Chapter 4

Roxie's mother had called the day before to ask whether Roxie had finally managed to get married at City Hall.

But Roxie's phone had been off no matter how many times she called, and Evan hadn't answered either.

Worried sick, she had spent the entire night awake and rushed over first thing that morning.

She never expected to hear Roxie call off the wedding the moment she reached the door.

Her gaze swept across the room.

She saw her daughter soaked to the bone, her face streaked with tears.

She saw another woman wearing the bridal robe she had made for Roxie.

And she saw Evan standing protectively beside that woman and her child while glaring at Roxie.

Suddenly, she understood why Roxie had failed to get married at City Hall again and again.

There was nothing left to misunderstand.

All the color drained from Mrs. Foster's face.

She clutched her chest, swayed, and collapsed.

"Mom!"

Roxie rushed to her side.

"Mom, don't scare me!"

Her mother's eyes were shut tight. Her face was deathly pale, her breathing rapid, and one hand gripped the fabric over her chest.

Evan hurried over and crouched beside her to check her condition.

"Call an ambulance. Now."

The ambulance arrived soon afterward, and Mrs. Foster was rushed into the ER.

Not long after, the attending physician hurried out with her chart.

"She had coronary bypass surgery years ago. Her condition has deteriorated badly, and she needs another open-heart surgery as soon as possible."

The doctor looked at Evan, who stood beside Roxie.

"But she has extensive internal scarring from her previous surgery, which makes another operation extremely high-risk. No surgeon at this hospital is willing to take the case. Right now, the only person in the country capable of performing it is Dr. Chandler.

"Unfortunately, Dr. Chandler is booked for at least the next three months. Your mother can't wait that long."

Just as despair overwhelmed Roxie, the doctor suddenly turned to Evan.

"Dr. Shaw, I almost forgot. You were one of Dr. Chandler's favorite protégés. If you personally ask him, I'm sure he'll make time to fly in and perform the surgery."

Roxie turned to Evan.

"Evan, please. Call Dr. Chandler and ask him to save my mom. Please?"

Evan lowered his eyes.

"That would be against protocol."

Roxie stared at him in disbelief.

"My mother is lying in there!"

Evan sighed.

"Roxie, hospitals have procedures, and Dr. Chandler has a schedule. If I ask him to make an exception for you, what about all the other patients waiting for him? That wouldn't be fair."

Roxie's voice choked.

"You're talking to me about fairness? If it weren't for you and Sylvia, my mother wouldn't have had another heart attack!"

Evan frowned, his tone turning stern.

"What does this have to do with Sylvia? Can you stop being unreasonable?

"And these are two separate issues. As the medical director, I can't be the one who starts breaking medical protocol.

"Grow up, Roxie. Stop letting your emotions control everything."

Eyes red, Roxie stared hard at the familiar face in front of her.

"So no matter what I say, you refuse to help?"

"Yes. It's a matter of principle."

Roxie was so furious that she laughed.

"Fine. I don't need you. I'll find another way."

Evan actually nodded.

"You can contact Dr. Chandler yourself, but don't use my name.

"Also, with your mother sick, I assume she won't be able to attend our wedding. But we can't change the date. I've already arranged my schedule around it, and I can't disrupt everything now."

Roxie trembled with rage.

Her mother was fighting for her life because of him, yet not only did he refuse to help save her, but he was still worried about his own schedule.

Did she and her mother really matter so little to him?

The attending physician quickly cut in.

"Right now, the priority is placing an intra-aortic balloon pump to stabilize her and buy us more time."

He looked at Evan.

"Dr. Shaw, her blood pressure keeps dropping. No one here has a better chance of placing the IABP successfully than you. Can you do it?"

Roxie hated Evan's coldness.

But with her mother's life at stake, she had no choice but to swallow every ounce of anger.

"Evan, save my mother."

Evan nodded.

"I understand. Get everything ready."

...

Inside the ICU, Evan took a pair of sterile gloves from his assistant.

Just then, a phone began to ring.

Evan had always enforced one absolute rule during procedures. Every member of the medical team had to turn off their phone before beginning.

His expression darkened as he looked around.

"Whose phone is still on?"

The assistant checked his pocket, then gave Evan an awkward look and pointed toward his waist.

"Dr. Shaw... I think it's your personal phone."

Evan froze.

He had been called in so suddenly that he had changed in a hurry and forgotten to silence it.

Frowning, he reached into his pocket, intending to decline the call.

Then he saw the name on the screen.

His hand stopped.

Even urgent calls from hospital executives had never made Evan interrupt a procedure before.

Yet this time, he picked up his phone, turned around, and walked straight out of the ICU.