Part 61

Claire felt the room temperature suddenly drop. At the same time, her body felt extremely hot. As a result, she could only shiver and grip her blanket tighter.

She heard voices outside. They sounded very distant, but the throbbing in her head made it hard for her to open her eyes. She became aware when her bedroom door opened and someone stepped inside. She could even hear her niece, Abigail, calling her in a soft voice.

"Aunty..?"

Claire wanted to respond, but for some reason, it felt incredibly difficult to say anything. She could feel Abigail's cold hand touching her forehead, and that slight touch made her muscles feel like they had been shocked, causing her to shiver even more.

Cold, hot, and achy all at once. Not to mention the pounding in her head made it even harder to open her eyes. The sound of footsteps as Abigail left felt like a drumbeat in her ears.

Then another hand gently touched her forehead, then her cheek.

"Claire, we're going to the hospital now, okay?" A soft, faint voice made Claire open her eyes.

Antony. He was crouching in front of her, his golden eyes filled with concern. Still, he seemed to maintain control. Slowly, he adjusted Claire's position to lie flat, pulling the blanket away, which sent a rush of cold air against her body, making her shiver violently again. Claire didn't even realize what Antony was saying to the two teenagers who were there. All she knew was that she felt something crawling behind her knees and back, and suddenly her body felt weightless.

"We're going to the hospital now." That gentle voice was heard again. Claire opened her eyes slightly; she could only see the color of the clothes the man was wearing. The sound of the gate being flung open made her ears ache again.

Her body was laid back down onto a cold surface. Claire shivered again, but then a blanket wrapped around her upper body, and she felt her body being secured before hearing the door close and then open again shortly after.

That hand was once again gently stroking her, this time on the top of her head. Then Claire felt a soft vibration as the car started and moved, after which everything fell silent.

Antony glanced again at the seat beside him. How could he have been so oblivious to Claire's condition when he had been there all along? Antony was angry with himself.

If only Flavia and Abigail hadn't come. If only Abigail hadn't checked on her aunt. Maybe Antony wouldn't have realized that Claire's condition was worsening.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly. The red light in front of him seemed to mock him. Why was there always traffic? he cursed inwardly. He looked back at Claire. The girl's face was still flushed, and her lips looked dry and cracked.

Has the change really been that drastic? he wondered to himself. He placed the back of his hand against her forehead and neck. Her fever had not subsided.

Antony pressed the gas pedal as soon as the light turned green.

The journey to the hospital felt incredibly long. He finally turned the car into the first large hospital area he encountered, parking in the emergency department lot before quickly moving to the other side of the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt and removed the blanket covering Claire before picking her up again.

A security guard opened the emergency room door when he saw Antony. Inside, a male nurse guided him to lay Claire on one of the empty beds lined up there.

"I'll call the doctor," the nurse said before walking away. Shortly after, the nurse returned with a clipboard containing forms. "Please fill this out, sir," he said. The nurse then began the initial examination of Claire.

While Antony filled out the forms, a woman in her thirties arrived. Antony was skeptical, suspecting that the doctor might still be a resident. Even though he wanted Claire to be examined by a senior doctor, this was a hospital, and he couldn't demand more. What mattered most to him was that Claire received first aid; if he felt dissatisfied with the service, he would transfer her to another hospital.

Antony had to step back as the doctor and nurse examined Claire. He could only watch the girl's face while the two of them took turns touching her—measuring her temperature, heart rate, and other things he didn't understand. Antony only responded when he was asked a question.

"We will perform blood tests to confirm whether this is dengue fever, typhoid, or something else. For now, the patient will have to be admitted here until her condition stabilizes. For initial treatment, I will administer IV fluids along with some other medications while monitoring her condition. After that, please proceed to the administration department," the doctor said, which Antony acknowledged with a nod.

Once the doctor left, Antony saw the nurse preparing to take Claire's blood with another instrument. He entrusted Claire to her care before heading to the administration department as instructed.

Antony felt a bit frustrated with the slow pace of the administration staff in processing Claire's data. He cursed inwardly once again. After nearly fifteen minutes of dealing with all the procedures, he finally returned to the emergency department and waited until someone informed him about transferring Claire to the requested hospital room.

Antony noticed the nurse who had been attending to Claire walking away, pushing a trolley. As he approached, the young nurse nodded politely and even pulled the curtain around Claire's bed before finally walking away.

Claire still had her eyes closed. An IV was already set up in her left arm, while a small bandage was taped to the bend of her right arm, which was resting against her chest. It seemed the nurse had intentionally done this.

Antony sat on the right side of the bed and watched the girl's eyes moving restlessly. Her breathing had become short and irregular.

Slowly, Antony raised his left hand and gently stroked the top of her head.

"Claire..?" he called softly. Instead of opening her eyes, Antony saw the girl calm down. "Claire, can you hear me?" And her breathing became more regular.

Even so, Antony could hear faint murmurs escaping from her lips. He continued to gently stroke her head until he was sure Claire had fallen into a deep sleep.

The ringtone of his phone startled Antony. He nearly cursed the person calling him until he saw the screen displaying his daughter's name.

Antony stood up and walked a little away from the bed, not wanting to wake Claire before answering the phone.

"Dad, which hospital did you take Aunty C to? I want to come there," his daughter said without any greeting. Her voice sounded panicked. Antony cursed himself again for forgetting about his daughter and the promise he made to call her.

He mentioned the hospital where he was. "I haven't gotten a room for Claire yet, but her condition is improving, so you can be at ease," Antony tried to reassure her.

"Can Abby and I come there?" the girl asked hesitantly.

Antony rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Claire. "Yes, you can. Also, ask Abby to bring some things for Claire. She needs to stay in the hospital for a few days," he replied. After informing his daughter of a few details, he returned to Claire.

Almost half an hour later, the nurse who had given Claire first aid earlier, accompanied by another male colleague, approached him. The nurse was pushing a larger and wider bed than the one Claire was currently using.

"Her room is ready, sir. We will move the patient now," the nurse said. Antony simply nodded. However, when the nurse was about to lift Claire, Antony stopped him.

"I'll do it," he said coldly.