Chapter 704 Brain Tumor
Amelia went back to discuss it with Oscar. She originally planned to go to Norham for the weekend, but Eleanor called and disrupted Amelia’s plan.
“Lia.” Eleanor spoke weakly from the other end of the line.
“Mom, what’s wrong? You don’t sound so well,” Amelia asked, feeling concerned for her mother. “Are you under the weather?”
Eleanor swallowed hard before replying with great difficulty, “I have a very bad headache. Can you come to visit me at Saspiuburg?”
“Have you gone to the doctor?” Amelia asked anxiously as she sensed that her mother’s emotional state was not great.
For a long time, there was no response from the other end of the line.
Amelia clutched the phone in her hand tightly in apprehension. “Mom, are you there?”
After heaving a long sigh, Eleanor replied in a weak voice, “Lia, I’m diagnosed with a brain tumor. It’s malignant. I might die soon.”
The moment Amelia heard that, the phone in her hand almost dropped to the ground.
A worried look flashed across Amelia’s eyes. She forced a smile and said, “Mom, you must be kidding, right? When you were in Tayhaven, you were just fine. How could you have a brain tumor after returning to Saspiuburg after a short while?”
Eleanor smiled faintly. “Lia, I’ve always had headaches, but the ones I had in the past were not as serious. Now that I’m diagnosed with a brain tumor, I’m not that surprised, to be honest. I’ve had no regrets ever since I got to reunite with you. It’s just that I can’t take care of your child anymore. I still long to see you more.”
The anxiety in Amelia surged. “Mom, I’m going to book flight tickets. You’ll be fine.”
After hanging up the phone, Amelia immediately went to book her flight ticket online.
When Oscar left the study and entered the bedroom, he saw Amelia frowning and the worried look she wore.
He walked over to her and asked in a gentle tone, “Amelia, what’s wrong?”
Amelia grabbed his hand. “I need to go to Saspiuburg. Mom called me just now, saying that she’s sick and she’s in the hospital right now. I need to go there to see her.”
“I’ll accompany you. Don’t reject me. Otherwise, I won’t let you go alone.” He spoke determinedly, not giving her an option.
Amelia’s lips curled into a smile. “I also booked your ticket. Our family of three will go together. If Mom’s brain tumor is truly malignant, I plan to bring her to Tayhaven for treatment. My mom and I have just reunited. I don’t want anything to happen to her again.”
Oscar planted a kiss on her forehead. “Don’t worry. She still has a good daughter like you to take care of her. She will be fine.”
Amelia bobbed her head.
In the afternoon, Amelia and Oscar brought Anthony to the airport, and Olivia and Owen also hurried to the airport to see them off.
“Amelia, take good care of my precious grandson in Saspiuburg. Perhaps you should leave him to me. Heaven knows how long you’d be gone. I’ll miss him.” Olivia wrapped her arms around Anthony. It was obvious that she was reluctant to part with him.
Amelia apologized, “Mom, I’m sorry. My mom has a brain tumor, and the doctor says that it’s malignant. I hope I can bring Tony over to let her see him. Ever since Tony was born, my mom rarely had the chance to play with him. She also misses her grandson.”
As an understanding person, Olivia nodded upon hearing the reason.
She pecked the little boy on his face and said, “Tony, give me a call every day after you get to Saspiuburg, all right? Eat well and drink well. Don’t starve yourself.”
Anthony also kissed Olivia’s cheek in return. “Grandma, I’ll miss you. Once I get to Saspiuburg, I’ll call you every day. You have to miss me too.”
Olivia’s heart was instantly filled with delight when she heard those words.
The grandmother-grandson duo continued to hug each other for a while before Olivia passed Anthony to Amelia. “Amelia, send your mother my regards. Let her recuperate well, and ask her not to overthink,” Olivia said.
Amelia nodded in response. Just then, the boarding announcement sounded. Amelia looked at Olivia and reassured, “Mom, Oscar and I will go through the security check first. Once we arrive in Saspiuburg, I’ll ask Tony to give you a call and chat with you.”
Olivia waved her hand. “Get going. Stay safe, and feed my grandson well.”
Amelia continued to comfort Olivia before the family of three went through the security check and boarded the plane.
