Chapter 395

"Oh, sir?" The young girl looked perplexed; her innocent eyes staring at him. "I don't know her, I'm sorry."

Lawrence immediately withdrew his gaze. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence. After all, the world was filled with people who resembled one another, and he had likely overthought the situation. Lawrence nodded faintly and turned to leave.

The young girl clenched the handkerchief in her hand, gradually tightening her grip. Her doe-like eyes grew deep, and a hint of fanaticism flickered, fixated on his handsome and tall figure from behind.

"Miss..." Not long after, Claire had the driver bring the car around, shielding the girl with an umbrella. Wordlessly, she used the handkerchief to wipe her face, smirking. "He's long gone for now."

"Do you think he will remember me?" The young girl pondered and said, "He glanced at me a few times, but didn't seem to recognize me."

In between Claire's words, there was a hidden meaning, "Even if he can't remember, we will meet him again soon."

The young girl lowered her eyes, a slight hint of confusion in her gaze.

Inside the hospital office, Lawrence knocked on the door and walked in. Dr. Moore immediately stood up to greet him, holding a thick and well-organized medical record in his hands. There was a sense of unease in his demeanor, likely due to Lawrence's imposing presence.

"What is the exact condition of my mother that requires multiple diagnoses?" Lawrence asked.

"Lawrence, please prepare yourself," Dr. Moore replied. He glanced at him, opened the medical record, and handed it over with a heavy sigh. "After consulting with other doctors, we have confirmed that Madam Rodriguez has a severe blood disorder known as a spinal regeneration disorder. In simpler terms, it is a type of leukemia that is sudden, aggressive, and life-threatening. Her collapse this morning was one of its symptom, and we had only learned about her fatal illness when the blood test results came out."

Lawrence took a few steps back, his eyes now cold and stern. He shook his head and sneered, "This is impossible. You conducted an organ examination on her after she woke up! It was just a case of deterioration combined with her preexisting illness. You assured me she would get better with time. How could she suddenly have this disease?"

"Malignant spinal disease requires blood analysis, so the previous results didn't show anything," Dr. Moore explained.

"Why does she have leukemia? Yes, my mother has been plagued by illnesses for many years, but this shouldn't be the case." Lawrence refused to believe it as there were no warning signs.

"I'm investigating the cause," Dr. Moore responded and added, "In addition, along with the blood test results, we have the ingredient analysis of the two pills Winnie gave to Madam Rodriguez. She has been bedridden for three years, and under routine care, the medication prescribed by the family doctor was safe. The only possible variable should be Winnie's medication, which is highly potent."

Lawrence froze, speculating the meaning behind Dr. Moore's words. His brow furrowed, and his tone grew colder. "And what about the analysis of the pill's ingredients?"

"I will take you to the laboratory to see the results," Dr. Moore said. "There are approximately three hundred components in these two pills, and Winnie's prescription is quite complex."

The laboratory door opened, and Dr. Moore frowned, pointing to the data sheet for Lawrence to see. "Among these ingredients provided by Winnie, there are several high-risk medications. These medications were initially designed for poisoning. Given Winnie's understanding of pharmacology, she decided to counteract the poison with another poison. The logic behind it seems sound in theory. However, when specifically used in Madam Rodriguez's body, can we ensure it works without causing harm?

"Furthermore, these medications are Western drugs classified as biological preparations. Leukemia can be triggered by numerous factors that the medical community has yet to fully understand, including genetic mutations, chemical and biological interactions and viral infections."

Lawrence's lips paled as he absorbed Dr. Moore's words. He keenly caught the words "biological and chemical interactions." It reminded him of what Winnie said that day, how she admitted to taking a risky approach in medicating his mother.

She said that in order to not be discovered by him and Darcy, she had to hide his mother's improvement on the surface so that the doctor couldn't detect it. Therefore, the medicine contained counteractive ingredients, even lethal ones. There could be a possibility that the long-term use of these two drugs triggered the malignancy of the spinal cord disease.

Dr. Moore seemed to see through his speculation. As a doctor, he couldn't pinpoint the cause of the disease. In front of someone as influential as Lawrence, he felt immense pressure. He could only state his guesses first, "Your mother has remained in a persistent vegetative state for three years. She mainly lacks immune mechanisms. Winnie's medication contains toxic ingredients, which could potentially induce a fatal disease. However, Winnie had good intentions and certainly wouldn't have anticipated such consequences."

