My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Damien, Hold Me

Because Gwen Morgan had too much food in her stomach, the doctors couldn’t perform an endoscopy. They could only opt for conservative treatment.

They gave her some medication and put her on an IV drip, admitting her for observation.

After taking the medicine and with the IV needle in her arm, Gwen Morgan slowly regained consciousness, lying in bed in agony.

"It hurts so much. I feel awful. And I’m so cold, Damien."

The hospital blankets were indeed thin. Damien Vaughn tucked her in and was about to call for a nurse to get another one, but Gwen Morgan grabbed his hand and refused to let go.

"Hold me. I feel so terrible. Please, Damien, just hold me."

It didn’t seem like she was faking it.

Fine beads of sweat constantly broke out on her forehead and in her hair. Her face was pale, and she coughed intermittently, bringing up traces of blood.

Although Damien Vaughn had no romantic feelings for her, he wasn’t so heartless as to abandon her in this state.

He wiped the sweat from her brow, lifted the covers, and leaned against the headboard, pulling Gwen into his arms and draping the blanket over both of them.

He patted her gently. "You’ll warm up soon. Go to sleep. You’ll feel better after you get some rest."

Feeling the warmth of his broad chest and listening to his strong, steady heartbeat, Gwen Morgan actually started to feel better. She soon closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Damien Vaughn stared at the IV drip, wide awake. He silently tracked the time. ’Why isn’t Brandon Jacobs back yet? Did he find Cecelia Archer or not?’

He waited for three hours.

Three hours later, the IV drip was finished. The nurse removed the needle. Agitated from the long wait, Damien was about to lay Gwen back down and call Brandon Jacobs to ask what was taking so long, but the moment he moved, Gwen’s eyes fluttered open.

"Damien, where are you going?"

Since she was awake, Damien didn’t hide his intentions.

"The IV is done. You should rest. I have some business to take care of, so I’m stepping out."

"No! Don’t go!"

Like an insecure infant, Gwen Morgan clung to his waist, refusing to let go.

"I feel so awful, I need you. Damien, please don’t leave me alone. I’m scared. Just stay with me a little longer, okay?"

Damien patted her hand gently. "I have something urgent to handle. I’ll have Brandon Jacobs come and stay with you."

"No! I don’t want anyone but you! Please, I’ll die if you leave. Just stay with me a little longer..."

Damien was starting to lose his patience. "Gwen, you’re not a child. Can you stop being so unreasonable?"

"No! You have no idea how much I’ve missed you! You don’t know how much I need you! If you have to go, then I’ll go with you! I won’t bother you. You can do whatever you need to do, as long as I can be by your side and see you. Is that okay? Please, Damien."

Damien was speechless.

She held on to his waist, looking so fragile that he couldn’t bring himself to push her away. His only option was to call Brandon Jacobs right there in front of her.

Brandon Jacobs had gone home and was half-asleep when his phone rang.

He subconsciously guessed it was Damien, and the thought jolted him fully awake.

And it was.

He quickly cleared his throat and slapped his own cheeks a couple of times, trying to sound alert.

"Hello, Vaughn?"

Damien suppressed his anger. "Do you have any idea what time it is? You’ve been gone for hours. Why aren’t you back? What did you find out?"

"Hey, relax. I checked it out. It was nothing like you said. Just a look-alike, a complete misunderstanding. Think about it, how long has it been? It’s impossible. Anyway, I’ve got a situation here I need to deal with. You just focus on taking care of Gwen and stop overthinking things. I’ve got to go!"

With that, he hurriedly hung up.

He let out a long sigh of relief, turned off his phone, and went back to sleep.

Damien listened to the dial tone, speechless for a few seconds, before slowly putting his phone away.

’He checked, and it was just a look-alike?’

In truth, during the hours he’d spent waiting, Damien had started to have his own doubts.

’The person in question has been dead for over a month. How could she suddenly be alive again?’

’It must have just been a resemblance. I’m overthinking this.’

’Cecelia Archer, do you even know where your daughter is right now?’

’Do you have any idea how miserable her life might be after your death?’

’Why were you so foolish? Couldn’t you have waited for me to come back and handle things? Did you really have to end your life like that?’

As dawn broke, the old master, who had been worried about Gwen all night, called Damien to demand an explanation.

"You’ve been gone all night! Where did you run off to? I told you to find Gwen. Did you even go? Don’t think you can just hide and I won’t be able to do anything about it! Damien Vaughn, I mean it this time. If Gwen isn’t standing in front of me by 8 a.m. this morning, I’ll break your damn legs!"

"Don’t think I can’t find you just because you’re hiding! Even if I have to drag my old bones to the ends of the earth, I’ll hunt you down!"

The hospital room was so quiet, and the old master’s voice was so loud, that Gwen heard every word of his tirade.

Seeing Damien get such a harsh scolding, she quickly grabbed the phone from him.

"Grandpa, Damien has been with me all night. Please don’t scold him."

"I’m coming to see you right now. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine."

’Damien was with her all night? Does this mean the two of them...’

The old master’s sorrow instantly turned to joy. "No rush, no rush at all! It’s still so early. As long as you two are together, I can rest easy. You get some rest first. Just come over when you’re ready."

Gwen replied, "I’ve rested enough. Grandpa, you must not have slept well worrying about me last night. I’m on my way to keep you company."

After hanging up, Damien, who hated the smell of disinfectant and didn’t want Gwen clinging to him any longer, figured it was best to leave. The two of them left the room.

But just as they reached the entrance of the emergency building, Gwen’s stomach started hurting again.

She doubled over, crouching on the ground, the pain so intense she couldn’t stand up.

"Where’s the car parked? Is it far? Damien, can you carry me? I really can’t walk."

Worried something might happen to her, Damien said, "This isn’t working. You should go back and stay in the hospital."

Gwen shook her head. "No. Grandpa said he wouldn’t let you off the hook if he doesn’t see me before 8 a.m. I don’t want you and him to fight because of me. Doesn’t Dr. Sawyer visit Grandpa every day? He can just check on me then. Resting at home is much more comfortable than in a hospital."

"Enough talk. Just carry me, quickly."

Seeing her insistence, Damien had no choice but to lift her into his arms.

The early morning air at the hospital was frigid, with a biting wind.

Gwen was shivering uncontrollably, pressing herself tightly against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of it, only then finding some comfort.

As the two of them were heading towards the parking lot, Shane Grant emerged from the inpatient building, supporting Cecelia Archer. She had just had surgery and only rested for a few hours, and they were leaving now, under the cover of the pre-dawn light.

A cold gust of wind blew past, and Shane Grant quickly pulled Cecelia’s hat down further.

"The wind’s picking up. Be careful not to catch a cold. Why don’t you wait here? I’ll go get the car."