Chapter 10 The red light outside the abortion operating room was always on.
The red light outside the operating room remained on. Shen Shutong leaned against the wall, her body still shaking uncontrollably. The glaring dark red of the entrance and Fu Jingchuan's gray face kept flashing through her mind.
Time seemed to pass for an eternity. Every time footsteps sounded, her heart suddenly tightened and then dropped heavily. After an unknown amount of time, the door finally opened.
The doctor in green surgical gown came out with a tired and heavy look on his face.
"Ms. Shen Shutong?" the doctor confirmed.
Shen Shutong stood up straight immediately: "Yes. How is he...?"
The doctor sighed: "Mr. Fu's condition has stabilized for the time being, and the bleeding has stopped."
Shen Shutong's shoulders just relaxed a little.
The doctor's voice dropped. "But unfortunately, the baby wasn't saved. The embryo was too young to survive, and development had already stopped. We performed a uterine curettage."
With a buzzing sound, something in Shen Shutong's head seemed to explode. The sounds around him instantly became distant and blurred, with only the doctor's words, "The child couldn't be saved," echoing over and over again with unusual clarity.
The child is gone... ?
Not long ago, in the car, she had yelled at him viciously: "Beat the child! The agreement is void!"
Now, the prophecy has come true.
The doctor looked at Shen Shutong's face, which had lost blood instantly, and his tone softened. "Mr. Fu has a good physical foundation, but this miscarriage has caused considerable damage to his body. Emotional stimulation and the weakness from morning sickness are the main causes. He needs to rest absolutely for at least a month after the operation, and he cannot have any major emotional fluctuations, otherwise recovery will be very difficult."
Shen Shutong nodded: "How is he...?"
"The surgery was performed under partial anesthesia. He's conscious and has been wheeled to the observation room. The anesthetic hasn't fully worn off yet, so he might be a little confused, but he should know the baby is gone." The doctor paused. "The patient's mood... may be very low. Please provide comfort to the family."
Shen Shutong felt her hands and feet cold. Comfort? How could she offer comfort? She was the culprit who had caused the child's death.
"After half an hour of observation, if there's nothing wrong, I'll transfer you to the VIP ward. Come with me to complete the formalities."
Shen Shutong mechanically followed the doctor, signed, and paid. Her mind was in a mess, with only one thought crystal clear: what would happen if Fu Jingchuan knew the child was gone.
She could see that he still liked the child, he would hate her.
The VIP ward was silent, the only sound being the regular ticking of the monitor. Fu Jingchuan lay on the bed, his lips pale. He closed his eyes, breathing lightly, his brows unconsciously furrowed, as if in immense pain.
His tall body was now sunken in the quilt, looking particularly thin.
She pulled a chair over to the wall and sat down. They were alone in the room. She looked at him, at the green numbers dancing on the monitor, and images flashed through her mind uncontrollably.
Five years ago, he hugged her for the last time before leaving, and said in a hoarse voice, "Shutong, I'm sorry." At that time, she thought he was after money and was betraying her.
Just now in the car, when he asked her with bloodshot eyes, "Do you have to be like this?", he looked at her with such pain and despair.
And even earlier, he stood in her office holding the pregnancy test report, with that faint, cautious expectation deep in his eyes...
She just sat there, motionless. The sky outside the window turned from dark to pale. The nurse came in twice to change the medicine and took her temperature and blood pressure several times. Fu Jingchuan never woke up, his brows furrowed.
Shen Shutong reached out and carefully tucked the corner of the quilt for him.
…
Fu Jingchuan was awakened by a sharp pain deep in his lower abdomen.
The moment he regained consciousness, he opened his eyes and saw the white ceiling. The strong smell of disinfectant reminded him where he was.
Memories instantly came back—the sharp pain at the entrance, the glaring bloodstains, Shen Shutong's terrified face, the cold light of the operating room, and the doctor's crystal clear words: "The embryo has stopped developing, and a uterine curettage was performed"...
The child... is gone.
The pain in his heart made his whole body spasm.
He turned his head.
The ward was empty. Apart from himself, there was no one in sight.
I glanced at the sofa; it was empty. The bathroom door was open, and no one was inside either.
She's gone. Or maybe she never came.
Fu Jingchuan felt that all the blood in his body had run cold, and even the physiological pain in his lower abdomen became numb.
That’s right.
She had never wanted the child in the first place. Now that it was gone, she could breathe a sigh of relief. The agreement was gone. She could be free of him.
He remembered that before he passed out, she seemed to be by his side. But now that the surgery was complete and the danger was over, there was no need for her to stay. After all, she hated him. She hated him for leaving her, hated his "scheming," and hated him for disrupting her peaceful life.
Fu Jingchuan slowly turned his head, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes, without a trace of light. All his strength seemed to have been drained away along with the lost little life.