Lawrence fell into silence, burdened by heavy emotions that overwhelmed him. He had hoped for his mother to wake up and recover quickly. The fact that it triggered leukemia instead was unexpected and distressing. He clenched his fist, knowing that he couldn't blame Winnie for this. She meant well, desperate as she was at that time, misunderstood and resented by him. She definitely wished for his mother's improvement. And indeed, his mother did wake up because of those two drugs. It was just that her recovery wasn't so perfect, accompanied by a more deadly illness.

Lawrence was deeply distressed. "How can we treat it?" he asked in a cold tone. "I only want results that could help to cure her!"

Dr. Moore shook his head. "The only viable option is a spinal cord transplant, and it has to be done quickly. The malignant blood disease is progressing rapidly. Your mother displayed symptoms of fainting this morning, and the blood test revealed that her spinal cord cells are rapidly deteriorating and no longer regenerating. Next, she might experience nosebleeds, vomiting, and severe anemia," Dr. Moore said.

He added, "Considering her old age and her rare blood type, it would be difficult to find a compatible donor. It could be like finding a needle in a haystack. Once her anemia becomes severe, she would require regular blood transfusions until a match is found. That's why I called you here, hoping to use your influence to immediately find a living blood bank and a suitable match for her."

Lawrence was enveloped in a chilling aura. His mother had a rare blood type, which was why he had been protecting her from surgeries for all these years, despite her chronic illnesses. He couldn't bear the consequences if any accidents occurred, and the blood supply couldn't meet the demand. All these years, even though his mother was forgetful and confused, he embraced it all. He loved his mother, and she had suffered too much. He just wanted her to accompany him by his side in good health. She couldn't die. Absolutely not, especially right after regaining consciousness.

"I won't allow my mother to die," he said through gritted teeth and coldly ordered Dr. Moore, "Gather all your resources, from a national to global scale, and quickly find the spinal cord and blood bank for her! No matter how much money it takes or what cost we have to pay."

With his words, Dr. Moore nodded and immediately instructed the doctors below him to take action.

Lawrence tightly knitted his eyebrows, his eyes narrow and somber. His blood surged, flushing his complexion with a deep red hue. He then took a deep breath and called out to Dr. Moore, earnestly advising him, "Don't let my mother's illness leak out, especially not to her. And don't tell Winnie!"

Lawrence retrieved the medication data and, after a moment of contemplation, ultimately tore it up. With his eyes closed, he was consumed by lingering thoughts. "Don't mention to Winnie that these ingredients might have caused my mother's leukemia. If she were to hear any rumors and blame herself, the burden would be on you and you alone!"

Dr. Moore trembled and finally understood that Lawrence had no intention of questioning Winnie. Not only was he not blaming her, but he also wanted to keep it a secret from her.

Indeed, Winnie's original intention was to save lives, not to give Madam Rodriguez leukemia. She didn't want that either. Furthermore, they couldn't be one hundred percent certain that it was her medicine as the cause of leukemia was unclear.

Lawrence decided to keep it from Winnie as well. If she found out about his mother's serious illness, she would worry. Moreover, if she knew it was somehow related to her, she would spiral into self-blame.

With Oscar missing, their relationship had already reached a dire state. Lawrence couldn't afford to let it deteriorate further and erect more barriers between them. He couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him again.

"Mr. Rodriguez, Winnie came to the hospital just now and went to your mother's ward." Dr. Moore's assistant rushed over to report.

Lawrence frowned and instructed, "Dr. Moore, you need to find a match as soon as possible. I'm giving you only three days!"

"Lawrence, finding a RH negative blood type is already extremely difficult as it is," Dr. Moore replied with a forced smile.

Meanwhile, the man had already walked away from the oncology department.

Outside the intensive care unit, Lawrence immediately spotted Winnie standing by his mother's bedside through the window. Her figure was delicate and gentle. She checked his mother's pulse, carefully examined her, and turned her over. Her concern was genuine, not feigned.

Inside the ward, Winnie was conversing with Madam Rodriguez as she turned her over to clean her back when her gaze suddenly stopped at her lower back.

Just below the spine, there was a noticeable needle mark, causing Winnie to furrow her brows. She wondered when Madam Rodriguez had received treatment with a spinal injection or had blood drawn.