I Got a Second Chance, So I Stopped Saving My Brother Chapter 03

I Got a Second Chance, So I Stopped Saving My Brother Chapter 03

Three hours after Mason was taken into surgery, the surgeon finally came out.

My mother shot to her feet and nearly dropped to her knees in front of the surgeon.

“Doctor, how is my son?”

The surgeon removed his mask and spoke in a grave voice.

“We saved his life, but he suffered a severe injury to his thoracic spine. The chances of him regaining function below the waist are very slim.”

My mother blacked out and collapsed on the spot.

My father caught her, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

I stood beside them, my eyes reddening too.

Of course, it was not because I felt sorry for Mason.

I was remembering my last life, when both my legs had been broken and my parents had listened to a doctor explain my condition in the same way.

The doctor had warned them that if I had arrived any later, the damage to my legs could have become permanent.

My mother had merely scoffed. “So what if her legs are ruined? Maybe she’ll finally learn her lesson.”

Now it was their precious son’s turn.

How did it feel?

By the time Paige reached the hospital, Mason had already been taken back to his hospital room.

He was still unconscious.

A white blanket covered his legs, and he lay completely still, as though all the life had been drained out of him.

Paige stopped in the doorway and called quietly, “Mom? Dad?”

No one answered.

Her eyes reddened as she walked to the bedside.

“Mason, I’m sorry.”

My mother suddenly looked up at her.

The stare was so cold that Paige recoiled half a step.

My mother fought to hold back her anger and ultimately said nothing. With all the relatives watching, she still had an image to maintain.

I walked over and set the takeout soup I’d bought on the table.

“Mom, Dad, you should eat something. Mason will need someone to take care of him when he wakes up, and neither of you can afford to collapse.”

My father finally looked at me.

It was the first time in the two years since I had returned to the Bennett family that he had really looked at me.

Before, he had always regarded me as nothing more than an embarrassing burden. Now, there was a trace of approval in his eyes.

“Willa, you’ve become so thoughtful.”

I lowered my gaze.

“I’m a Bennett. It’s the least I can do.”

Paige turned even paler when she heard that.

Being the Bennett daughter had always been the one thing she could count on. Now that I had claimed that place for myself, she was suddenly afraid.

Mason woke sometime after midnight.

His first question was still about Paige.

“Where’s Paige?”

She immediately rushed to his bedside.

“Mason, I’m right here.”

When Mason saw her, he managed a weak smile.

“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

My mother began crying again.

My father turned his face away without saying a word.

A doctor came in to examine Mason and asked whether he could feel anything in his legs.

Mason froze for a moment.

The doctor brushed a cotton swab across the top of his foot.

He did not react.

Then the doctor touched his calf.

Still nothing.

The hospital room fell into a terrifying silence.

Mason finally realized what was happening and strained desperately to lift his legs.

The blanket did not so much as twitch.

The color slowly drained from his face.

“What’s wrong with my legs?”

No one answered him.

His voice suddenly rose to a shout.

“Why can’t I move them?”

Paige grabbed his hand, crying.

“Mason, don’t panic. The doctor said you’ll get better over time.”

Mason stared at her, his eyes bloodshot and wild.

“Am I paralyzed?”

Paige’s sobs abruptly caught in her throat.

From the corner of the room, I said softly, “Mason, the doctors said there’s still hope.”

His head snapped toward me.

I met his gaze with nothing but concern in my eyes.

Inside, however, I had only one thought.

Welcome to hell.