Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Should Thank Warren Prescott
This is between her and Warren Prescott, but Ariana Grant has nothing to do with this matter.
She can’t just focus on her own likes and dislikes, ignoring Ariana’s health.
Soon, there were only the two of them left in the pool.
"It really hurts."
As soon as people left, Ariana’s eyes welled up with tears, and she said aggrievedly, "Uncle Zane is really merciless. Those who know understand he is disinfecting me, those who don’t might think he’s rubbing salt on my wound."
Ashley Shaw smiled and said, "Don’t underestimate Uncle Zane. Although he’s just a family doctor now, he was once a top expert at Westcroft Central Hospital. I heard from Grandpa Prescott that he was ranked in the top three in some international medical field."
Ariana nodded, "I know, of course I know, can the Prescott Family hire a family doctor who’s mediocre?"
Ashley Shaw fully agreed, "That’s true!"
Not just anyone can enter the Prescott Family.
In her past life, she was too self-assured and sat foolishly in the position of Mrs. Prescott.
In fact, it was purely her own misfortune.
At that time, Rosalind Lynch disappeared and Warren’s wedding needed a bride at the last moment. She replaced Rosalind, thus becoming "Mrs. Prescott."
In theory, any debutante from the Prescott circle would have been a hundred times better than her, and in the end, it wouldn’t be her enduring the pain.
But among all those people, the Prescott Family chose her.
Warren, probably in a moment of madness, had always disliked her and bullied her since they were children, yet he agreed in the end.
If that’s not misfortune, what else is?
Ashley Shaw shook her head, telling herself not to think about the past life.
There’s no point in thinking too much; heaven gave her a chance to live again, so she just needs to seize the present.
She looked at Ariana and joked, "So, having him treat your wound is your honor. Savor this moment of pain; not everyone gets the chance to feel it."
"Okay, okay, if you love it, you can have it. I don’t want this blessing. Ouch..."
Accidentally pulled at the wound while folding clothes.
Ashley Shaw quickly pulled the clothes over.
"Let me do it, you just sit still."
As she folded Ariana’s clothes, Ashley Shaw thought: She wished she could take the pain for Ariana. She can swim; if the one Jillian Lynch pushed into the water had been her, things wouldn’t have ended up like this.
"Anyway, we’re lucky that Uncle Zane came back. Your wound shouldn’t get worse, I trust his skills."
"Of course! I trust him too! It just hurts so much... can he perhaps prescribe some painkillers?"
"Don’t even think about it, Uncle Zane is very strict with prescriptions. With your level of pain, he might not even prescribe it... anyway, I’ll ask him for you later."
"Yay!" Ariana cheered, but accidentally pulled at the wound again, inhaling sharply from the pain.
Ashley Shaw shook her head, "Calm down, you said it hurts, right? I think you don’t really feel the pain; there’s no need to have Uncle Zane prescribe any meds."
"No... it really hurts!"
"Don’t disgust me, you’re not suited for acting cute."
"How mean!"
Ashley Shaw finished folding their wet clothes, put them in a bag, and they walked together towards the pool’s exit.
Ariana followed along, asking, "By the way, since Uncle Zane is such an outstanding doctor, why is he still a family doctor? Did the Prescott Family pay a high price?"
"Not at all. Even as a doctor in a proper hospital, there are more prospects than being a resident family doctor."
"Then why?"
"Well, something unexpected happened, leading to an injury on his hand, but I don’t know the details."
"Hmm."
When they reached the living room, it was empty except for Mrs. Chase tidying up the dining table.
Seeing them approach, Mrs. Chase said, "Ashley, Dr. Zane is waiting for you in his room, he asked you to pick up the medicine."
"Okay."
Ashley Shaw told Ariana to wait downstairs, then quickly went upstairs to Dr. Zane’s suite.
The door was ajar, and Ashley Shaw knocked, prompting Dr. Zane’s voice from inside, "Come in."
Only then did Ashley Shaw enter.
Immediately, a strong medicinal scent wafted into her nose.
Ashley identified it at once as the herbal medicine that Elder Prescott usually drinks.
Sure enough, Ashley walked over to see Dr. Zane watching over a medicine pot.
Ashley Shaw took a few steps forward, smiling, and said, "Uncle Zane, making medicine for Grandpa Prescott?"
