Chapter 1857: Almost Gone

Throughout the years, Madilyn rarely spoke about her family. Roxanne, having known her for years, never pressed the subject; she sensed Madilyn's reluctance. Roxanne only knew that Madilyn's family lived in the Northwest and that she maintained constant contact with her mother. Through numerous video calls, Roxanne became acquainted with Lorraine Xander, Madilyn's mother, whose last name Madilyn had taken.

“Where is Mrs. Xander now?” Roxanne asked. “Have you brought her in? I'll examine her first, then I want all her medical reports. Now's not the time for sadness. Lest you forget, I'm a miracle worker!”

Madilyn knew Roxanne's medical prowess had solved impossible cases and cured patients deemed incurable by the hospital. Moreover, Roxanne was learned in ancient medicine. This time, however, Madilyn dared not hope. Her years of medical experience told her her mother might not survive. Her heart was failing; soon, other organs would follow, until all were beyond repair. She feared renewed hope would only deepen her disappointment, and she didn't want to burden Roxanne.

“She's here, Roxanne, at our hospital. Let's go.”

After wiping away her tears, Madilyn composed herself and led Roxanne to the inpatient department. Roxanne was shocked to see Lorraine, sound asleep. “How thin she’s become!” Compared to their video call two months prior, Lorraine's cheeks had shrunk, her eyes sunken, and the skin on her arms had sagged terribly.

“After our last video call two months ago,” Madilyn choked out, “Mom refused to use her camera, insisting on voice calls. I was so foolish not to realize she was hiding the severity of her heart disease. I thought she was stable.”

Roxanne's heart sank at Lorraine's emaciated state. She’d planned to greet Lorraine and ask about her condition, but given Lorraine's deep sleep—bordering on comatose—that opportunity might not present itself.

Roxanne said little, instead taking Lorraine's pulse. Lorraine's skin was alarmingly cold. Grasping her stick-thin wrist, Roxanne felt a pang of pain. The pulse was so weak, almost imperceptible. Roxanne's heart lurched. She was indeed almost gone.

However, Roxanne didn't voice her fears. Turning to Madilyn, she said, “Don't worry. There's still hope. Let her rest. We'll review her files back at the office.”

Madilyn nodded, gently tucking her mother's hand under the quilt. They returned to the office and examined the reports. Roxanne scrutinized them while Madilyn explained her mother's years-long struggle with a wildly fluctuating illness. To minimize stress on her mother's heart, Madilyn had only shared diluted versions of events.

After examining the CT scan for half an hour, Roxanne noticed something odd in Lorraine's heart. “Look at this, Madilyn. What is this? Why is there a small spot here?”

Madilyn leaned closer, examining it intently, but found nothing amiss. “That happens sometimes during the scanning process. Perhaps there was a period of accelerated blood flow, causing this change.”

Roxanne frowned. Such a thing was possible, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that the spot was unusual, though she couldn't articulate what exactly felt off.