The Killer Queen ( Noella Briony ) novel Chapter 200

Seeing the figure sprawled out on the hospital bed, Noella furrowed her brow.

Calvin's face lit up with hope upon spotting Noella!

The patient was in critical condition, but he remembered Noella's paper was about the very research on the symptoms now manifesting before them.

Noella glanced at Palmer and passed the sandwich Ulrich had handed her to Palmer's waiting hands.

“Be back in a jiffy.”

“Sure thing.”

Palmer knew she'd dive into the fray, so a faint smile played on his lips.

Donning surgical scrubs, Noella followed Calvin into the ER.

“Take a gander, he's got what looks like a problem in his aortic dissection. The inner layer of the aorta's torn, and it's a Type A. Guy's passing out and bleeding massively from the dissection, and they didn’t even dare do CPR on the way here. We've got to operate now, and honestly, even I’ve only got a thirty percent shot at pulling this off.”

Noella nodded. She grasped the gravity of the situation and looked up at Calvin with a serious tone, “I'll take over, just sign the consent.”

Calvin gritted his teeth. He knew there was no time to waver, thus quickly stepping aside for Noella.

“Let’s get anesthesia going and prep for surgery!” Seeing the hesitant looks from the other doctors, Calvin asserted firmly, “I'm in charge! We're all backing Noella on this!”

With Calvin's word and the urgency of the patient's condition, the ER buzzed into action.

Two hours later.

The assisting doctor wiped the sweat from Noella's forehead with awe at her steady hand.

No wonder Professor Calvin had insisted on her for the operation. Her skill was rare even among seasoned surgical experts!

Noella exhaled a sigh of relief, “The surgery went well, but we need to monitor closely for complications like renal failure.”

“Don't worry, I'll inform the family.” Calvin affirmed.

Noella nodded and exited with Calvin while peeling off her surgical attire.

“Where did you pick up this case?” she asked.

Calvin wasn't an ER doc, so stumbling upon such a dire case was a rarity for him.

He chuckled wryly, “The patient’s Lucian’s grandson. Collapsed fresh off the plane at the airport, and I just happened to be there after a conference.”

He was so lucky to have run into Noella of all people.

“Noella, what brings you to the hospital? Checking on your brother?”

“No, the Gruber family had a fire. Malvina got burned and we rushed her here.”

Calvin was at a loss for words.

“Let’s keep this under wraps from Ulrich; I don’t want him worried. You signed off on it anyway, so it’s not on me. If any complications arise, call me.” Noella added.

But Noella was confident in her work. With proper care, the patient should pull through.

Calvin gave a wry smile while washing his hands, “Fine by me. Just think, saving a patient with an aortic dissection disease puts me in the limelight for years to come at the hospital's award ceremonies. If you don’t want the credit, I’ll take it!”

“It's yours. I don't need it.” Such accolades never mattered to Noella.

Stepping out of the OR, Palmer was briefing Annie on the Gruber family incident.

Annie rushed over when she saw Noella, “Ms. Noella! The news of the Gruber family's bankruptcy will break tomorrow, but it’s unclear how many made it out of the fire. They’ve nabbed the arsonist, a member of the Shadow Dragon Society.”

Noella raised an eyebrow, “Shadow Dragon Society?”

“Yeah, an insider helped Malvina start the fire. Apparently, the Gruber family's gasoline was all supplied by the Shadow Dragon Society. He claimed he had no idea Malvina wanted to end it all. Once he knew Malvina was hospitalized, he took the fall and got arrested.”

The ER lights finally went off, and a weary Ulrich emerged.

...

Bright and early the next day, Noella arrived at the hospital with Elara in tow.

Malvina was awake. Her once shiny hair was now dull and straw-like, her face drawn and tired, lacking its usual sparkle.

"Noella, sweetie, thanks for saving me. Love you to bits." She said.

Noella just shook her head, handing Malvina a plush pillow to lean on comfortably.

Noella knew what Malvina fretted about and didn't keep her in the dark.

"The Grubers are bankrupt. Arthur, Yates and Walden are all hanging by a thread, but Yvonne Gruber managed to hightail it out."

Malvina nodded, "Hmm, that's some silver lining, I guess."

Elara was feeling uneasy, "Malvina, what are you gonna do with the Grubers going under?"

Malvina gave a weak smile, her hand wrapped in bandages as she brushed her hair aside.

"I've got a stash, you know. Kept it hidden. Even if the Grubers are bust, I've got my own trove – a bunch of gold bars worth a few hundred grand! Smart, huh? But I... never thought I'd make it out alive."

Her gaze fell on the photo album placed beside her, her eyes brimming with longing.

"I miss my mom, miss her every day. So much that when I see Sienna calling to check if you've eaten, what you had, it just makes me wanna cry."

She wiped away a tear, the corners of her lips pulling into a weary smile.

"I'm really scared, you know. Scared Arthur would sell me off to some old geezer for a good price, scared Yates might off me someday, scared I won't get to avenge my mom, and I was also scared of dying!"

She was so full of fear, yet when it came time to avenge her mother, she showed such courage.

The door to the room swung open, and there stood Ulrich, his face set in a stern expression as he looked at Malvina, "Your life was saved by me, Ms. Gruber! You don't get to throw it away!"