Chapter 17 I Didn’t Mean It
Chapter 17 I Didn’t Mean It
Finn’s heart gave an involuntary jolt, and his pupils constricted dramatically.
His breath stalled, and the next moment, he realized the woman had already turned away.
Layla’s fever kept raging. If it didn’t get treated soon, her life could be in danger!
She could no longer wait here and do nothing!
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Tess forced herself to tear her thoughts away from the hatred she felt toward Finn and decided to hail a cab back to the staff dormitory.
The abrupt disappearance of that figure sent a pang of dread through Finn. He hesitated, then shouldered past the crowd and strode after the departing woman.
Tess!
He sprinted all the way to the nurses‘ station at the hospital entrance, but he never caught sight of her again.
A biting wind whipped at his dark, tailored suit coat, and Finn clenched his fist.
Panting lightly, he wondered whether he had been chasing a mirage.
“Poor thing, that woman’s child still has a raging fever, but given that commotion, she could only leave with her child.”
At that moment, the entire hospital’s attention was on Nadine. The nurses‘ station remained idle, and the nurses‘ gossip drifted into Finn’s ears.
Finn’s lashes trembled, and his breathing gradually steadied.
A child… Tess couldn’t possibly have a child.
Convinced the figure wasn’t Tess, Finn rubbed his brow, blaming the vision on stress and overwork.
He let out a long breath and turned, only to find Nadine being wheeled toward him.
“Aren’t we going into the consulting room?”
Finn adjusted his breathing and spoke gently.
Nadine cast him a wounded, aggrieved look. “Then why do you walk away? You know I’m terrified of hospital tests alone,
Finn. You know that.”
Noticing he was distracted, she was surprised he didn’t comfort her as he usually did.
“Finn, what’s wrong?”
Noticing the slight change in Finn, she craned her neck toward the direction he had just stared. She saw nothing unusual, so she asked in confusioni
“Nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew. It was a mistake.”
Finn answered calmly and took hold of Nadine’s wheelchair.
“I see…”
Nadine nodded half–understandingly. Just before she was wheeled into the consultation room, she glanced back once more.
Tess flagged down a cab the moment she left the hospital, jumping in as if her life depended on it.
There she sat, next to the half–open window. Wind rushed in as the vehicle sped up, lashing at her cheeks like whips, but Tess didn’t even blink. She just kept urging the driver to go faster.
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Chapter 17 I Didn’t Mean It
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The sky outside had already gone dark. Clouds loomed overhead like ink, pressing low against the horizon–just like the chaos clouding Tess’s heart.
Before long, Tess stumbled into the dorm with Layla in her arms. The lights inside were fully on.
The children’s fever medication she’d ordered in advance was already in Bessie’s hand. As soon as she saw Tess, Bessie stood up straight. “Tess, why did you buy this kind of fever medicine? You got the wrong one. These are capsules. You need the ibuprofen syrup with the dropper. The delivery guy knocked, but you weren’t here, so I brought it in. Is Layla running a fever?”
She glanced down at the bundle in Tess’s arms and gasped the second she saw the child’s face. “Oh God! Layla’s running a fever, isn’t she?”
Bessie slapped her thigh and exclaimed, “I came back earlier and didn’t see either of you. I thought maybe you got caught in the rain or stuck in traffic. But it turned out Layla had a fever, and you took her to the hospital. But wait–if you went to the hospital, why would you still be buying fever medicine on your own?”
Bessie had a loud, husky voice, and when she shouted, it rang out like thunder. Tess’s eyes immediately reddened when she heard her.
She didn’t want to recall what had happened at the hospital.
“There’s no time to explain. Bessie, please help me. You’ve raised a child before. What should I do?”
Tess laid Layla down on the bed, eyes brimming with tears. In her helplessness, she even bowed to Bessie.
Bessie jumped in fright and quickly held her up. “Don’t do that. We’re coworkers and colleagues. Of course I’ll help! Here’s what we’ll do: you go get a basin of hot water, and I’ll call a few people over to help.
“Just don’t panic!”
Tess nodded through tears and fumbled her way to grab a basin.
Bessie started knocking on nearby doors. Soon enough, several women had crowded around Layla’s bedside.
“Oh no, a child this young with such a high fever? What if it ends up affecting her brain?”
“My grandaunt’s kid had a high fever around this age too, and he ended up … not so bright…”
“Hey! Why are you saying such things? You’re freaking Tess out!”
One of the women who had been mumbling earlier was suddenly smacked on the back by Bessie. Startled, she immediately
up and glanced nervously at Tess, her voice full of remorse. “Tess, I didn’t mean it. I’m just worried about Layla.”
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Tess shook her head, but tears welled up in her eyes, stubbornly clinging to her lashes. She looked both pitiful and resilient.
She knew the woman only meant well for her and Layla, but hearing those words when she was already overwhelmed made her feel even more hopeless.
“That’s enough!”
Bessie grabbed a clean towel from the side, dunked it into the basin, and began wiping Layla’s body. Her hands never stopped moving as she barked orders at the others. “Don’t just stand there! Get over here and help!”
