737: Waking up

Waking up

Ian and Noah did not wait for Ronnie to finish parking the car. The moment they reached the hospital premises, they got off and sprinted with all their might, forcing everyone on their way to make way for them immediately and look at them curiously.

Even the hospital staff were stunned to see their usually serene and composed doctor bolting inside the hospital in a hurry, his eyes filled with panic. Yet, the joy and relief on his face could not be concealed, making them wonder what had got him all riled up and agitated.

Ian and Noah did not give a damn about the people around them and ran as fast as they could towards Grandpa Carter's ward. They were too excited and their legs followed their enthusiasm, taking them to the ward in the quickest time possible.

Ian stopped suddenly when he reached the ward, forcing Noah too to stop. "Please stay here, Noah."

"But..." Noah was getting jittery from anxiety and just wanted to see his old man. However, he understood Ian's thoughts too and he gave up persuading him as he nodded at him after a few seconds.

"Thank you." Ian smiled gratefully and hesitated for a while, his hands quivering in nervous excitement before he entered the ward.

Aria was busy at work with a nurse and a ward boy assisting her. She did not notice Ian entering the room. It was only when the ward boy greeted Ian that she saw him finally and she smiled at him.

From her expression alone, Ian could read that the situation was under control and Grandpa Carter had actually gained consciousness; it was not a dream.

"What is the situation, Doctor West?" Even though they were friends, they still maintained their professional ethics and Ian returned to the Boss he was, his tone turning commanding and cold.

"Doctor Davis, Mr. Carter gained consciousness some time ago. Although his vitals kept fluctuating, his heartbeat was erratic, and he is returning to normal slowly. I have run a few tests on him and I waiting for the reports. He is resting now."

Ian noted that Aria mentioned that the old man was resting and was not asleep. That meant he was awake and was listening to their conversation.

Aria leaned forward and pushed back the old man's hair, her warm palm soothing the old man's heart. Unknowingly, a drop of tear trickled down his face, leaving a trail on his way.

"Grandpa, if you are awake, please open your eyes." She requested gently and her pleasant voice made the old man's eyes quiver before they fluttered open slowly. He had to blink his eyes a few times to adjust to the light and stared blankly at the ceiling. 

His eyes were glazed with tears and Ian felt bad for the man who seemed nothing like the mighty person he had known him to be. Now, he looked like a vulnerable old man who would wither away with the wind if he was not protected properly.

"Grandpa, I am going to ask you a few questions. Please blink your eyes once if it is a yes and twice if it is a no." Aria knew the man was still weak to speak properly and they could not remove the oxygen mask yet. His breathing was yet to stabilize. So, she resorted to this technique to find his condition from him.

"Do you feel pain anywhere?"

Jonathan did not react at first. But Aria did not force him to speak quickly and waited patiently for him, smiling at him gently.

Finally, after waiting a few minutes, the old man blinked once.

"Good. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

This time, the man responded quicker than before and he blinked twice.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. You will be fine soon. You just need to rest well and recover." Aria assured him and Ian noticed the old man relaxing slightly. Although it was subtle, he still saw the man's eyes lighting up for a brief moment.

"Do you need me to bring anything for you?"

Again, the man blinked twice in response.

The door to the ward opened suddenly and a nurse entered in while Noah kept staring from outside, trying to catch a glimpse of all that was happening inside. He did not dare come inside against his friend's permission. But his heart was in a mess and he was on tenterhooks.

"Doctor West, these are the reports of the patient."

"Thank you." Aria smiled at her gratefully and took them. She read through them carefully and once she was done, she handed them to Ian.

"Everything looks good, Doctor Davis. There do not seem to be any complications and under careful observation and medication, Grandpa Carter will recover quickly."

Ian too read through the reports and sighed in relief when he saw that Grandpa was fine and would be out of the hospital soon.

"Do you want to speak to any of your family?" Aria leaned forward again and questioned the man softly and Ian held his breath at that moment. Again, the old man took some time to respond to her and when he finally did, both Aria and Ian were relieved and contented.

"There is still one last test to be done, Doctor Davis. I will arrange for it. By then, maybe we can allow the family members to meet him. Mr. Carter will be exhausted once the test is done and he will not be able to see his family for some time."  Aria suggested and Ian nodded in agreement.

