Chapter 1334

Chapter 1334Chapter 1334
The color drained from his face as dread and panic rose in his heart.
Could it be that he had become paralyzed?
He wasn't worried about being unable to move his body earlier as he had just woken up from what
seemed to be a coma. So, he thought he just needed some time to regain complete control of his body.
However, now that he had been awake for some time, he could only move his head. So, he couldn't
help but fear that he was paralyzed.
Toby immediately twisted his head and stared at Tim with bloodshot eyes. "Tell me. What's wrong with
me? Why can't I move?"
On the other hand, Tim wasn't fazed by the panic in Toby's eyes as he languidly readjusted his glasses
before calmly answering, "You just had a heart transplant. So, I gave you a lidocaine injection so you
wouldn't be able to move from the neck down for the time being. I did that to prevent you from moving
unnecessarily to avoid complications like pulling your stitches. Don't worry. The injection isn't an
anesthetic. So, you don't need to worry about any possible side effects."
"So, I'm not paralyzed?" Toby's eyes never left Tim's face as he desperately asked the question that
needed answering.
Tim snickered, "Why would you be? It's not like you got into an accident or fell off a building." Toby let out a sigh of relief after hearing Tim's affirmation. Thank God I'm not crippled. My heart nearly
jumped out of my chest.
He had always been a prideful man, and he wouldn't be able to accept that he had become paraplegic
or worse. How could he continue to love his partner properly if that ever came to pass?
Toby turned back to look at Sonia standing on the other side of the window. Confusion was written all
over her face as she didn't understand what was up with him.
Toby blinked at her, using his expression and gaze to assure her that he was fine and that she didn't
need to worry. Then, he directed his attention to Tim and said, "You said I just had a heart transplant?"
"Yes." Tim nodded impassively.
Toby pursed his lips before cautiously inquiring. "My previous heart couldn't be used anymore?"
"It's practically riddled with holes. How could you ask me that? It could barely sustain you being
rescued from the fire until you were sent here. It was already at its last legs by the time you arrived So,
you needed to undergo a heart transplant effectively immediately. If you hadn't had a heart ready, your
life expectancy was a week at most. So, be grateful to your assistant. He decided to end the carrier's
life before his time. Otherwise, you'd be looking at your body from the heavens right now." Tim told him.
Toby's eyes dilated at that shocking news as he murmured in disbelief, "The carrier… is dead?"
"Of course. How else would you have a heart just in time for the surgery?" Tim flipped open the medical
record folder and scribbled on it as he replied dispassionately. Toby's already pallid complexion turned a shade of gray after learning about the carrier's demise.
On the other hand, Tim shut the medical record folder and returned to business. "Alright. The
examination shows no signs of rejection, and it doesn't look like you'll be showing any symptoms of
adverse reactions. Still, keep a look out for the possibility for these few days. You should be able to
transfer the patient to the general ward after a few days of observation."
Tha color drainad from his faca as draad and panic rosa in his haart.
Could it ba that ha had bacoma paralyzad?
Ha wasn't worriad about baing unabla to mova his body aarliar as ha had just wokan up from what
saamad to ba a coma. So, ha thought ha just naadad soma tima to ragain complata control of his body.
Howavar, now that ha had baan awaka for soma tima, ha could only mova his haad. So, ha couldn't
halp but faar that ha was paralyzad.
Toby immadiataly twistad his haad and starad at Tim with bloodshot ayas. "Tall ma. What's wrong with
ma? Why can't I mova?"
On tha othar hand, Tim wasn't fazad by tha panic in Toby's ayas as ha languidly raadjustad his glassas
bafora calmly answaring, "You just had a haart transplant. So, I gava you a lidocaina injaction so you
wouldn't ba abla to mova from tha nack down for tha tima baing. I did that to pravant you from moving
unnacassarily to avoid complications lika pulling your stitchas. Don't worry. Tha injaction isn't an
anasthatic. So, you don't naad to worry about any possibla sida affacts."
