The General's Replacement Doctor Wife

Chapter Twenty-four

Throughout the drive to the hospital, Olivia's freezing hands wouldn't stop shaking. She clasped them together on her lap in an effort to keep them still.

Clayton was quiet as he drove. His expression betrayed not a hint of emotion, which made it difficult for her to read his thoughts.

He must be so worried about Caroline, she thought, slowly caressing her still-flat belly.

Olivia had actually decided she would tell him about the baby after they got home. However, fate was against her, it ruined her plans.

It felt like an eternity before they finally reached their destination. Clayton parked the car, and Olivia clambered out before he could open the door for her. Together, they hurried inside, half walking, half running, until they reached Caroline’s room.

Mrs. Hilton stood just outside the door, Mr. Hilton beside her, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder in comfort. Her red-rimmed eyes, clear proof she’d been crying for some time, made Olivia’s heart ache with worry.

Taking quick, urgent strides, Olivia reached her mother and leaned in for a hug, but Mrs. Hilton didn’t seem to notice her at all, as if she were a specter. Instead, she hugged Clayton and sobbed in his arms.

“Why aren’t you inside the room?” Clayton asked, his gaze flicking between Mr. and Mrs. Hilton. “Is everything okay?”

“The nurse threw us out,” Mr. Hilton explained. “She said we were aggravating the patient.”

“Why?” Clayton asked. The shock was clear on his face. As it faded, irritation crept in. He looked ready to storm into the room and confront whoever was inside. “You're the patient's parents! Both of you should be by her side.”

Somehow, Mrs. Hilton found her voice. Her words came out shaky. “Caroline can’t remember us, Clayton. She doesn’t know who we are.”

Clayton looked horrified, words failing him entirely. The silence that followed spoke louder than anything he could have said.

Mrs. Hilton let out a shaky breath. “She looked at me like I was a stranger. I’ve waited so long to see her again, to hear her voice again, and when I finally did… she didn’t even know I was her mother.”

Olivia wanted to comfort her. She truly did. But something inside her had gone numb. Her gaze drifted to Clayton, searching his face. The panic in his eyes was unmistakable, loud even in his silence. In the end, Olivia was the one who stepped forward to explain because this was a situation she understood all too well.

“Patients who’ve been in a coma often struggle to recognize people when they wake up,” Olivia said. “It’s completely normal, especially after a head injury. The memories usually return. Sometimes it takes a week, sometimes a month. It all depends on the patient.”

The reassurance barely reached Clayton. His face remained a canvas of worry.

Olivia bit her lower lip. She wanted to tell him everything would be all right, that Caroline would regain her memories soon, but she was a doctor. She didn’t offer false hope, especially when she knew there was a chance Caroline might never recover her memories.

Mrs. Hilton finally looked at Olivia. In a voice trying hard not to shake, she asked, “Is there a chance that my daughter's memories won't return?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, my God.” Mrs. Hilton’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor like a mannequin. Mr. Hilton immediately helped her up and made her sit down on a nearby chair.