A Second Chance at Forever novel (Eleanor and Bernard)

Chapter 1430

When Cedric arrived, the surgery had already begun. Aidyn and Scott stood rigidly outside the

emergency room, waiting anxiously for news.

Eleanor sat on a chair nearby, stroking her slightly rounded belly with one hand, while the other gripped

the armrest tightly. The knuckles on her gripping hand were white from the pressure, standing out

starkly against her skin.

Her complexion was far from rosy. The days of confinement had taken their toll, with little decent food

or rest. And now, having finally been reunited with Bernard, she was faced with his injury, which kept

her nerves taut with worry.

Thankfully, the doctor had said the bullet had hit his shoulder and missed all vital organs, which was

the only thing keeping her from collapsing.

While Eleanor looked like she hadn’t had a good meal in ages, Hailey, also pregnant, had gained a fair

amount of weight. Cedric wasn’t one to sympathize with other women, but even he couldn’t help

frowning at the sight of his exhausted sister-in-law. “Eleanor,” Cedric approached her, suggesting she

return to the hotel to rest. “You look beat. You should head back and catch some Z’s.”

Eleanor’s gaze shifted from the door of the emergency room to Cedric. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

But no matter how tired, she needed to see Bernard through his surgery and know he was out of the

woods before she could relax. When Eleanor set her mind to something, she was as stubborn as her

brother, and after a few attempts to persuade her to no avail, Cedric dropped it.

“I’ll have someone arrange a resting room for you,” he said, not waiting for her agreement before

waving over a hospital staff member to make it happen.

They were on the outskirts of the Golden Sea District, and a little money could make many things

happen quickly.

As Cedric was convincing Eleanor to go to the resting room, the emergency room doors swung open

and the doctor emerged.

“How is he?” Cedric asked immediately.

Eleanor, mustering her strength, approached as well, her eyes pleading with the doctor for good news.

“Did the surgery go well?”

The doctor removed his mask, revealing a confident smile. “The surgery was a success. He’s been

moved to recovery. You can see him now.”

The four of them outside the emergency room finally exhaled in relief, especially Eleanor, whose

tension snapped, leaving her feeling as light as a bubble and suddenly weak. Her worries dissipated

alongside her tension.

As she intended to follow the others to Bernard’s room, a sharp kick from her unborn child caused her

to pause, her hand against the wall for support.

The men, preoccupied, hurried ahead to the room, unaware of her discomfort.

In his hospital bed, Bernard was just coming to. His eyes flitted open, but not seeing Eleanor

immediately made him paler than he had been during the operation.

He thought something had happened to her, his heart plummeting into a cold abyss, chilling him to the

bone. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he attempted to rise, causing Aidyn, Scott, and Cedric to rush

to his side to hold him down.

“Easy, sir. You just got out of surgery. Don’t move,” Aidyn cautioned, but Bernard’s shoulder started

bleeding again, soaking the white gauze red. He seemed not to notice.

“Where’s Eleanor?”

His voice was weak from the anesthesia, and he couldn’t shake off the men’s hands, so he clutched at

Cedric’s arm instead.

His eyes bore an intense ‘if anyone’s messed with my wife, I’ll take them down’ kind of fury.

“Did Yates take her again?”

Cedric thought Bernard was just asking for the bathroom; he didn’t realize Bernard was so worked up

because he didn’t see his

wife.

“Bernard…” Before Cedric could say more, Eleanor, leaning on the wall for support, made her way to

the door of the room. When Bernard saw her frail silhouette, his worried heart eased, and his

expression softened.

“Are you feeling alright?”

09:44

Chapter 1430

“I’m fine,” she reassured him with a shake of her head and then gestured to her belly. “The baby’s just

doing a happy dance in there since he heard the surgery went well.”

Bernard’s gaze softened as he looked at her belly. “When he comes out, I’ll have to teach him a

lesson.”

*Eleanor, now inside the room, shot him a wry look at his words. “Thinking about disciplining the baby

before he’s even born? Who

does that?”

She murmured before noticing his bleeding shoulder.

“Why’s it bleeding again?” Frowning, she bent down to touch the stained gauze. “I’ll get the doctor.”

Bernard caught her hand, pulling it into his own.

“It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Aidyn and Scott, who had been enjoying this intimate moment between the couple, suddenly realized

they were being subtly told to get moving.

“Uh, I’ll go get the doctor,” Aidyn said.

“Yeah, and I’ll grab some snacks,” Scott added, as they both made a quick exit.

This left Cedric, who was trying to decipher the look in Bernard’s eyes.

“Cedric.”

“Yeah?” Cedric leaned in, expecting some profound words from Bernard, and sat expectantly at the

edge of the bed.

“What’s up?”

Bernard spoke in his low, magnetic voice, simply instructing, “Head back home. Take care of Hailey.”

Cedric stared at his brother for a few seconds, coming to understand the old saying – Useful tools are

brought to the front; the useless ones get left in the dust.