Evan Doughty currently did not know how he should feel. Did he hope that Wood’s mother would remain in a coma or smoothly regain consciousness? He told Wood to wait for his mother to wake up first and then talk about retirement. If Sophia woke up, the matter would be on the agenda. What should he do at that time? Would he agree to Wood’s request for retirement? Stop kidding! He’s only 32 years old and without reservations, he’s the core of Nottingham Forest. If he were to retire, what will we do?!

There was another thing that angered him – the Arabs suddenly slowed down the progress of the negotiations.

What made him even angrier was that this matter had to about Wood!

George Wood’s sudden absence from the team overshadowed the team’s prospect. Not knowing where these Arab infidels obtained the information that said Wood might retire, so they would need to reconsider their bid for Nottingham Forest if that were the case.

Allan Adams was also very frustrated with this. He thought it was simply a ploy by the Arabs. They were looking for any excuse to keep the offer low and try to buy Nottingham Forest at the lowest price. Otherwise, how could a player be compared to a football club?

If the Arabs were to use this excuse to push down the price, Evan Doughty would not accept it. When they first went to this Arab consortium, it was because they were keen that they had the money and could afford to fork out big money. They did not expect that the more they talked, the less money there was…

Now Evan Doughty wanted very much for God to be able to save him from this.

※※※

There were far fewer reporters outside Wilford than usual. Everyone knew the reason why – it was clearly worth paying more attention to the Royal Hospital of Nottingham University than here. Even the players training here were absent-minded. Physically, they were here on the training ground, but their minds were in the hospital. George had not appeared in front of everyone for two days. No one knew what was going on with him. People like Gareth Bale and Aaron Mitchell, who were usually close to him, were a little distracted during training due to this matter.

McAllister took it all in and was anxious in his heart. He had already warned his players not to put their focus on areas other than football and what they should do was to set their minds at ease to prepare for the next game. But his words were useless, and the players’ minds wandered as before. Knowing that their next game was to challenge the strong team, Liverpool at Anfield, it was not an easy-going opponent, and Anfield was not a stadium that could be conquered if their minds were elsewhere. If the team’s mind was not in the game, what would be facing him as a manager?

McAllister was afraid to think further.

“After the training, I’m going to the hospital to visit George and his mother.” Bale told Mitchell during a break in the training as he looked at him.

Mitchell certainly knew what that meant, and he replied, “I’ll go with you.”

Bale heard his answer and smiled. But the smile only flashed across his face, and it was replaced with another look. Bale looked around and motioned to Mitchell to bend down. He got close to his ear and said, “I heard a piece of news that George might retire…”

“What?!” Mitchell screamed in surprise. He could hardly believe his ears. He saw Bale gesture to him, asking him to lower his voice. He quickly suppressed the shock he felt and whispered, “Where did you hear it?”

“There was a rumor coming out of the hospital that someone had overheard George talking to his agent… It’s just a rumor. I don’t know if it’s true or false.” Bale saw that Mitchell seemed completely disinterested to continue training and wanted to leave the training ground immediately. So, he hurriedly said a few words to set his mind at rest him.

Hearing that it was a rumor, Mitchell calmed down again, “I don’t believe it… The captain is not that kind of person. Besides, he’s only thirty-two years old. How can he retire?”

In fact, Bale only managed to placate Mitchell, but did not succeed in calming himself. In his mind, he was constantly worried that George would retire just like that.

When they saw Freddy Eastwood calling the players back to the training ground to continue training, Bale patted Mitchel on the shoulder and soothed him as well as by saying, “Don’t think too much. We’ll go to the hospital after training and find out.”

※※※

It was quiet in the ward. Only the sound of the medical equipment could be heard working. George Wood waited by his mother’s bedside. He gently held his mother’s hand and refused to let go. Vivian was at the side, recording the various data that appeared on the equipment to collate it into a report for the doctors to have the important references when diagnosing the treatment. His agent, Billy Woox was outside, figuring out how to deal with the increasingly impatient media. He did not know how the new was leaked. Some of the media outlets actually guessed that Wood wanted to retire. A lot of “excitement” was generated all of a sudden and the reporters which came to interview were more than twice of yesterday. If these reporters were to swarm in, the hospital would not been able to carry out the day-to-day work.

Vivian stole glances at Wood sitting in front of the hospital bed while she recorded the data on the equipment. She had already learned of the latest rumors from the newspapers that Wood was retiring. She was not a hardcore fan, but as a Nottingham native, she still had an understanding of football. At the peak of the Forest team’s most glorious period, a grand parade would be held in the city at the end of the season to celebrate another championship title that the Forest team had won. Besides, the hospital she worked for had a partnership with the English Football Association. How could she know nothing about football?

