The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1601 Call The Police

"Charles, please hold on. How will I live without you? What will happen to the children? Wake up, please! See, if you wake up, we will stay together, I promise. Charles, can you hear me? Wake up, please," Sheryl shouted, tears rolling down in profusion over her cheeks.

The ambulance van arrived swiftly.

The doctors and nurses rolled Charles onto the stretcher. Sheryl got into the ambulance with them.

On the way to the hospital, the nurses hooked Charles up to an IV drip. The nurses tried their best to assure Sheryl that Charles was going to be fine. But Sheryl couldn't hear them at all. She held Charles' hands tightly and her eyes were fixed on his pale, blood splattered face.

She was afraid that if she took her eyes off him even once, Charles would be gone forever.

Up until the time that they arrived at the hospital, Sheryl held Charles' hands. She wouldn't move a step away from him. She kept pace as he was wheeled towards the emergency room, still holding his hand until she was finally stopped by the medical staff.

"Families can't go into the operating room. Please, wait outside." Sheryl followed the medical staff to the emergency room, clutching Charles' hand and not willing to let go. The doctor had to push Sheryl away. Every minute counted. The sooner Charles got the life-saving surgery, the better his chances at survival would be.

The emergency room's thick metal door closed in Sheryl's face. Still, she tried to look through the glass until he was wheeled completely out of her sight. Although it was just a door, Sheryl felt like Charles had gone a thousand miles away from her.

Waiting impatiently outside the ER, Sheryl looked very pale. She stared at the door, wondering when the operation would be over.

She couldn't leave because she didn't want Charles to not see her when he came out of surgery.

After what had felt like an eternity, the door finally flung open. But the red light was still on, which meant that the operation wasn't over yet.

"Doctor, what's wrong? How is Charles?" Sheryl walked to the doctor quickly, anxiously demanding answers.

The doctor took off his mask and explained, "The patient is bleeding excessively. We need a blood transfusion right now. But we can't give it to him because our blood bank doesn't have enough blood!" 'The hospital doesn't have enough blood!'

The doctor's words left Sheryl dumbfounded. But she reacted quickly. She rolled up her sleeves and said, "Doctor, I'm blood type O. I'm a universal donor. Draw my blood. Save him."

The doctor looked at Sheryl's face and then nodded at the nurse who was standing next to him. He said, "Take her to the blood lab."

Sheryl felt even more anxious than the nurse. They quickened their pace to reach the blood lab, where they could collect the blood and process it.

As soon, as they had finished the procedure, Sheryl started to feel dizzy. She pressed her eyes closed and wondered whether it was because of donating blood or because she was so very worried or something. She leaned against the wall for support to prevent herself from falling to the ground.

Sheryl endured the pain, trying her best not to pass out. She knew that she had to remain strong. She didn't have the luxury of fainting until the operation was over. No way.

After another half an hour, the doctor came out again.

"What's your relationship to the patient?" the doctor asked anxiously.

Sheryl lifted her head and answered, "I'm his wife."

"Great, here is the operation notification. Please sign it so that we can proceed with the operation." The doctor handed her a piece of paper, which looked like a disclaimer, to Sheryl. She signed the paper with trembling hands. Sheryl knew that she didn't have the time to hesitate. Otherwise, Charles might not get the right treatment in time. So she signed it at once. The doctor then walked back into the operating room right away without giving Sheryl any chance to ask further questions. The door closed once again, and Sheryl's heart sank. Sheryl stumbled to a bench outside the operating room and dropped herself on it. She clasped her hands together and held them close to her chest, praying for Charles' well-being. "Sher, what happened? Are you okay?" Sheryl looked up to see Cassie standing right before her. Cassie had heard the news and had immediately rushed to the ER. She was performing another operation not long ago. Right after she finished, she had learned that Sheryl and Charles were at the hospital, which had made her worried. And the moment that Cassie had spotted Sheryl waiting outside of the operation room, it did not take much more for her to realize that something had happened to Charles. Sheryl lifted her head and took a brief glance at Cassie. A few hours had passed since Charles' operation had begun. She was tired of pacing up and down, waiting for the doctor to come out. Hence she had taken a seat, but when Sheryl saw Cassie, she stood up again.

