A heavy uneasiness settled in Luca's heart. She wept and shook her head, tightly holding onto Old Man Rayne's hand. "No,
Grandpa. You can't leave me. I haven't had the chance to properly take care of you yet. Besides, you have another grandchild
now. Grandpa, stay strong. Don't give up, okay?"
A faint glimmer flashed across Old Man Rayne's eyes. "Another grandchild?"
"Yes. She hasn't met you yet. That's why you must stay alive." Luca held his weathered hands, knowing that this was not the real
world. Everything around her seemed hazy. It was probably just a dream.
Even though dreams and reality were opposite, the uneasiness in her heart persisted as she was dreaming about Old Man
Rayne.
She did not want anything bad to happen to him, even if it was just a dream.
Hence, she continued to convince Old Man Rayne, giving him hope and encouraging him to stay alive.
“Bianca..." Old Man Rayne's weary voice came through but gradually faded.
Luca subconsciously opened her eyes. Everything was bright before her. She could smell the faint scent of disinfectant in the air.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Luke looked down and noticed her teary eyes. "Why are you crying?"
"My eyes are a little dry." Luca shook her head and sat up. She could not tell him about the dream she just had, afraid that it
might come true.
In her dream, Old Man Rayne had called out to her just before she woke up. It kept echoing in her ears. Luca clenched her fists
tight.
Luke reached out and gently rubbed her fingers.
Luca was startled for a moment and loosened her grip. Luke held her hand tight.
"How long was I sleeping?" Luca suddenly asked. The pain in her dream felt so real. She had no idea how long the dream
lasted.
"Less than half an hour," replied Luke. He had been keeping an eye on Luca. When she closed her eyes, he did not think that
she was asleep.
It had only been less than half an hour. Could that be considered sleeping?
He noticed that Luca's mood seemed even gloomier after she woke up. Did she dream of something unpleasant?
Luca gently pulled her hand away from Luke's grasp and rose to her feet. "I'm going to the restroom."
"Sure." Luke nodded and watched her walk away. His gaze then fell on the caretaker who was sitting not far away from him. He
warned her with a low voice, "Don't tell anyone what happened today."
The caretaker knew he was referring to his close relationship with Luca.
She was aware of the ties between the Crawford and Rayne families. If the Rayne family found out about Luke's relationship with
Luca, they might think that Luke had betrayed Bianca.
The caretaker was not that foolish. Luke was the one who paid her. She would not tell the Rayne family anything they should not
know.
"Don't worry, Mr. Crawford. I won't say anything," assured the caretaker.
After she promised Luke, she could not help but secretly complain about how bold Luke was. Old Man Rayne was already
admitted to the hospital, yet Luke still brought his lover along with him. If it were not for him showing concern for Old Man Rayne
and there being nothing he could covet, the maid would have thought that he was planning to rile up the old man by revealing
something shocking.
Luke continued to wait in his chair. No one came out of the operating room, and at times like this, no news was good news.
Luca walked into the hospital restroom, where the strong smell of disinfectant assaulted her senses.
Her eyes reddened. As she stood in front of the sink, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and sniffed lightly.
It was just a dream, yet it had made her eyes turn red.
Luca was aware of her strong sense of familial belonging. Even though Old Man Rayne was not her biological grandfather, their
deep bond over the years had built up her strong affection for the old man.
She knew about the pain of separation and the hardships in life one would go through, but she could not bear the thought of
anything bad happening to Old Man Rayne at this moment.
After all, he had no idea that she was actually Bianca...
Old Man Rayne believed that Bianca had lost her memory and was currently studying abroad, completely devoid of any familial
affection...
"Grandpa, nothing must happen to you..." Luca murmured to herself while looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Luca splashed water on her face, trying to ease the sadness that the dream had brought upon her. Then, she returned to the
entrance of the operating room.
Luke and the caretaker were still waiting there. Old Man Rayne's surgery had not yet concluded. Luca sat beside Luke.
Luke noticed the water droplets on her face. He raised his hand and gently wiped them away.
His tender gesture felt like he was handling an extremely delicate gem.
Luca felt comforted amidst her unease. She was glad that Luke had taken good care of her family while she was away.
Regardless of their blood ties, he treated them with utmost dedication, considering them his responsibility.
Luca appreciated what he did for her. She loved him from the bottom of her heart too.
"What time is it now?" Luca asked again. She had not had time to charge her phone before leaving, and now her phone had run
out of battery.
There were no power bank rentals available near the operating room, so she had to ask Luke for the time.
"It's 3:20." Luke checked his watch.
Luca nodded. Before bringing Old Man Rayne to the operating room, Johann had given her a brief overview of the surgery. She
knew it was a difficult procedure, and the treatment being used was relatively new and uncertain—not only in A City but also
internationally.
Therefore, the surgery was highly challenging. It would probably take more than two or three hours to complete.
Luca waited quietly.
Around four in the morning, the operating room door was opened. Luca immediately stood up when she heard the sound of the
door opening.
Johann walked out of the room and looked at Luca and Luke. He let out a sigh of relief as he removed his mask. "The surgery
was successful. We managed to get rid of the blood clot in Old Man Rayne's brain and stop the bleeding. He's been moved to
the ICU for observation. If there are no complications, he can be discharged the day after tomorrow."
"Dr. Park, what about the follow-up treatment?" asked Luca as she was not familiar with it and needed to ask Johann more about
it.
"The follow-up treatment mainly involves medication and regular check-ups. If he experiences headaches in the future, his family
should take it seriously. The illness struck out of nowhere, but luckily, it was detected early. Many patients with cerebral
vasospasms face critical situations when the illness strikes, making it difficult to rescue them. So, this must be taken seriously,"
explained Johann.
While Johann was on his way to the hospital, the doctor in charge of the patient's emergency care called him and explained that
the patient had been experiencing headaches in the past few days, but the caretaker did not pay attention to it.
Headaches were a crucial symptom of the condition and should not have been overlooked.
However, the caretaker was careless and overlooked this situation. Johann could not help but secretly complain about the
caretaker Luke had hired. The old man had been complaining about discomfort, yet she did not think to call a doctor.
If they had noticed it earlier, the surgery would have been much less challenging today.
This kind of illness could not be taken lightly!
The caretaker stood at the side, listening to what Johann said. She felt ashamed and lowered her head.
Old Man Rayne had told her not to call the doctor, but he collapsed while she was on duty. It was only natural that she
shouldered the responsibility for this mistake.