Was he really going to retire?

Vivian looked Wood and thought.

Wood noticed that someone was peeking at himself. He looked up, just as he met gaze with Vivian. The startled Vivian hurriedly averted her gaze and turned to look at the equipment screen. She took a pen and just scribbled something in the notebook, pretending to record data. How could she actually have the presence of mind to work?

Wood could feel someone peering at him, and she could also feel that Wood did not look away immediately.

It felt like an hour had passed, when in fact only a minute had passed on the clock on the wall. Vivian felt that Wood had taken his eyes off her and was secretly relieved. Once she relaxed, she felt strange. When she and Wood were looking at each other outside the ward the other time, she was not nervous or afraid at all. So, why would she feel a great pressure now when he was watching her closely? It was like he was a lion, and she herself was just a helpless prey in front of the lion…

After recording the data, Vivian should have gone straight out because her work was done. But she said to Wood, “Mr. Wood, you’d better take a break first…”

Wood looked up again and regarded Vivian, who did not evade this time. She also looked straight at the other man.

Wood did not agree her suggestion offer, but he said, “Thank you.”

Vivian knew she could not persuade the stubborn man. From what she had seen and heard working here these past two days, there might only be one person in the world who could make Wood listen obediently, but she was in a coma in the hospital bed. Perhaps no one else could persuade Wood to change his mind once he had already decided, even if it was just a small matter of taking a break.

Vivian sighed softly and turned to walk toward the door of the ward. She and Wood did not know each other. Their first encounter was less than two days ago. She really was not in any position to be overly concerned about Wood.

As she opened the door of the room outside the ward, she saw two men walking towards her from the end of the corridor. One of them, whom she knew, was Mr. Billy Woox, while the other person he was with was somewhat familiar. She could not recall who he was at the moment.

“Mr. Woox.” Vivian stepped aside from the door and greeted Wood’s agent, who she was familiar with from these few days.

“Miss Miller. How’s George’s mother today?” Woox stopped and said to Vivian.

“She still hasn’t woken up yet. But her vitals are stabilizing.” Vivian answered Woox’s question, and then glanced at the man next to him. Because she thought the man looked familiar, but she could not recall where she had seen him this instant.

How could Woox not be able to see what she was thinking? So, he simply pointed to the quiet man next to him and introduced him, “Mr. Tony Twain. I think you must have heard the name, so I will say no more.” He smiled.

The name was famous. How could Vivian not have heard of it? Just four months ago, he had just led the England team to win the World Cup, and then announced his retirement, disappearing from the public eye. She did not expect…

Vivian rushed to greet the legendary figure of the English football, “Hello, Mr. Twain. I’m Vivian Miller, the nurse in charge of taking care of Ms. Sophia.”

She reached her hand out to Twain with an easy manner. Twain shook her hand while he nervously stared at her eyes. Such a look was not polite, but Twain had always been like this. He was taking the opportunity to observe the other person. The eyes were the window to the soul. One could discern a lot of things from looking at the eyes.

When Twain let go of his hand, he also moved his gaze away.

Vivian was also secretly relieved. The feeling of being stared at by him was almost as the same as the feeling of being watched by Wood just now, and it all made her feel great pressure.

Woox naturally did not know what had just happened in the exchange of glances. He informed Twain, “Miss Miller is a very responsible nurse. Both Wood and I feel reassured with her taking care of Sophia.”

Twain nodded and said, “Thank you for taking care of Wood’s mother, Miss Miller.”

Vivian smiled back in reply, “This is my job, Mr. Twain, no thanks needed.”

The three people did not chat further. After thanking Vivian, Twain and Woox went into the ward, while Vivian closed the door and left.

But as she was leaving, she suddenly remembered that it was a well-established fact that Twain and Wood had a good relationship. Perhaps he could persuade Wood to change his mind? For Mr. Woox to appear here with him, it was obvious that he had asked Mr. Twain to come.

※※※

As Twain entered the room, Wood clearly heard someone come in, but he did not look back. Apparently his focus was on his mother.

When Woox saw that Wood appeared to care about nothing but his mother, he planned to make some sound to remind him that he had a visitor. But he was interrupted by Twain reaching out. On the way, Woox had already briefed him on Wood’s recent state, but seeing was believing. At the first sight of Wood’s back, Twain realized that it was going to be tricky this time.

Twain stood behind Wood and said nothing. Woox also did the same until Wood felt something was wrong. He remembered that someone had just gone out and people had come in, so he turned around…

When he saw Twain standing in front of him, he could hardly believe his eyes and a look of surprise showed on his face.

