Chapter 312: Chapter 312: "My Condolences.

Rory Linden was drowsy and half-asleep, but the words she heard made her mind go blank for a few seconds. Then, she was instantly wide awake.

Bed 137!

’Isn’t that Charlotte Rhodes?’

"What happened? When did this happen?"

As she spoke, Rory Linden was already out of bed. She changed her clothes, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder.

’She didn’t dare waste a single second!’

During her rounds that evening, the woman had been fine, her heartbeat normal.

’It’s only been a few hours. How could she have passed away so suddenly!’

"We don’t know what happened. She pulled out the battery cable and the AC power cord herself," the doctor said.

Rory Linden was wide awake now. She quickly asked, "Are you sure she unplugged them herself?!"

After the artificial heart was installed, the doctors had repeatedly reminded Charlotte Rhodes and those around her about the importance of changing the artificial heart’s batteries promptly.

The hospital provided the patient with six batteries, each capable of running for 6 to 8 hours.

To ensure the patient’s safety, she was always connected to an AC power source before sleeping at night.

It was a double-fail-safe.

There was absolutely no way an accident could have happened.

Whoever unplugged the battery and the AC power was committing murder.

If the elderly woman did it herself, then it was suicide.

"From the looks of it, yes. We rushed over as soon as the machine’s alarm went off and tried to resuscitate her, but it was... too late." The doctor paused for a moment before adding, "In any case, you should get here as soon as you can."

When Rory Linden, now dressed, came downstairs, she saw Sean Harrison already standing in the entryway.

His expression was grim.

Clearly, he had also been notified.

Even though Charlotte Rhodes had treated him terribly, she was still his mother.

The two of them left the house and got into the car together.

The car drove steadily through the night.

Neither of them spoke the entire way.

Rory Linden noticed his shirt was buttoned wrong, making his collar uneven.

During the day, this small parking lot outside Celestria University Affiliated Hospital was always packed.

But at night, the lot was more than half empty.

After the car was parked...

"Wait."

Rory Linden stopped Sean Harrison as he was about to get out of the car.

She reached out and, one by one, fixed the misaligned buttons on his shirt.

He just watched her with his eyes lowered, still not saying a word.

Once the buttons were properly fastened, they both got out of the car.

By now, Charlotte Rhodes’s body had already been taken to the morgue.

A doctor led them over.

Rory Linden was about to follow him in, but Sean Harrison turned back and said, "I’ll go in and see her by myself. You don’t have to come."

As a doctor, Rory Linden wasn’t afraid of places like the morgue.

But she chose to wait outside anyway.

Sean Harrison went in alone.

Rory Linden had only been standing outside for a moment when Jason Stone and another associate director hurried over.

When they learned that Sean Harrison was inside alone, they both stopped in their tracks.

Jason Stone said in a low voice, "We’ve already called the police. We haven’t let the maid or the caregiver leave, and we’ve sealed the room from anyone else. We’re waiting for the police to arrive."

In any case, strictly speaking, Charlotte Rhodes’s death was not from natural causes.

It couldn’t be handled through the standard procedures for death.

Rory Linden asked quietly, "Are the maid and the caregiver suspects?"

The doctor opposite her, who had been part of the resuscitation team, recalled the scene and shook his head. "I don’t think so. When we entered the room, her posture suggested she was in the middle of unplugging the AC power. The artificial heart was running entirely on battery power..."

"This is a matter of life and death. Don’t make wild guesses."

Jason Stone reprimanded the doctor with a stern face.

He didn’t mean to scold the doctor, but Sean Harrison was a powerful and unpredictable man. They had to be careful with every detail.

The doctor lowered his head and said no more. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Sean Harrison was only in the morgue for a few minutes before he came out.

Jason Stone immediately said, "President Harrison, the hospital has already reported this to the police. They will get to the bottom of it."

Sean Harrison didn’t say anything at first.

After they had walked a little further, he stopped and said to Jason Stone, "That won’t be necessary."

"What won’t be necessary?"

Jason Stone didn’t quite understand.

"During the police investigation, my mother can’t be cremated. She suffered enough from her illness all these years. I don’t want her to be unable to rest in peace even after death."

Sean Harrison looked at Jason Stone. "Tell the police to drop the investigation. After my mother’s body is cremated, I will have her ashes interred with my father’s."

"Alright, understood." Jason Stone paused, then added, "The elderly lady had an artificial heart implanted. If she’s to be cremated, it will need to be surgically removed."

"That’s fine."

Sean Harrison said.

Rory Linden, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. "I’ll perform the surgery."

She was the one who implanted this artificial heart; it was only fitting that she be the one to remove it.

’Even a deceased body deserves to be treated with respect.’

Sean Harrison looked at her and said, "Mm."

-

The artificial heart removal procedure was scheduled for the morning.

Because it was a post-mortem procedure, it didn’t take place in a dedicated operating room.

Rory Linden was also the only surgical personnel present.

Before her death, Charlotte Rhodes had been in very poor condition.

Now, the elderly woman’s expression was peaceful, as if she were merely asleep.

Rory Linden carefully cut along the original incision, removed the artificial heart, and then sutured the chest cavity closed again.

She was a lead surgeon; suturing was a task she now usually left to her assistants.

This time, she had to do it herself.

She had performed all three of Charlotte Rhodes’s heart surgeries over the years.

So it was only right that she be the one to see it through to the end.

It was all over.

Rory Linden checked the sutures one last time, dressed the elderly woman’s body, placed the small artificial heart in a clear, sealed plastic bag, and took it outside.

A nurse went in, covered the body, and wheeled it back to the morgue.

Sean Harrison was right outside the door.

She handed the plastic bag to him. "Here, this is for you."

Sean Harrison took it.

Rory Linden looked at the artificial heart in his hand and said, "I’m sorry, about my out-of-town surgery tomorrow..."

The surgery was scheduled for two days, the day after tomorrow and the day after that.

She had to leave tomorrow to get there early.

Even though she already had all the patient’s records, she still wanted to go early to meet the patient and familiarize herself with the operating room.

"It’s fine. Your work is important. I’ll handle my own affairs." He paused, then added, "Just tell me the date you’re coming back, and I’ll pick you up."

"You don’t have to. If a date is set for the funeral, let me know. I’ll do my best to make it back."

Rory Linden said.

"Mm."

He nodded.

Then he turned and started walking away.

Rory Linden’s hands, tucked in the pockets of her white coat, curled slightly.

Sean Harrison walked a few meters ahead of her.

The hallway had no windows, only plain incandescent lights overhead. The light enveloped his dark shirt and trousers, casting his figure in a lonely silhouette.

Rory Linden hesitated for a moment, then finally hurried to his side. "Sean Harrison, my condolences."

He stopped.

The hallway was quiet, completely empty.

After another moment of hesitation, Rory Linden finally wrapped her arms around his waist, briefly resting her cheek against his chest. Before he could react, she stepped back again, putting distance between them.

She looked up at him and said earnestly, "Even with Auntie Rhodes gone, you’re not alone. You still have me and Leo. We’ll always be here for you."