Under Aria's orders, the nurse and the ward boy prepared for the last test while Ian waited inside the ward.

As soon as Aria stepped out of the ward, Noah looked at her, his eyes silently pleading with her to give him the good news.

"Grandpa Carter is awake and there are no problems with him." Her words were exactly what Noah and his family wanted to hear and they could not control themselves from cheering. Noah was so ecstatic that he pulled Aria for a hug, knocking her breath off with his sudden actions. 

But she did not mind it and hugged him back, allowing the man to find solace in her. Noah's tensed shoulders relaxed and his heart calmed down slowly. 

Aria smiled helplessly when she felt his drenched shirt. 'How anxious was he that he was sweating this much?' She wondered as she pulled away from him.

"May we meet him, Aria?" Noah and his family looked at him expectantly and Aria's nod made them smile widely in relief.

"Yes. But please do not make him agitated or say anything that might make him lose control of his emotions. Also, make it brief. I still need to run one more test on him soon. After which, he will be exhausted."

"Thank you, Aria. Thank you so much." Noah did not hesitate anymore. After embracing her again, he entered the ward faster than a whirlwind.

"Thank you so much, Aria." Samuel was right behind his son. But he did not forget to thank her and Aria smiled at him understanding.

"Not at all, Uncle."

While Aria prepared for the last test, the Carter family entered the ward with Noah in the lead. They were as careful as possible as they approached the fragile old man. Noah kneeled beside him and held his hand which was devoid of any tubes.

"Hi, Grandpa. This is Noah. How do you feel? Do you feel okay?" Noah's eyes almost teared up when he saw his old man staring back at him with teary eyes.

Although his eyes were filled with tears, the old man did not forget to blink at him in response.

"That's a yes," Ian answered and Noah smiled widely.

"Get well soon, Grandpa. We are all waiting for you to return home." Noah's words made the old man relax all the more and he almost drifted off the sleep.

Seeing his exhausted face, Noah moved away and made way for his father. 

"Dad," Samuel too followed his son's actions and held the old man's hand. "Get well soon. We still have to prepare for our children's weddings and you need to play with your grandchildren."

There was an audible spike in the old man's heartbeat rate and Ian patted his forehead to appease him. "Calm down, Grandpa. You need to be calm if you want to recover quickly."

Samuel panicked and stared at his father before his eyes drifted towards Ian.

"Don't worry, Mr. Carter. Grandpa is just excited about his grandkids' wedding and the possibility of him playing with his great-grandkids soon. He is fine." His assurance made everyone smile and sigh in relief.

Hailey and Rachel too took turns speaking to the old man before Aria returned to take him away for the next test.

By the time all the tests were done, the old man had slipped into sleep again.

Aria checked the last report as she faced the Carter family calmly. "Everything seems fine and Grandpa will return home in a few days. Also, if possible, please speak about happy matters when meeting him. He needs assurance that you guys are not angry with him."

Aria knew the reason why the old man had cried albeit briefly the moment he had woken up. Though he had not said a word, he had shown his pain and worry subtly; it was enough for her to perceive his thoughts.

"He is still worried that his family may hate him for what he did. So, please assure him that you don't, especially you Noah."

"We understand, Aria." Samuel pursed his lips, shocked that the old man cared about this matter so much. "Anything else we should take note of?"

"Ahh... just one more thing." Aria blushed all of a sudden and the Carter family looked at her questioningly. 

"What's wrong, Aria? Why is your face red?" Noah was confused and he frowned in concern.

Aria did not know how to bring up the matter and she hesitated until Ian came out of the ward to push her into the pit.

"What Aria wants to say is, Grandpa is especially excited when you talk about great-grandkids. So, it's best you guys talk to him on similar topics. It will help him and motivate him to recover quickly."

"Ahhh..." Noah's brows shot up in realization and he gazed at the lady before him playfully. "Is that what you wanted to say?"1

Aria glared at the mischievous man before directing her glare at Ian too.

"Hey, I was just speaking the truth." Ian raised his hands in mock surrender. But his eyes held a teasing smile, annoying her all the more.

Aria huffed in anger and glared at the two men before jogging away from them in embarrassment, leaving the Carter family and Ian to laugh at her adorableness.

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