Twain, who also saw Wood’s face, was heartbroken when he saw Wood looking thin and pallid. Twain had not doubt that Sophia was Wood’s everything. What he saw in front of him just confirmed this fact once again. But it made him feel bad. His feelings for Wood were complex. It was not simply a relationship between a coach and a player, and it was not just a master and disciple relationship because he had took him off the streets to develop and cultivate his talents. It was hard to put into words that complex emotion.

“How many hours have you slept in total these two days?” Twain asked the moment he opened his mouth.

“I… Five hours… not even.” In the face of Twain, who suddenly appeared in front of him, Wood’s mind was a little unresponsive and even stammered a little.

“Go to rest.” Twain’s tone left no room for argument.

Wood’s mind was finally back to normal. He shook his head and refused, “No, I want to stay with my mother.”

“Don’t kid, George. When your mother, Sophia wakes up, are you going to let her see your haggard-looking face? Your unkempt beard, sunken eyes, messy hair, your entire body giving off an odor that the air conditioning cannot make it go away? Did you come straight from the training ground? You haven’t had a shower, have you? Are you trying to knock your mother out again?”

Watching the show on the side, Woox had to admit that Twain, who was better at talking glib than himself, as well as his special relationship with Wood allowed him to speak so brazenly without fear of facing a backlash from Wood. He himself could not do so…

Twain’s words hit the nail on the head. He just had to refer to Wood’s most vulnerable spot – his mother. He dare not refuse to listen whenever the name of his mother was invoked.

Wood was still hesitant, but his stance had loosened a lot, so Twain drove home another point.

“What are you still doing here? Go take a shower and have a good sleep. Then when your mother, Sophia wakes up, let her see a healthy you. Do you want your mother to worry about you in the hospital bed? George, do you know how many years your mother has been worried about you?”

The last sentence touched Wood’s heart. He was not someone who could not tell the good from the bad. He certainly knew that his mother had always worried about him. When he was young, she would worry that he would be as weak and sickly as she was, so she would be reluctant to eat nutritious and good food herself and feed them all to him. Growing up, she worried that he would become bad like those scumbags in the slums, that he would take drugs, go whoring and get into fights, and eventually be sent to prison. Consequently, she would rather work as a prostitute to make money to send him to school and let him receive an education so that he could find a decent job in the future. Later when he finally became a professional player and could make a lot of money, Wood thought his mother finally need not worry about him, because he was an adult, but he did not expect that his mother began to worry about his marriage prospects. She was worried that he could not find a girlfriend …

Wood got up from his chair and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

It was a VIP ward. The patient’s room was inside with a visitor’s room outside, as well as a sleeping area for a caregiver and complete with a rest room with a shower in it, satellite television, telephone, Internet and other facilities. Wood rushed into the bathroom outside, and soon the sound of running water came from inside.

“It looks like I was right to call you.” Woox laughed.

Twain did not answer him. Wood had given up his seat by the hospital bed, so Twain walked over to sit down.

He looked at the face of the one lying in the hospital bed.

He still remembered the scene when he saw the face for the first time.

At that time in Sneinton, everything he saw was grey. Grey walls, grey roofs, grey skies, and everyone’s faces were gray, like black-and-white televisions. The first color that shone into his eyes and heart was Sophia, the only light source in that small, dark room. She was the only color in the dark grey world.

At that time, he stared at her and was lost to the world.

Now he was just as preoccupied.

The colors of the past were gradually fading away, and that light that once lit up the whole room was slowly waning. With her eyes closed, she laid quietly in bed and her complexion ash colored. Her face was much more wan and sallower than the last time Twain had seen her. Countless tubes and wires connected to her body to the cold equipment. He was unable to feel any anger.

Twain gazed blankly at Sophia, lying in the hospital bed, and was lost in past memories. Those things had already passed many years. He thought he had long forgotten them completely. He did not expect that at this moment the memories would re-surface from the bottom of his heart.

He had given her a violet dress which made her gasped in pleasant surprise.

To protect her from Collymore’s philandering, he even confronted Collymore, who was then the First Team manager at the time, in heavy rain.

And that night of ambiguity, the two of them, with their thoughts wandering in the room as they waited for George Wood who was out to come home…

In the time that had passed, was a moment that he developed an affection for her deep in his heart?

As Twain was lost in his thoughts, heard Woox suddenly cry out behind him, “Madam!”

He snapped out of his reverie in an instant. When his eyes refocused, he saw Sophia opening her eyes and gazing at him.

“I’m so glad to see you, Mr. Twain…”

It was so heart-wrenching to hear her voice so weak.