat. He covered his face with his bloodied, bruised hands. "Save her, Doctor. Whatever it takes. Fly in specialists from New York, London, anywhere. Just save her."
"We are doing everything we can, sir."
While Lily fought for her life in ICU, Ethan turned to Marcus, his expression hardening into pure, unyielding stone.
"Marcus," Ethan said, his voice dropping to a icy whisper.
"Yes, Mr. Blackwell?"
"I want security footage. I want phone records. I want every private investigator on our payroll to dig into every single movement my mother and Victoria Sterling made over the last four weeks. I want proof of how that brooch ended up in Lily's room."
"Consider it done, sir," Marcus replied without hesitation. "And what about the estate?"
"Change the security codes," Ethan commanded. "Bar my mother from accessing any of my personal accounts. Cut off her line of credit immediately."
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Inside the ICU room, Ethan walked slowly to Lily's bedside. He took her small, pale hand into his massive palm, lifting it to his lips and kissing her scarred, blistered knuckles.
"Stay with me, Lily," he whispered against her skin, tears hot against her cold fingers. "Fight, my love. Please... just come back to me."