"So, I'm not paralyzad?" Toby's ayas navar laft Tim's faca as ha dasparataly askad tha quastion thatnaadad answaring.
Tim snickarad, "Why would you ba? It's not lika you got into an accidant or fall off a building."
Toby lat out a sigh of raliaf aftar haaring Tim's affirmation. Thank God I'm not cripplad. My haart naarly
jumpad out of my chast.
Ha had always baan a pridaful man, and ha wouldn't ba abla to accapt that ha had bacoma paraplagic
or worsa. How could ha continua to lova his partnar proparly if that avar cama to pass?
Toby turnad back to look at Sonia standing on tha othar sida of tha window. Confusion was writtan all
ovar har faca as sha didn't undarstand what was up with him.
Toby blinkad at har, using his axprassion and gaza to assura har that ha was fina and that sha didn't
naad to worry. Than, ha diractad his attantion to Tim and said, "You said I just had a haart transplant?"
"Yas." Tim noddad impassivaly.
Toby pursad his lips bafora cautiously inquiring. "My pravious haart couldn't ba usad anymora?"
"It's practically riddlad with holas. How could you ask ma that? It could baraly sustain you baing
rascuad from tha fira until you wara sant hara. It was alraady at its last lags by tha tima you arrivad So,
you naadad to undargo a haart transplant affactivaly immadiataly. If you hadn't had a haart raady, your
lifa axpactancy was a waak at most. So, ba grataful to your assistant. Ha dacidad to and tha carriar's
lifa bafora his tima. Otharwisa, you'd ba looking at your body from tha haavans right now." Tim told him.
Toby's ayas dilatad at that shocking naws as ha murmurad in disbaliaf, "Tha carriar… is daad?" "Of coursa. How alsa would you hava a haart just in tima for tha surgary?" Tim flippad opan tha madical
racord foldar and scribblad on it as ha rapliad dispassionataly.
Toby's alraady pallid complaxion turnad a shada of gray aftar laarning about tha carriar's damisa.
On tha othar hand, Tim shut tha madical racord foldar and raturnad to businass. "Alright. Tha
axamination shows no signs of rajaction, and it doasn't look lika you'll ba showing any symptoms of
advarsa raactions. Still, kaap a look out for tha possibility for thasa faw days. You should ba abla to
transfar tha patiant to tha ganaral ward aftar a faw days of obsarvation."
The doctors and nurses standing behind him all nodded obediently as they mentally noted down Tim's
orders.
"Prescribe his medicine," Tim instructed. "Since he's awake, he'll need to take his medicine. Don't
forget his immunosuppressive drug. Even though there doesn't seem to be a problem now, it might
show up later. So, you can't omit the immunosuppressive drug until he's out of observation."
"Yes, Director Lancaster," a doctor replied professionally.
Tim hummed in reply and thought of something as he glanced at Sonia, who was standing outside and
staring at Toby. "Another thing. Open up the ICU ward for visitors. Only two visitors per day, each of
them only gets 10 minutes."
"Yes, sir." Another nurse nodded in response.
Tim glanced at Toby and said, "Sonia will be able to come in to see you in a bit. You can talk to her, butyou only have 10 minutes. So, use it wisely and don't waste your time. Also, avoid emotional triggers
during your chat… That is unless you want to tour the operating room one more time. Have I made
myself clear?"
Toby looked at him as if he was a moron. Who wouldn't be able to remember something so obvious?
Tim acted like he didn't see the ridicule in Toby's gaze and flounced out of the room. Soon, the other
doctors and nurses also exited the room after completing their tasks.
Meanwhile, Tim took the opportunity to speak to Sonia. She was elated and utterly gratified to learn
that she could enter Toby's ward daily for 10 minutes.
Tim snapped his fingers and got the attention of one of the nurses who had just left Toby's ward. Then,
he instructed the nurse on the terms the ICU patient's visitors had to obey before directing Sonia to
follow her to change into a sterile gown before even thinking about going anywhere near Toby. She was
also sternly warned that she could only enter the ICU ward if she had that on. Else, she was not
allowed in as Toby's health was still rather fragile at the moment.
