Chapter 420: A brave step
The elevator halted at a certain floor, and a few people prepared to step inside. But as the doors opened, the sight of Roger lying motionless in a pool of blood sent a wave of shock through the group, sparking immediate chaos.
One of the onlookers, who knew Roger as a neighbor, quickly rushed to his apartment to inform Varya, while another man fumbled for his phone, dialing for an ambulance.
Varya was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and made her way to the door. As she opened it, she was met by Kris, who was visibly out of breath.
"What happened, Kris?" Varya asked with concern.
"Ma’am, Roger... He’s been found in the elevator. Someone’s stabbed him," Kris gasped, struggling to catch his breath.
Without a second thought, Varya ran barefoot, her heart thundering against her chest. She hurried down to the seventh floor through stairs. When she arrived, a small crowd had gathered around the elevator.
Varya managed to get inside the elevator and her eyes widened in shock.
"Roger!" Varya got down beside him and looked at the deep wound on his stomach. The blood was oozing out from it. Kris asked the people to not crowd the area when security guards also arrived there.
Varya pressed the wound on Roger’s abdomen and asked them for the help. "I need a first aid kit. Please... Hurry!" It wasn’t the moment to panic but save Roger’s life. She checked his pulse and felt it was weak. If she kept waiting for the ambulance, it could be fatal for Roger.
A woman brought the kit for her. Varya was quick to do the dressing to stop the bleeding from the wound and by that time, ambulance arrived too.
Roger was immediately taken to the nearest city hospital and Varya went in the same ambulance.
Arriving at the hospital, Roger was taken for the immediate surgery while Varya stood outside the operation room.
"Ma’am, do you want to call anyone? From your family? I only know his friend Aiden," Kris said.
"You can call Aiden," Varya allowed him. She didn’t have her phone, nor she remembered any of the numbers of the people, who were close to Roger.
Kris nodded and dialed Aiden’s number. After Kris finished his call, he asked Varya to sit down. He gazed at her feet and decided to buy slippers for her from the outside store.
"Kris, you’ve to go to the college. I’ll manage it here. Thanks a lot," Varya expressed the gratitude for his help.
"I’ll go after Aiden comes," Kris said and again looked at her feet. "I’ll be back in a minute." Without hearing her, Kris walked away.
Varya leaned against the wall, her hands clasped tightly together in prayer. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but not a single drop fell. She held herself together, desperately hoping for Roger’s surgery to go well.
Five minutes later, Kris returned, holding a small bag in his hands. "I bought slippers for you. You shouldn’t stay barefoot," he said gently, offering them to her.
Varya blinked in confusion as she took the packet. "Thank you," she murmured, slipping her feet into the slippers. Kris took the empty packet from her hands and tossed it into the nearby bin, his eyes softening as he watched her.
"The doctors will do their best. And Roger... he’s a strong man," Kris continued, trying to offer comfort. "Honestly, though, I don’t really know how to offer words of comfort in situations like this. All I can say is to stay strong, Ma’am."
Varya gave a small hum, though her mind was still clouded with fear, burying it deep in her heart.
The surgery, thankfully, didn’t take long. Just twenty minutes later, the doctors emerged from the operating room, and the tension in Varya’s chest loosened, though it wasn’t fully gone.
"The patient is out of danger," the surgeon said, offering a reassuring smile. "I must say, you took a brave step providing first aid. It likely saved his life."
"Thank you, Doctor," Varya said and Kris voiced the same words behind her.
Two more doctors followed the surgeon out, and a nurse stepped up to them. "We’ll be transferring the patient to the general ward shortly."
"Thank you," Varya said again.
Just as the nurse entered the room with Roger, a familiar voice called out, "Where’s Roger?"
Both Varya and Kris turned in unison, their eyes meeting Aiden’s as he hurried toward them. His worried gaze swept over them both, seeking any answers.
"The surgery went well. He’ll be shifted to the general ward shortly," Varya said.
Aiden let out a relieved sigh. "Thank God!" He turned his gaze to Kris, who was standing nearby. "Thanks for calling me, Kris," Aiden said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
Kris nodded with a small smile. "No problem. I’ll head to college now. I’ll check in on Roger once I’m done for the day," he said, offering Varya a brief, reassuring glance before heading out.
"Sure! Go ahead," Aiden said, waving him off.
Once Kris had left, Aiden turned to Varya, his expression serious but filled with concern. "Did you tell the police yet?"
Varya’s face faltered, her eyes dropping to the floor as she fidgeted with her hands. "Not yet. I... I was just... blank for a while," she admitted. Her lips quivered with fear. She hadn’t even thought to contact the authorities.
"I’ll do it," Aiden said, offering Varya a reassuring glance.
Just as he spoke, the door opened, and Roger was brought out on a wheeled bed. Nurses pushed the bed forward, and Varya and Aiden quickly moved to walk alongside it, both of them casting anxious glances at Roger’s unconscious form.
Once they entered the ward room, the nurse began to check Roger’s vitals, scribbling notes on a chart. She glanced at them both before turning to leave, carrying the chart in her hands.
"This is the first time Roger was attacked like this," Aiden said.
"I think I could be the reason," Varya muttered.