Chapter 3 Will he survive

Rihanna's POV

He had faced many dangerous situations in his life, but none had frightened him as much as seeing Rihanna unconscious beside him. He could still remember the way she had cried and begged him to wake up.

He closed his eyes.

She had to be all right.

Rihanna slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment, she didn't know where she was. She stared at the ceiling, trying to remember what had happened. Then the accident came back to her, and she immediately tried to sit up.

"Easy," a nurse said, hurrying to her side. "Don't get up yet."

Rihanna grabbed her arm. "Where is Ted?"

"You're in the hospital. Please, calm down."

"Where is Ted Lockwood?" she repeated, her voice rising. "The man who was in the car with me. Where is he?"

The nurse glanced at the doctor before answering.

"He's receiving treatment."

"Is he alive?"

"Yes, he is."

Rihanna covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. Relief washed over her, but it didn't last long.

"Can I see him?"

"You need to rest first. You lost consciousness after the accident, but we've examined you, and you don't appear to have any serious injuries. We'll keep you under observation."

"I don't want to rest. I want to see him."

The doctor stepped closer. "Miss Ashbourne, I understand you're worried, but you need to give us a little time."

"Please," she begged. "I just need to see him."

Before the doctor could answer, the door opened, and her father walked in.

Cassian Ashbourne looked at her briefly before turning to the doctor.

"How is my daughter?"

"She's awake and stable. Fortunately, she hasn't suffered any serious physical injuries."

Her father let out a breath and nodded.

"And Ted?"

The doctor's expression changed. "Mr. Lockwood is badly injured. He's lost a lot of blood, and we need to treat him immediately."

Cassian's face darkened.

Without saying anything else, he turned and left the room.

"Father!" Rihanna called.

He didn't stop.

She tried to get out of bed, but the nurse held her back.

"Please, don't move. You need to rest."

Rihanna stared at the door, feeling uneasy. Her father hadn't even asked to see Ted. He hadn't shown any concern beyond asking how badly he was injured.

Something was wrong, but she couldn't think about it now.

All she wanted was to see Ted.

Cassian found Ted in the emergency room, where the doctors were still trying to control his bleeding.

The moment he saw him, his face filled with anger.

"You bastard!"

Before anyone could stop him, Cassian walked up to Ted and punched him across the face.

The nurse gasped.

"Sir, you can't do that!"

Cassian ignored her and grabbed Ted's shirt.

"If anything happens to my daughter, you'll pay for it!" he shouted. "Do you hear me? If anything happens to her, I will make you regret it!"

Ted slowly turned his face toward him. He didn't fight back or even attempt to push him away.

Instead, he looked past Cassian toward the door.

"Is she awake?" he asked weakly.

Cassian stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you listening to me? I'm talking to you!"

"Is Rihanna awake?"

"You're the reason she's in this hospital!" Cassian shouted. "You dragged her into this mess, and now she could have died!"

Ted remained silent.

Cassian released his shirt and shoved him back against the bed.

"Stay away from my daughter. If she has any injuries because of this accident, I swear you will pay for every single one of them."

Ted didn't respond. He was too weak to argue, and even if he had the strength, he wouldn't have wasted it fighting Rihanna's father.

All he wanted was to know she was safe.

A doctor hurried over and pushed Cassian away from the bed.

"Mr. Ashbourne, you need to leave. You're interfering with our work."

Cassian adjusted his jacket and glared at Ted.

"This isn't over."

He turned and walked out.

Ted watched him leave before turning back to the doctor.

"Please, tell me how she is."

The doctor checked his wound and shook his head.

"She's awake, Mr. Lockwood. She's stable, and she hasn't suffered any serious physical injuries."

Ted closed his eyes in relief.

"Thank God."

"Now, please, let us treat you. You've lost a dangerous amount of blood, and we need to operate."

Ted nodded faintly.

"All right."

The doctor immediately instructed the nurses to prepare him for surgery. They began moving quickly, but before they could take him away, Ted's face suddenly lost what little colour remained.

He tried to speak, but no words came out.

"Mr. Lockwood?"

His eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.

"Doctor!"

The medical team rushed toward him.

"His blood pressure is dropping!"

"Get him to the operating room immediately!"

They transferred him to a stretcher and hurried down the corridor. The doctor checked his condition while a nurse worked to keep him stable.

"We need blood," the doctor said. "He's lost too much."

"How much do we have available?"

The nurse checked the records before looking up.

"Doctor, his blood type is extremely rare. We don't have enough compatible blood in the hospital."

The doctor's expression tightened.

"Contact the blood bank. Call every hospital nearby if you have to. We need a donor as soon as possible."

The nurse hurried away while the team continued working on Ted.

His condition was getting worse, and there was no time to waste.

I was still in my room when a nurse came in with an update.

"Miss Ashbourne, the doctors are preparing Mr. Lockwood for surgery."

I immediately sat up.

"What happened to him?"

"His condition became worse. He's lost a lot of blood, and he needs an operation."

I threw the blanket aside.

"I need to see him."

The nurse tried to stop me, but I held on to her arm.

"Please, tell me he's going to be all right."

She hesitated, and my heart began to pound.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"His blood type is very rare. The hospital doesn't have enough compatible blood for him right now, and the doctors are trying to find a suitable donor."

I stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

"He needs a transfusion, but finding compatible blood may take time. His condition is serious."

My hands began to shake.

"Will he survive?"

The nurse looked down before answering.

"The doctors are doing everything they can, but his chances are fifty-fifty."

I felt as though the whole room had disappeared around me.

Fifty-fifty.

No. That couldn't be true.

Ted had protected me. He had held me in his arms and promised that nothing would happen to me. Even when he was badly injured, he had refused treatment because he wanted to see me open my eyes first.

And now he was the one lying unconscious, fighting for his life.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I shook my head.

"No. He's not going to die."

The nurse tried to comfort me, but I could barely hear her.

"He's not going to die," I repeated. "He promised me."

I covered my face with my hands and cried.

I didn't care about the scandal our relationship might cause. I didn't care about my father's threats or what the rest of the family would say. I only wanted Ted to open his eyes and tell me he was all right.

A few minutes later, the door opened again.

The doctor stood there, and I immediately looked up.

"Doctor, please. Tell me he's going to survive."

He walked toward me, his expression serious.

"We're doing everything we can, Miss Ashbourne. But we need to find compatible blood as quickly as possible."

"Then find it!" I cried. "Please, don't let him die!"

The doctor said nothing for a moment before turning toward the door.

"We'll keep you informed."

He left, and I was alone again.

I stared at the door, praying that someone would come back with good news.

Then my phone rang.

I looked at the screen through my tears. It was an unknown number. For a moment, I considered ignoring it, but something made me answer.

"Hello?"

A man's voice came through.

"Am I speaking with Rihanna Ashbourne?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"We're calling from the blood bank. We've received an urgent request concerning Mr. Ted Lockwood. We may have found a compatible donor, but we need to confirm a few things first."

I sat up straight, my heart racing.

"Does that mean he can get the blood?"

"We cannot confirm that yet. We need to complete the necessary tests."

"Please, hurry. He's dying."

"We understand, Miss Ashbourne. We'll do everything we can."

The call ended.

I stared at my phone, my hands trembling.

There was still a chance.

But as I sat there waiting for another update, one thought kept repeating in my head.

What if the blood arrived too late?