Lemuel scrunched up his nose as if smelling something foul.‘You mean Callista Hawthorne? She’s not here,’ he replied dismissively.Elias’s eyes narrowed, picking up on the disdain in Lemuel’s voice. ‘I know she’s not here, I’m asking you why.’‘She’s taking care of the other patients,’ Lemuel replied, trying to brush off the question.Elias could sense that something was off.Callie’s absence didn’t sit right with him.He knew her well enough to understand that she wouldn’t abandon him while he was injured.‘Why would Callie tend to other patients but not me?’ Elias thought to himself, his mind working overtime.It was hard to believe she would prioritise others over him.The more he pondered, the more suspicious he became.He couldn’t shake the feeling that something must have happened while he was unconscious.Maybe Lemuel or Angelia had something to do with it.‘I need to speak with Callie,’ Elias declared.Angelia’s smile wavered slightly, and she exchanged a quick glance with Le
Wendy’s eyes flickered towards Callie, who was seated with her back to Elias, seemingly lost in her own world.Lemuel had arrived outside the break room by then, observing the tense atmosphere between Elias and Callie.He still couldn’t believe Elias was engaged to this woman.Before he could utter a word, Wendy raised a finger to her lips, signalling him to stay quiet, and then gestured for him to follow her outside.Lemuel hesitated, but Wendy’s stern gaze left him no choice.He followed her out of the break room, and as she gently closed the door, her voice carried a hint of warning. ‘Don’t be a third wheel, Lemuel.’The break room was a small, cosy space with a few worn-out armchairs and a coffee table stacked with medical journals and newspapers.The sunlight filtered through the half-open blinds, casting stripes of light across the room.Callie’s coughing echoed in the room, and she had tears in her eyes, but she couldn’t tell if they were from the coughing itself or from Elias’
Elias rose from his seat, lifting Callie into his arms effortlessly.Callie yelped in surprise, her cheeks flushing even more. ‘What are you doing?’ she protested, but Elias wasn’t swayed.‘You’re right—a patient needs to rest, and you’re a patient now,’ Elias stated firmly. ‘You need to rest.’Callie continued to protest, insisting that she was fine, but Elias refused to let her down.Carrying her one-armed, he reached for the door handle with his free hand.As he pulled open the door of the break room, two figures stumbled into the room.Lemuel was quick to recover and beat a hasty retreat, claiming he had some urgent tasks to attend to.Wendy, on the other hand, picked herself up from the floor, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment for being caught eavesdropping.Elias didn’t let the awkward moment deter him.He turned to Wendy, his tone authoritative. ‘Callie’s sick. Get her a ward.’Then, as an afterthought, he added, ‘If there’s no empty ward, add a bed in my room.’Wendy nodded
Elias acknowledged Angelia’s concern with an aloof tone. ‘Thanks for taking care of me, Dr Hawthorne,’ he replied, his eyes appraising her.He couldn’t help but notice the blush that crept up Angelia’s cheeks.‘I’m just doing my job,’ Angelia replied, attempting to hide her momentary lapse in composure.She couldn’t let Elias see how much and how easily his words affected her.She had to remain professional and maintain her poise.Elias’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘Why didn’t you use silver sulfadiazine cream to treat my burn wounds?’ he asked, challenging her with his gaze.For a moment, Angelia was taken aback by the directness of the question, but she quickly regained her composure and replied confidently, ‘Because it has severe side effects like rash, redness, swelling, burning, itching, stinging, or pain at the area of use. It may also require frequent blood tests and kidney function tests to monitor for systemic absorption and assess kidney function.’She left out the fact that pa
Angelia couldn’t help but feel a sense of bitterness creeping into her heart.She was tired of hearing about Callie, tired of feeling overshadowed by her presence.As she listened to Abby’s rant, an idea began to form in her mind.She had an opportunity to take down Callie a notch and prove to Elias that she wasn’t as perfect as he believed.‘Abby, let me handle this,’ she said resolutely, her mind already devising a plan.‘What do you mean?’ Abby asked.Angelia’s eyes glinted with determination. ‘I mean, I’ll find out if Callie is still in touch with Simon and expose her for the manipulative woman she is. If she’s trying to seduce a Lieutenant Colonel, who knows how many other men she’s tried to charm in the past. Simon needs to see her true colours.’And so did Elias.‘You’d do that for me?’‘Of course,’ Angelia said. ‘You are my cousin.’And it would be a nice payback for all the times Callie had caused trouble in her life too.‘Thank you, Angelia. I really hope this works.’Angeli
Before leaving the ward, Wendy handed Callie two pills and a glass of water. ‘You should take these,’ she said, her playful tone replaced with a more serious one. ‘It’ll help with the healing process.’Callie nodded and took the medication as Wendy made her way out.Once alone, Callie darted into the bathroom.She stood before the mirror, inspecting the hickey marks Elias had left on her skin.She couldn’t believe he had taken advantage of her while she was sleeping.With a sigh of frustration, she was about to take a shower when she heard a knock on the door.Callie hurriedly pulled up her hospital gown before dashing back to bed and covering herself with the blanket.Elias entered the room, his eyes fixed on Callie lying in bed.He knew she was pretending to be asleep, but he played along and sat down on the edge of the bed.Leaning closer, he kissed her lips, and just as Callie’s eyes shot open, he chuckled.‘Pervert,’ Callie scolded, throwing a pillow at him.Elias grinned, undete
Realising that she was still wearing the hospital gown, Callie blushed even more, feeling a bit self-conscious. ‘I’ll get changed,’ she said, reaching for the blanket to cover herself.Elias shook his head. ‘No need to change. Someone is bringing breakfast.’‘Who?’Before Elias could answer, a soft knock came on the door.‘Come in,’ he called out.Lemuel entered the ward, carefully balancing a tray filled with a sumptuous breakfast.The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, warm croissants, and a colourful assortment of fruits wafted through the room.He set the tray down on a bedside table and, looking apologetic, said to Callie, ‘Callie, I mean, Doctor Hawthorne, I’m sorry.’The contrite tone in Lemuel’s voice puzzled Callie, and she turned her attention to him, her eyes searching his face for clues.He continued, ‘I shouldn’t have lashed out at you, taken out my frustration on you. I was wrong, and I hope you could forgive me.’Callie saw genuine remorse in his eyes and responded softly,
‘You can just call me Angelia,’ she said with a smile. ‘After all, there are two Dr Hawthornes in the building, and I don’t want a mix-up.’Elias smiled. ‘Trust me, I’d never mix up the two of you.’Suppressing the rising tide of jealousy, Angelia mustered up the courage to suggest, ‘You’ll need to continue applying the cream for another two weeks to ensure complete recovery. I could make house calls at your quarters, to save you the trip to the health centre every time.’Elias looked at her, his expression cool and unyielding. ‘There’s no need, thank you.’Angelia’s heart sank, and she bit her lower lip, trying to hide her disappointment.She watched as Elias put on his shirt and left the ward, as if he couldn’t tolerate spending another second longer in her company.***Elias found Callie in one of the examination rooms.She had just finished tending to a patient with a dislocated shoulder and was now updating the patient’s chart, engrossed in her work.Dappled sunlight filtered thr