The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 4

Before the doc could finish his sentence, Arabella chucked a small bottle at him, her gaze never leaving the old woman.

"CircuStrength?" Caden managed to make out what he was holding, asking in shock, "Bella, where did you get this stuff?"-

Isn't this the mysterious drug that's been causing a stir on the black market recently? Rumor has it that it worked wonders on heart diseases, and just one pill could cost a whopping hundred grand...

But the hefty price tag wasn’t even the main concern. The main thing was, that this stuff was super rare. Only one pill was auctioned off every month!

How did Bella get her hands on such a rare item?

"The Murphy family has treated you so crappy, I think you've done more than enough for them. There's really no need..."

Caden was cut off by Arabella's warning look before he could finish his sentence.

"Am I wrong? Their own flesh and blood haven’t taken care of this old woman as much as you have..."

Half a year ago, Caden graduated from a top domestic medical university and came to Hope Hospital for his internship. Being born into a medical family, he was initially arrogant and cocky. But then he met Arabella and realized that there was always someone better...

Once, he was studying a complex case, staying up late for a few nights in a row and unable to sleep. Arabella took one look at the case and gave him a great solution in just a few sentences. Another time, Arabella casually glanced at a patient's chest X-ray and CT scan and figured out that the patient had lung cancer, while his diagnosis was severe pneumonia. There were plenty more instances like these...

What he admired most was that Grace, a woman on the brink of death, had been brought back by Arabella time and time again, even when he had determined that she couldn't be saved through treatment!

Arabella, this astonishing high school student, always brought an endless shock to him, shattering his arrogance and forcing him to live humbly!

During his six-month internship, Caden also witnessed her being neglected by the Murphy family, and later the two became acquainted and soon became friends. He knew that the best solution for Grace's condition was a heart transplant. But because of her old age and conditions like high blood pressure and heart failure, she simply couldn't undergo surgery. Arabella was now giving her CircuStrength in hopes that her physical condition could improve a bit, so she wouldn't be so frail that she could die at any time.

But the Murphy family didn't know any of this, they thought that as long as they paid the money and put Grace in the most expensive ward, it would be enough to take care of her...

"If the Murphy family were to take care of this old lady, they definitely wouldn't spend a hundred grand to buy this stuff to save her."

"Alright, keep a good eye on her for me." Arabella looked at Grace, and said reluctantly, "I have to go."

She couldn’t stay here too long. If the old woman woke up and saw her, she would get even more upset. If her condition worsened then, it would be even more difficult to handle.

Caden glanced at her, saying softly, "I've got this, don't worry."

"Mm."

Arabella's gaze fell on Grannie Grace. Although she had a lot to say, she ended up not saying a word and left room 301.

On the other side.

Some doctors were rushing around, looking very anxious.

"What's going on? How did Phillip's condition suddenly become so serious?"

"I heard he's been refusing to take his meds to force his son to show up..."

"This is ridiculous!"

Not long after Arabella left room 301, her shoulder was suddenly bumped by one of the doctors. Seeing them rushing towards room 306, Arabella happened to see the old man lying on the bed looking unbelievably bad as she walked by.

"She even knows about 'perivalvular leakage'..."

The old man stopped his medication treatment on his own accord. That's why there weren’t enough antibiotics used, leading to the infection and perivalvular leakage.

“Why are you arguing with a little girl? How long till the patient’s family gets here?” The old man who spoke was Greg, the hospital’s most senior heart specialist, already in his fifties. He spoke with authority.

"Dr. Greg." The moment he started speaking, everyone in the room straightened up. One person replied, "Going by how fast the family was moving before, the quickest they'll be here is in twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes was way too long.

Dr. Greg did some mental math. Phillip clearly couldn't hold on for twenty more minutes. Previously, he had undergone a mitral valve replacement surgery overseas. However, soon after, he had a valve leak and had to go back overseas for another heart valve replacement.

Yet, shortly after the surgery, he developed an infection, and the valve started leaking again. There was no time to travel abroad for another procedure, so he had to get emergency treatment right here at home.

Hope Hospital's cardiac surgery department was top-notch nationwide, and Dr. Greg's surgical skills were nothing short of stellar. That night, Dr. Greg managed to pull off a medical miracle, performing a complex surgery under immense pressure.

However, shortly after the operation, Phillip developed another infection and had to have another surgery.

Now, his condition had worsened. An upper respiratory infection had turned into pneumonia. Although the pneumonia symptoms were under control after rigorous treatment, he was now showing signs of heart failure.

During a recent examination, Dr. Greg discovered that Phillip had developed infective endocarditis and another valve leakage. His condition was critical.

The chances of a successful surgery under these conditions were less than 10%. The only thing they could do now was to wait for his family to arrive.