"No, I’m not making it now. I’ve been on break these two days, so I’ve pre-cooked and sealed his doses for these days. I’m just warming it up to take over to him."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Not at all; it’s my job. Right, the medicine I prepared for your friend is on the table, you can take it yourself," Dr. Zane said, nodding toward the direction of the table with his chin.
The medicine was almost warm, and he had to ensure it didn’t dry out.
Elder Prescott loves sweets, and every time he drinks herbal medicine, it’s like punishment for him, so it can’t be cooked too long, or it becomes even more bitter.
Ashley Shaw walked over to the round table upon hearing this, and saw that Dr. Zane had not only prepared the medicine but also separated it into small transparent bags for each meal.
Dr. Zane’s voice came from behind, "It’s a three-day supply, and once it’s finished, she can probably have the stitches removed. The wound is serious but not too serious, but since she went into water today, and it’s pool water, she should be extra careful and not get it wet again."
Ashley’s heart filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Uncle Zane."
"Thank me for what? I didn’t plan on coming over today; it was Warren who hastily called me over. You should thank him."
Ashley’s eyes slightly narrowed.
Uncle Zane was meticulous in speech and action, evident from the organized medicine on the table.
If he said "hastily," then it truly was "hastily"—there was no exaggeration.
Her heart stirred with complex feelings, like small ripples spread from a gentle breeze.
Warren he...
Just as her thoughts arose, Uncle Zane’s voice quickly interrupted them.
"When I came up, I heard Elder Prescott mention you applied for the medical major at Aethelgard Medical University?"
Ashley packed the medicine into the bag with clothes and turned to Dr. Zane, saying, "Yes, I want to be a doctor."
"Does it have to do with your mother?"
"Well... it’s not entirely that, I’d say it’s half and half. I also want to work in this field."
"This field is tough and dangerous, you know that, right?"
Confusion appeared in Ashley’s eyes.
She knew it was tough; medical studies are not like other majors, often taking five years, sometimes even seven or eight years.
But danger?
Then she saw Uncle Zane suddenly raise his hand, revealing a terrifying long scar.
The scar had faded, but its length was startling, indicating just how gruesome the incident had been.
"My hand is injured because I couldn’t save a patient, and their family hurt me. Since then, I can’t hold a scalpel anymore." Uncle Zane’s voice was devoid of emotion, sounding as if he was narrating someone else’s story.
Chapter 222
Ashley Shaw suddenly widened her eyes.
She had always known Dr. Zane left the hospital because his hand was injured, but she didn’t know that was the reason.
Dr. Zane cast his gaze far away, looking out the window, and said, "That patient was brought in from a car accident. When she arrived, she was already in critical condition. Her heart was too severely damaged. Other doctors advised me not to operate and to let the family take her home to prepare for her funeral."
"But I didn’t believe it; I felt that with a little more effort, there might still be hope. But in the end... you can see my hand and have guessed."
"The surgery failed, and that patient lost her life, while I lost my right hand."
Ashley’s throat moved up and down, feeling unusually dry.
In fact, when her mom’s surgery failed, she blamed the surgeon too.
It’s human nature; the pain of losing a loved one can make people lose their sanity. Fortunately, she only blamed the doctor in her heart and didn’t act on it. She even thanked the doctor.
But not everyone can be like her, and that’s why something like what happened to Dr. Zane happened.
It’s a real pity about Dr. Zane’s hand.
Grandpa Prescott said he had originally had a great chance of becoming a leading figure in the field of coronary intervention.
She didn’t know the specifics, but she knew Dr. Zane could have had a very bright future and could have saved many people.
She parted her lips, wanting to say something to comfort Dr. Zane, but the words stuck in her throat.
Because no matter what she said, it would be too inadequate for Dr. Zane.
Dr. Zane turned back, his eyes turning from wistfulness to seriousness.
"Therefore, as your senior, the first lesson I teach you, and the only lesson, is this."
"Do what you can. Don’t think too highly or too poorly of people."
"There are all kinds of people in the hospital. Do things according to your abilities, so you’ll avoid leaving a lifetime of regret and remorse."
Even when Ashley Shaw reached downstairs, Dr. Zane’s words were still echoing in her mind.
The first lesson Dr. Zane taught her as a doctor was truly memorable.
She suddenly felt a heavy burden on her shoulders.
Suddenly... she didn’t want Ariana Grant to study medicine with her.
This was her dream, not Ariana’s.
