When Ruth regained consciousness, her family was surrounding her. She was relieved when she saw how worried they were about her. This is where you all are supposed to be not with that imposter Phoebe, she thought. Her pale cracked lips smiled faintly.
"Mother, father.." she croaked out in a weak whispering voice.
The two parents came closer, looking like they had aged five more years overnight which also made Ruth immensely happy. This meant she was still the number one daughter and Mayfair princess in their hearts.
"We are sorry sweetheart, you were not supposed to find out like that. Nevertheless, none of it really matters because you are our daughter too and nothing is going to ever change that." Jennie rubbed both of Ruth's hands while her father did the same to her hair.
Ruth burst out crying, her parents believed that she was crying because of the new discovery but actually they were tears of relief. Deep down she feared that her parents would send her to the Gabriels but still Ruth was shaken that Phoebe was here now, her position as heiress was threatened.
"Mother, father and brothers, i am going to become a laughing stock in this country when the news comes out. People will jeer at me as I walk on the streets, they will call me a fraud and insult me. How am I supposed to bear this disgrace? How am I supposed to look at people confidently? I am doomed! My life is over!" Ruth punched her chest with a weak clenched fist as she sobbed.
This alone was not enough, she knew. She couldn't act greedy and shamelessly hang onto them. They needed to ask her to stay, not her begging to stay.
"I am so sorry that i am not your real daughter. It's my fault that you have raised the wrong person all these years. I am so grateful for all the love you have given me all these years and if you tell me to leave, i will leave immediately. Mother, the doctor has said my condition is very serious. You should just let me die, i don't deserve to live."
Shaking her head, her mother told her not to worry about that. "Do not talk of such nonsense, nothing will happen to you. We don't plan on sharing the news about Phoebe right now and we will not even investigate about it publicly, so please be at ease and regain your strength.
The only thing you should concentrate on is preparation for your surgery and getting well." Jennie continued to rub Ruth's hands.
She had tears in her eyes after everything that Ruth had just said. How could her poor daughter be blaming herself for this mess when it was not her fault? Besides, after the little they had heard about the Gabriels how could they send her to those people carelessly?
A child that she had raised with so much love and care, even if she wasn't her own, Jennie was unwilling to throw her to hungry wolves like Aaron and Elizabeth.
Ruth tore her hands out of Jennie's, wide eyed and confused because of what she had just heard. "Surgery? Who needs surgery mother?" Her eyes moved back and forth between Jennie and Ophelia who wanted to disappear into the wall as the plan had gone beyond what they calculated.
Luke stepped forward and explained the details to his sister who frowned the moment she heard that Dr. Murphy had taken over the case.
Shit! This is deep shit, how am I supposed to get out of this?
Ruth pushed the bed cover aside and tried to stand but she almost fell and she would have hit the ground if her father hadn't supported her.
Ruth raised a hand to her head for she felt really dizzy. Even though she was faking sickness, some actual medicine had been injected into her body and IV. The doctor had told her that the medication would make her very weak, nauseous, feverish, cause pain in the joints and dizziness.
"Stay in bed, we shall get you whatever you need." Edward tried to guide Ruth back to the bed.
"I need to use the bathroom." Ruth whispered.
"That's the purpose of the catheter." Like pointed at the urine bag which was almost full.
Ruth followed his hand and saw it, she winced because she had no idea when it had been inserted into her. But that was not the most urgent issue at the moment. What she wanted right now was to talk to Ophelia who was winking at her continuously.
"It's a number two." Ruth told Luke who asked Ophelia to escort her to the toilet inside the room.
Once inside, Ophelia helped Ruth sit on the toilet sit and locked the door behind them.
"How stupid did that god forsaken doctor land me in this mess?" She hissed. " A mother fucking transplant? Ophelia I was unconscious for a few hours! Why did you let things become so bad?" Ruth spoke through pursed lips.
Ophelia turned on the tap, with water running their conversation wouldn't be heard.
"We have a bigger problem, the donor of the bone marrow has to be someone from your family, your direct parents. The Mayfairs have sent someone to bring the Gabriels, that's why they are all still here. The plan is to tell them that you are their daughter and hope that they will donate."
"Give me the phone." Ruth told Ophelia and called the Gabriels who told her that they had already left for Magic city to her great relief.
"Stock as many necessities as you need, stay in doors for a while. The Mayfairs are hunting for you right now, they better not find you. If need be, go to another country on vacation, i will fund all the expenses."
They agreed to her suggestion and Ruth finally felt at ease. At least one hole had been closed and now she had to find a way out of full hospitalization and surgery just in case they brought in relatives from the Gabriel family for testing.
"I need to gradually reduce on taking the drugs such that I get better and then the doctor will inform everyone that those were not my test results. No one is cutting into my body like a lab rat. Where is that that dumb doctor anyway, i didn't see him in the room?" Ruth asked Ophelia who was chewing on her nails.
"Your parents fired him and doctor Murphy has called in other professors that are familiar with the fake illness. I think we should end this quickly before they catch on. The doctor has asked for more money if the plan is going to change."
"So fucking what! Give him the damn money because the plan has changed Ophelia." Ruth tried to stand because their was a knock on the door, they had been in there long enough.
After she had been tucked into bed, Alfie her father's personal assistant walked in and told them that the Gabriels were gone and they had sold their house and left the city.
"What? Why?" Jennie asked. What were they supposed to do now?
"Do whatever it takes Alfie, spend as much as you have to. Just find them even if they are abroad, this is a matter of life and death." Edward ordered Alfie who nodded and left.
Collin had been watching silently and he clenched his fists. If Phoebe had not given those people ten million and a house to sell, they would still be in the city. She was really out to kill Ruth.
Ruth meanwhile rubbed an eyebrow and hid her smile. 'You won't find them even if you search the bottom of the ocean.' She thought but on second thought she wished that she had just killed them off after all her high quality life depended on their disappearance.