No Strings Attached

Chapter 381

His body had been still, lifeless until a faint twitch of his fingers and a few slow rotations of his eyes brought hope back to the people surrounding him.

The doctor immediately sprang into action. "He's still got vital signs. We need to get him to the hospital now!"

At those words, the Hayes family let out a collective sigh of relief. With teary eyes, Teo turned to Clara. "Clara, don't you worry. I'll make sure Ian gets the best care possible."

Clara's fists were clenched tight as she fought to keep her composure. "Teo, I'll follow him to the hospital. You take care of things here. We need to find out who gave Leonora the gasoline and who tampered with the gas line. Catching that person might lead us to the big fish behind all this."

Impressed by her thoroughness, even in such a dire situation, Teo nodded vigorously in approval. "You are good, Clara. Rest assured, I'll handle everything here. I'll send someone with you to the hospital."

Half an hour later, Ian was rushed into the ER. The whole family stood anxiously in the hallway, waiting.

Sasha, having heard the news, came as fast as she could. Her leg, now free of its cast, caused her to limp as she joined Clara's side. Her eyes brimmed with sympathy. "Clara, if you need to cry, just let it out. Don't keep it all in... it hurts me to see you like this."

As Sasha spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. Chase nudged her gently and whispered, "Clara's holding it together, and here you are crying. Ever heard of comforting someone?"

Sasha shot him a glare. "Mind your own business, Chase! Keep your mouth shut!"

Chase shook his head in resignation. "Alright, alright, I'll zip it. Why don't you and Clara take a seat over there? She's been on her feet all night. It's not good for the baby."

Sasha let her irritation fade once she realized that Chase made a sensible comment for once. She took Clara's hand. "Clara, you can't keep pushing yourself like this. Think about the baby. It's too risky. You could miscarry. Remember?"

Clara's gaze remained fixed on the ER doors, her fists still tightly clenched. Despite her nerves, she tried to appear calm. "I need to be here for him," her voice was hoarse. "I want him to know that both I and the baby are waiting for him to wake up. If I'm not here, he won't come back to us."

Hearing her words, everyone's eyes moistened with empathy. Edwin fetched a chair from the doctor's office and placed it beside Clara, speaking softly to comfort her. "Clara, we're not going anywhere. We'll wait right here. Why don't you sit down?" This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

Her exhausted face and her feigned composure made Edwin's heart ache. He couldn't help but tenderly stroke her hair, his voice the epitome of gentleness.

"Clara, be good and sit down. The last thing Ian would want is to wake up and find you've collapsed from exhaustion."

Clara, seeing the worry in everyone's eyes, obediently sat down, but no sooner had she touched the chair than the ER doors burst open. She sprang up and rushed to the doctor, her voice urgent. "Doctor, how is he?"

The doctor's face clouded with concern. "The patient has inhaled a lot of smoke. His lungs are infected, and his vital signs are dropping. We need someone very important to him to stimulate his will to fight back."

A chill ran through everyone at his words.

A dark thought crept into their minds, but Clara, fueled by a surge of adrenaline, was determined. "I can wake him. Let me go to him."