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
‘The military academy is 2,500 miles away, and this trip is exhausting,’ Stuart said, voicing his concerns. ‘Why would you want to send Simon there, especially when Callie is there too? I don’t understand why you’d take this risk, especially after everything you’ve done to keep them apart.’Abby’s eyes glistened with tears, but she remained resolute. ‘Simon needs to see for himself,’ she said, her voice tinged with a mixture of hope and fear.Frustration tinged Stuart’s voice as he pressed further, ‘See for what? Abby, do you still love Simon? Are you trying to save the marriage or push your husband further away?’Tears streamed down Abby’s cheeks as she tried to find the right words. ‘Please help me one last time, Dad,’ she sobbed. ‘I want Simon to see that Callie has moved on and that there’s no possible future with her. I want him to come back to reality and then come back to me.’Stuart’s heart softened as he saw his daughter’s pain.He wanted to protect her from any more heartach
Simon took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the past lifting off his shoulders.He was leaving behind a life that wasn’t meant for him, but in doing so, he was embracing the opportunity to find his own happiness and fulfilment—with Callie.When she heard the front door shut and the sound of a car engine starting, Abby screamed and started smashing things in the bedroom.She felt a hollow emptiness inside, realising that she had pushed away the one person who had truly cared for her.Her thoughts turned to Callie, the woman she blamed for everything falling apart.Consumed by her bitterness, Abby grabbed her phone and sent a text to Angelia, hoping to hurt Callie in any way she could.Angelia, who had just finished her shift at the health centre, received Abby’s message, her eyes widening as she read the malicious words on the screen.Then a smile formed on her lips.***Callie had settled into the busy but fulfilling routine of the health centre.Her days were filled with treating