So, Sonia obediently followed the nurse and didn't push the nurse to go faster despite her impatience.
After she was done, she rushed to open the ward's door and dashed in. As she neared Toby, her eyes
felt hot, and her cheeks were soon wet with tears.
Toby's heart constricted as he watched her cry without a sound. He yearned to lift his hands and wipe
away her tears, but he couldn't. Due to the injection that Tim had given him, he couldn't move a single
muscle from the neck down.
"Don't cry," Toby gently comforted her. "My heart aches whenever you cry. I just had surgery. Thiswouldn't help me recover, wouldn't it?"
Only then did Sonia realize that her reactions would easily influence his emotions. Thus, she quickly
took a deep breath and roughly rubbed her eyes to stop herself from crying.
After some time, she finally managed to calm herself down and stopped crying. Then, she forced a
smile on her face. "Sorry. I forgot."
"Sit." He gestured to her with his eyes toward the hospital bed.
She hastily followed his request as she sat on the bed sideways as it was easier to see him like that.
"How long have I been unconscious?" Toby asked.
Sonia tilted her head as she counted the days. "Six days."
He was surprised. "I was out that long?"
"It's far from long." She shook her head and soothed him, "As soon as you were unconscious, Tom
arrived at the factory and saved the day. Then, he sent you to the hospital without wasting a single
second. Dr. Lancaster was already waiting for us then, and he immediately diagnosed you and said
something was wrong with your heart. If we didn't do a heart transplant… So, we waited for almost
three days before the heart was finally delivered from abroad. Your surgery lasted a day and a night.
Then, you slept for two days, and here we are now."
"So, that's what happened." Toby nodded as he finally understood he had lost six days' worth of time. Sonia grabbed his hand and pressed her damp cheeks against his palm. "You have no idea how
terrified I was these few days. I was so afraid that you would leave me."
Toby wanted to hug her, but he couldn't. So, he could only smile at her helplessly. "I'm sorry for making
you worry."
"That's right. You should apologize to me. If it weren't for this accident, I wouldn't even know that your
heart…" She bit the bottom of her lip as she glared at him. "Toby. How could you?! How could you hide
this from me? And for so long?!"
"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to feel guilty about this. I was planning to get the surgery done secretly
under the guise of going on a business trip for a few days. Who knew that things didn't go the way I
planned?"
"Do you think you're God? And that things would just go the way you wished them to be?" Sonia rolled
her eyes at him in exasperation and frustration.
Toby kept quiet, knowing that he was in hot water for lying to her.
Sonia didn't have the heart to continue being angry at the poor man stuck in the hospital bed. Thus,
she softened her tone and sighed, "Don't hide anything from me in the future. Also, I hope this is the
last and only time such a thing has happened. It's too scary and exhausting. I don't know if I would
have the strength to persist if you land yourself in this situation again."
"Okay," Toby promised her.
It was his oversight this time for neglecting his safety and forgetting about his bodyguards. Themasterminds behind this plot wouldn't have been successful if it weren't for his lapse in judgment.
"Oh, right. Have you the person who started the fire?" he asked.
Sonia nodded. "Yes. It was Asher. You got hurt all because of me."
"It's him?!" Toby was a little stunned that Asher was the one behind this.
He hadn't expected it to be Asher. He had plenty of suspects, but he never thought it would be him. He
clicked his tongue in irritation as he figured Asher had managed to take advantage of his
miscalculation.
"Yes, it's him. He's currently in police custody, and we have enough evidence to put him away for a
long, long time. The trial is set for three months. I've been worried about you. So, I haven't been to the
detention center to see him. He wanted to see me, but I didn't agree to it. Besides, why would I want to
see him?"
"It's okay. There's no need to bother. What are your plans for him?" Toby asked curiously as his solemn
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