When they landed in Saspiuburg, Amelia immediately informed Olivia they’d arrived safely. She then let Anthony chat with Olivia for a bit.
Without further ado, Amelia hailed a cab and asked the driver to bring them to Principal General Hospital in Saspiuburg. After paying for the ride, she asked Oscar to carry Anthony as they walked into the hospital at a brisk pace.
When they reached the outside of the ward, Amelia took a deep breath. As she looked at the room number in front of her, she felt hesitant all of a sudden, afraid that she would witness a scene that she didn’t wish to see.
“Why are you here?” A stern, cold voice sounded from behind.
Amelia wheeled around and found that it was Benjamin. Currently, he seemed to have aged a lot with his graying sideburns. Even his gaze, which used to be sharp, had dimmed. Amelia finally could see him as an ordinary elder. Subconsciously, she realized that Benjamin was also getting old.
However, as she looked at the aging signs on Benjamin, her heart leaped into her throat again. She couldn’t imagine how grave Eleanor’s condition was to cause a spirited man like Benjamin to turn so old.
Amelia cleared her throat sheepishly and spoke in an awkward tone. “Mom gave me a call and told me that she was unwell. I purposely flew here to see her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be at ease.”
Benjamin stared deep into her eyes before he finally said, “Go in then. She’ll be glad to see you.”
Amelia then followed him into the ward. The moment her gaze landed on the person lying on the bed, she heaved a sigh of relief.
Eleanor seemed a little pale, but her condition was not as terrible as Amelia thought it would be. At least Eleanor didn’t have hair loss, and she wasn’t bone-thin.
Amelia strode over and gazed at the sleeping Eleanor as she called out gently, “Mom.”
Eleanor did not wake up.
“Mr. Hutton, may I ask how’s her current condition?” Amelia asked, looking at Benjamin.
“It’s a malignant brain tumor. It’s almost at the intermediate stage, but it’s not detected too late. As long as she is actively involved in improving her health, there’s a chance of recovery.” Benjamin turned to glance at Eleanor as he spoke solemnly.
They had been married for so many years, and they had also argued with one another due to Amelia for a long time. However, when he saw her lying on the hospital bed and realized that she could lose her life to the disease at any second, he suddenly felt that his previous insistence had become meaningless and found it somewhat ridiculous.
Amelia pondered for a while and said, “Oscar knows a specialist in this field. If possible, perhaps we should transfer her to Tayhaven. The hospitals in Tayhaven have the best medical equipment. I believe it’d be of great help in improving her health condition.”
Glancing at Amelia, Benjamin immediately rejected, “There’s no need for that. I’ve gotten in touch with a good friend of mine, who is also a specialist in this field. He will bring his team here the day after tomorrow. The Hutton family is not poor. We don’t need other people’s help.”
Amelia’s lips parted, but in the end, she didn’t refute.
Realizing that he had rejected her too coldly, Benjamin awkwardly said, “But thank you for paying her a visit. She’s been talking about you these few days. I also didn’t expect she’d have a brain tumor. If I had known that she’d be suffering in her old age, I wouldn’t have done so many things that hurt her when I was young.”
Amelia stared at him, knowing very well that the elder was expressing his regrets for what he had done back then.
Despite that, she hadn’t had the faintest idea how she could comfort him.
After a moment, Benjamin took out a cigarette and said in a raspy voice, “Stay here and watch over her. I’ll have a smoke outside.”
With that, he walked out of the door.
Amelia sighed silently. “Oscar, can you ask James to come to Saspiuburg?”
“I’ll call him later and update him, but we can’t ask him to come over rashly either. If the Hutton family disagrees with having him involved, things will get awkward for everyone,” Oscar advised.
She nodded. “I will ask the doctor first, then ask for the permission of the Hutton family before having James come over. After all, compared to them, I am still an outsider.”
“Cheer up. You still have Tony and me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“I’m okay.” She shook her head. “It’s just that I didn’t expect that she would get a malignant brain tumor. She might lose her life because of it. If I had known that earlier, I wouldn’t have hurt her feelings and wasted so much of our time.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know.” Although she knew that, as she looked at Eleanor, Amelia couldn’t help but feel guilty. Perhaps this is the familial bond. Forever, we’ll share this bond, and we’ll always care and worry about each other.