The nurse saw Fu Jingchuan with his eyes open and pushed the door open. "Mr. Fu, are you awake? How do you feel? Are you feeling particularly uncomfortable?"
Fu Jingchuan stared at the ceiling in a daze, still not coming to his senses.
The nurse approached, checked the IV needle on the back of his hand, and then looked at the data on the monitor. "Your blood pressure is a little low, and your heart rate is a little fast. You just had surgery and you're very weak. You must stay calm. Don't get excited. I'll call the doctor to check on you."
The nurse said, preparing to turn around.
"Has Miss Shen, who came with me, left?" Fu Jingchuan said in a dry tone.
"Miss Shen..." the nurse chose her words carefully. "When you were first wheeled back to the ward, she was here the whole time. She stayed by your side all night, and her eyes were red. This morning, before you woke up, she went to see the director again. She asked a lot of details and precautions about postoperative care. She was very thorough and asked for quite a while. I guess she's downstairs to handle some paperwork? Or maybe to get you some porridge? Don't worry, she should be back soon."
Going to see a doctor?
A trace of fluctuation flashed in Fu Jingchuan's empty eyes, like a stone thrown into the water, causing ripples.
It turns out she didn't leave! She stayed up all night! She even went to see a doctor to ask about the situation!
Is it out of guilt, or is it because the agreement is still in place and she needs to maintain the appearance of a marriage?
No matter what the reason is, at least she didn't leave, she still cares!
The doctor came quickly, carefully examined Fu Jingchuan's condition, and reminded him of the precautions again: stay in bed for at least a week, eat a light diet, avoid emotional excitement, and take medicine on time to prevent infection and uterine adhesions.
Fu Jingchuan listened silently. When the doctor finished speaking and was about to leave, he suddenly spoke:
"doctor."
The doctor and nurse looked back at him.
"The soonest," Fu Jingchuan's eyes fell on the doctor's face, "How long will it take before we can have sex again and get pregnant?"
The ward suddenly became quiet.
The doctor was clearly caught off guard by this question, a look of astonishment and embarrassment flashing across his face. The nurse also opened her mouth in surprise.
Just as Shen Shutong was about to push the door open and come in, still holding the vegetable porridge he had just packed from the restaurant downstairs, he heard these words clearly.
She paused at the door and almost dropped the porridge box in her hand.
He had just lost his child! He had just been saved from the brink of death! The first thing he asked... was this?!
She really wanted to rush in and ask him what was going on in his mind!
The doctor quickly adjusted his expression and spoke in a serious tone, "Mr. Fu, your current physical condition is not suitable for considering this issue! This miscarriage has caused great damage to your endometrium and body functions. You must give your body sufficient time to recover. Forcing a premature pregnancy is extremely risky. Not only is it easy to have another miscarriage, but the damage to the mother's body is irreversible!"
Fu Jingchuan seemed not to hear the warning in the doctor's tone. He looked at the doctor stubbornly and asked persistently: "Specific time? I need an exact minimum time."
The doctor looked at his haggard face and the paranoia in his eyes, frowning and emphasizing, "There's no minimum time! It depends on your recovery! Theoretically, even if the endometrium is well healed and all body indicators are normal, it will take at least three to six months! Also, before your next pregnancy, you must undergo a comprehensive prenatal checkup to confirm that the uterine environment is completely suitable for embryo implantation and development! Before that, you absolutely must not think or act about getting pregnant again! Your top priority right now is to rest and take good care of yourself! Forget about anything else!"
Three months... six months...
Fu Jingchuan lowered his eyelashes.
Three months is too long. Six months is even longer. There are too many variables in between.
The doctor and nurse gave a few more instructions and left with a worried look on their faces.
They were the only two left in the ward again.
Shen Shutong walked in with porridge, trying to make his voice sound calm: "Awake? How do you feel? The doctor said you need to eat some liquid food..."
Fu Jingchuan raised his eyes, looked at her, and said nothing.
She felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him, and subconsciously avoided his sight. She walked to the bedside table and silently opened the porridge. The aroma of warm rice mixed with the flavor of vegetables filled the air.
"Eat something." She put the spoon into the porridge and pushed it to his hand.
Fu Jingchuan said "hmm" and slowly picked up the spoon.
There was still an IV in his hand, and his movements were clumsy and unsteady. He slowly scooped up a spoonful of porridge and brought it to his mouth.
Shen Shutong watched him quietly drinking his porridge, feeling a tightness in her heart. The longer he remained silent, the more uncomfortable she felt. She wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin.
"Did you hear what the doctor said just now?" Fu Jingchuan suddenly spoke.
Shen Shutong was startled and looked up at him.
Fu Jingchuan stared at the porridge in the bowl: "Three months, or six months. I will recover as soon as possible."
He paused and added:
"I'm sorry, I didn't take good care of this child because I didn't care about her health. I will pay more attention to the next child and won't abort it again."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com