So, as she walked out with Ariana, she suddenly said, "Ariana, at Aethelgard Medical University, besides the medical and nursing majors, there are many other majors. If you don’t want to study medicine, you can apply to change your major in your sophomore year."
"No way!"
Ariana, like a koala bear, hugged her arm without thinking and said, "I want to be with you. Didn’t I say? When you perform surgery on a patient, I’ll be next to you handing you the scalpel."
"You sound scary, like you want to kill someone."
"What are you saying! I’m serious!"
"I’m serious too. It’s still early, and you still have plenty of time to consider. Studying medicine is really tough."
"Great, maybe with all the hard work, I’ll slim down?"
"I’ve heard the more tired you get, the more you eat."
"Argh! You might as well have said nothing useful."
"Anyway, you should think about it. Once you’re really sure, it’s not too late to continue."
Ariana glanced up and down at her and asked, "Did Uncle Zane say something to you?"
"It’s nothing, just that studying medicine is tough. I thought of you fearing hardship, so I asked." She didn’t want to scare Ariana, so she didn’t disclose the reason for Uncle Zane’s injury.
Ariana switched to hugging her shoulder.
"Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you! Besides, how great is it to be a white angel? Saving a life is like building a seven-story pagoda, it’s a merit-gaining job."
Ashley shrugged.
"Suit yourself, anyway, there’s still plenty of time to think."
Not far from them, in the Maybach, a pair of cold eyes watched Ariana holding Ashley’s shoulder.
Ariana’s touch already made him feel a subtle jealousy. The thought of some other guy possibly holding Ashley’s shoulder and that person possibly not being him churned an unnamed anger from within, as if wanting to burn everything around to ashes.
But that anger was cold, lowering the temperature inside the car by several degrees due to his chilling aura.
Assistant Lowell suddenly felt a chill on his back.
He instinctively glanced at Warren Prescott in the passenger seat, wondering what was suddenly wrong with him.
Why did his face change so dramatically?
Just as Ashley and Ariana reached the side of the car, Assistant Lowell quickly opened the car door and got out.
The Prescott Family had many cars, but only this one’s headlights were on, so Ashley and Ariana knew it was the car they were supposed to take.
"Miss Shaw, Miss Grant."
Assistant Lowell greeted them.
Ashley smiled and nodded, "Could you help take my friend back?"
Assistant Lowell hesitated for a moment, just about to ask, when Ariana spoke first, "You’re not riding with me?"
"Don’t forget, we came on the electric scooter, and we need to return it to Ms. Xavier tomorrow, otherwise the shop won’t have enough scooters to circulate."
"Oh, right. Then I won’t ride in the car either, and go with you."
"No way, you’re the patient. Why would you skip the car to suffer on the scooter? Did you get water on your brain when you fell?"
"What do you mean water on the brain, I’m just worried you’ll be lonely."
"Alright, enough banter. Get in the car; at most I’ll be ten minutes behind you."
As Ashley spoke, she reached out, opened the car door, and directly pushed Ariana inside, waved her hand, and was about to close the door.
Who knew Ariana would push the door, blocking her action and asking, "Will you be okay on your own?"
"Of course. It’s not late yet, and I’m taking the main road, not the side roads, so there won’t be any issues. Don’t worry!"
Warren Prescott had been sitting in the car just now with the windows closed, unable to hear what Ashley said outside.
But now he was reacting, Ashley wasn’t riding in the car; she was going to ride the scooter.
His already stern expression instantly grew worse, turning so dark it seemed to drip water.
Why would anyone skip the car and suffer unnecessarily? Did water enter her brain while she was saving people earlier?
Assistant Lowell walked over to persuade her at this moment.
"Miss Shaw, why not ride with us? If you want to take the electric scooter, how about this: I’ll ride it, and the car will be driven by Mr. Prescott Jr."
"No need."
"But..."
Assistant Lowell still wanted to persuade her, but Warren Prescott’s low voice interrupted.
"When did I become your driver? Hurry and get in the car! If she wants to ride the scooter, let her!"
With Warren’s orders, Assistant Lowell had no choice but to respond "yes," gently reminding Ashley to be cautious, and then went around the front of the car to get into the driver’s seat.
From Ashley’s angle, she saw only the back of Warren’s head, but even without seeing his face, she knew that Warren’s expression must be foul.
But she wasn’t avoiding Warren purposely; she needed to return the scooter.
As for asking Assistant Lowell to ride... she felt awkward.