"I'm okay, Cassie. Why did you come here? Don't you need to work today?" Sheryl didn't want Cassie to get worried and distracted from her work because of her. Hence Sheryl pretended to be strong and tried to pass the accident off as a casual incident which Cassie didn't need to worry about.

But Cassie could see through Sheryl, especially since Sheryl's face was as pale as a sheet. Rather, Cassie had to resist her urge to let out a cry when she saw Sheryl's pale face. Besides, Cassie worked in the hospital. She had already gotten all of the information from her colleagues.

"Sher, you don't have to hide the truth from me. What's wrong? What happened to Mr. Lu? Nick is on his way and will be here soon. I thought you had an accident and I called him. Thank God, you're safe!" Cassie said as she looked at Sheryl with concern.

A faint smile broke on Sheryl's face when she learned that Cassie had been so worried about her that she had called Nick before she even figured out what exactly had happened. Sheryl felt warmed and moved.

"I'm fine, really. Charles will be fine too. You shouldn't have disturbed Nick because of this. Call Nick and ask him not to come here!" Sheryl patted Cassie's shoulder, gesturing for her to sit down. But before Cassie could call Nick, he had already arrived.

"Sher, what's wrong? Are you guys okay?" Nick looked and sounded even more anxious than Cassie. He almost shouted at Sheryl as he walked towards her.

Cassie was dramatic enough. Now here was Nick, who was even more dramatic. Sheryl didn't want to make a huge scene.

But Sheryl was too tired to worry about that. She shook her head speechlessly. Nick remained silent after he made sure that Sheryl was okay. Then he grabbed Cassie's arm, walked her around a corner and asked her for more details.

After Nick and Cassie figured out what had happened, Nick walked back to Sheryl and sat next to her. "Sher, please don't worry. Cassie told me that the doctor who is conducting the operation for Charles is the best in the hospital. I'm sure Charles will get through this!"

Nick used to call Charles Mr. Lu out of respect. But ever since, he had learned from Isla about Charles cheating on Sheryl, all of his respect for Charles had gone. He looked down on that kind of person and just called Charles by his name now.

"Uh-huh, I know. I am not worried at all and Charles is going to be okay. Alright, you two, get back to work. I'm okay." Sheryl nodded her head reassuringly as she spoke though her voice sounded feeble. Cassie's and Nick's eyes met. They didn't utter another word. But both of them knew that they couldn't leave Sheryl alone. Sheryl needed their company and support now.

They silently waited outside of the emergency room, hoping that the operation would end quickly, and praying for Charles.

Later, Isla came to the hospital too. The first thing she noticed was Sheryl's pale and lifeless face.

"Sheryl, you scared me! What is wrong with you?" Isla cried aloud as soon as she saw Sheryl. Isla's cry made Sheryl become alert.

Sheryl looked at Isla and then looked at Nick and Cassie. They were all so worried about her. And yet she ignored their concern and kindness, drowning herself in the sorrow and worry regarding something that might never happen. She felt guilty to ignore her friends like this.

"Sorry, Isla. I'm absolutely fine. I am just worried about Charles. I'm sorry that I made you guys worry so much about me." Sheryl's lips were pale too. Yet she managed to smile at her friends and tried to comfort them.

But her smile was awful. Everyone could tell from her smile that she was not okay.

"Stop it, Sher. That is the worst smile I have ever seen on your face!" Isla pulled Sheryl into her arms and patted her back. She wished to ease Sheryl's anxiety a little bit with this small gesture of kindness. Sheryl had stopped crying many hours earlier. But as she found herself in Isla's arms, she burst into tears all over again. She buried her face and murmured, "What if something happens to him, Isla?" Isla's heart wrenched to see Sheryl like this. She comforted her gently, "He is going to be fine, Sheryl! He's Charles, the CEO of the Shining Company. He is very tough and strong. I'm sure he can get through this!"

Right at that moment, the police arrived.

When Sheryl called the ambulance, she had called the police too. Her sixth sense told her that it wasn't just a simple hit-and-run accident and that she needed the help from the police to track down the driver. "Are you the informant Sheryl?" The police cut straight to the point.