Chapter 10 Hospital Visit

Marissa lifted her hand and casually pointed toward Barry's stomach, her smile bright but sharp enough to make anyone uneasy. "You deeply care for your sister, don't you? Why not go ahead with my suggestion? Find a way to conceive a baby with Theodore. That way, you and your dear sister could even share the same man. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

The image Marissa painted made Barry's stomach churn. He could practically see himself with a swollen belly, and the thought alone made him gag. He stared at her in shock. "You're insane! I'm a man! I don't even have a womb. I can't get pregnant!"

"Oh, relax." Marissa gave him a flat look, as if she were scolding a child for failing a simple question. "You can get anything with money. What's there to be so worked up about? Are you just too scared to try?"

Her expression stayed calm, but her voice carried a quiet cruelty that made her words sting even more.

"You!" Barry's face burned red, his whole body shaking with anger.

"Anyway, I'm tired," Marissa said coolly, brushing him off. "We'll continue this little family chat tomorrow."

"You're not going anywhere!" Rita yelled, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She looked like she might keel over any moment.

But when Marissa glanced her way, she noticed the woman's healthy flush. Rita was fuming, yes, but nowhere near fainting. Saying nothing, Marissa turned to go, only to stop short when she met Corrine's tear-filled eyes.

Was she crying again? Honestly, did she have an endless supply of tears? Since they'd reunited, it seemed Corrine hadn't stopped crying once.

Corrine and Andrew had just exited the elevator, stepping into the hallway together.

Her phone screen was glowing in her hand, showing a live video feed. On it, a man was lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and machines, his face pale and lifeless. The background was filled with the sounds of chaos-raised voices and hurried footsteps.

"Dr. Wallace's flight lands after three this afternoon! What's this nonsense about discharging the patient now? Do you think you can disrespect him like that? He canceled an international conference just to come back and operate on this patient! You think money and connections give you the right to ignore medical protocol? Do you even realize how hard it is to schedule surgery with Dr. Wallace?"

A high-pitched female voice crackled through the speaker, echoing in the quiet hallway.

Marissa's brows drew together as she glanced at the group, noticing the sudden heaviness on Corrine's and Andrew's faces.

"Andrew, what's up?" she said, turning toward Corrine but directing the question at him.

No matter how many women she'd met in her life, she had never seen anyone cry this much. Even Evelina, who cried mostly for attention, couldn't keep up with her mother's nonstop sobbing.

"Marissa, your father..." Corrine's voice trembled, her eyes red and puffy as she looked at her daughter.

It felt cruel. She had just found her lost child after so many years, and now she was about to lose her husband.

"Mom!" Marc quickly stepped in before she could say more, turning to his brothers. "Let's get to the hospital right now. I'll call Theodore."

Marissa blinked, watching Marc rush off. Why was he contacting Theodore? Was he looking for Dr. Moore as well?

Marc didn't expect such negligence from his father's doctor. Allowing chaos in his father's ward was beyond unacceptable. His brows knitted tightly as he made a call while walking out, his tone firm and sharp. "Get everyone out of the ward! If anyone keeps causing trouble, detain them. I'll be there soon!"

Marissa moved closer to Corrine, and her eyes landed on the phone still clutched in her mother's hand. The live feed was still playing. Was that really her father on the screen?

The noise coming from the phone was a mess of shouting and movement. Someone was clearly losing their temper. Then came a loud bang, and everything went quiet.

"Brenden!" Andrew's voice cut through the tense air, nothing like his gentle tone around Marissa. "Get the car ready. Now."

The butler, Brenden Tucker, jumped at the sharp command, replying almost automatically before he fully registered it, "Got it!"

No one spared a glance at Rita, Holley, and Barry as they all hurried out the door.

"Corrine! Are you ignoring me? Did you forget your manners?" Rita gasped dramatically, clutching her chest before collapsing to the floor.

"Rita!" Holley cried out in alarm, running to her.

But Rita's theatrics missed their mark this time. Whatever sympathy she had hoped to earn from Corrine didn't work. She was already gone.

The driver sped through the streets, reaching Harmony Hospital in under ten minutes.

"Mom, Rissa, you go in first. I'll wait here for Theodore," Marc said as he stepped out of the car. His voice was calm, hiding his worry, trying to reassure his mother and sister. "Don't worry. Dad's going to be okay."

"Alright," Corrine murmured weakly.

Marissa was standing next to Andrew, when her phone started buzzing in her pocket.

"Marissa, your phone is ringing," Corrine said from her wheelchair, noticing the vibrations. "Go ahead and answer it. It might be the Fletchers calling about something important."

Marissa pulled out her phone, glanced at the caller ID, and looked back at Corrine and Andrew. "I might need a few minutes. You both go ahead and see him first."

Corrine noticed her daughter still couldn't bring herself to say the word "Dad," and it made her heart ache, but still she didn't press. She gently patted Marissa's hand. "Should Andrew stay with you?"

Even though they hadn't spent much time together, Corrine could tell her daughter felt more comfortable around Andrew than her other brothers.

"No, it's fine. I'll go in with Marc later," Marissa said, shaking her head lightly.

"Alright." Corrine nodded, With Andrew assisting her in the wheelchair, she quickly made her way inside with the others.

Marissa watched them disappear down the corridor, with her phone still buzzing in her hand.

She then moved to a quiet corner and picked up the call. However, before she could even speak, the voice on the other end hurried out. "Marissa! Thank goodness you picked up! It's urgent. Theodore from the Brooks family is here! He wants to meet you personally. There's a critical surgery coming up, and they're asking for you to perform it. They promised that they won't expose your real identity!"