Chapter 29 It Was Never Her

She lay alone on the bed in the emergency room. The various sounds of the machines around her made Yvette feel somewhat agitated.

She didn't dare to tell her mom, Lassie. After thinking for a long time, she could only call Sylvia.

If she weren't at her wit's end, Yvette wouldn't have bothered Sylvia. After all, she still had some pride. She really didn't want anyone to see her in such a pitiful state, not even her best friend.

Sylvia quickly arrived at the hospital after receiving the call. When she appeared in the emergency room, her chest was still heaving, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her hair was sticking to her skin. It was obvious that she had run over.

Upon seeing Yvette in such a distressed state, Sylvia furrowed her brow.

"You, really a source of worry," she exclaimed a remark that, though laden with blame, carried with it a deep sense of concern and care.

At that moment, Yvette felt a surge of emotions, almost brimming with tears.

She thought to herself, there was still someone who cared about her. At least Sylvia, upon hearing about her hospital visit, didn't hesitate for a minute and came immediately.

Taking charge swiftly, Sylvia accompanied Yvette for an obstetric ultrasound. Though the baby's heartbeat was not yet detectable, the fetus had grown a bit since the last check-up, indicating a normal development.

Once everything was taken care of, Sylvia supported Yvette as they departed. 

Spotting a minor wound on Yvette's forehead, she couldn't help but express her worry. "Are you sure you're all right? You got hit in the head with an iron rod. I'm concerned you might have a head injury."

Shaking her head, Yvette replied, "Pregnant women can't undergo CT scans. I don't have any dizziness or headaches, so I should be fine."

"You fainted!" Sylvia interjected.

"Maybe I was just startled. After all, the awning collapsed suddenly," Yvette explained.

Carrying Yvette's bag, Sylvia, with a hint of annoyance, inquired, "And Where's Albert?"

The mention of Albert's name echoed his indifferent tone in her ears, reminding her of how callously he had hung up on her.

Yvette smiled faintly, and replied, "He has to work tonight and couldn't make it."

Sylvia's frustration was evident. "His pregnant wife has had an accident and been taken to the hospital. In such a state of uncertainty, does he still have to work? He truly is a responsible pilot!"

Yvette pursed her lips, moving slowly. Just as she pondered her response, she lifted her head to find Albert. He was assisting Violet out of the emergency CT exam room.

Yvette immediately halted in her steps. No wonder he had hung up the phone in a rush earlier; it seemed he had this "urgent matter" to attend to.

Sylvia continued scolding Albert. She was so engrossed in her rebuke that she didn't even notice Albert up ahead. The corridor bustled with people, and Yvette preferred not to confront them directly.

If she and her confidante saw her husband anxiously assisting another woman for an exam, regardless of her resilience, she considered it too cruel for herself. Holding her stomach, Yvette pretended to groan in exaggerated pain.

Seeing Yvette in discomfort, Sylvia immediately ceased her scolding. She looked down at her, anxiously inquiring, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is your stomach hurting?"

Albert and Violet were talking with their heads down and didn't notice the people around them. He helped Violet turn right to go for another check-up. The four of them brushed past each other as if nothing had happened.

After confirming they had left, Yvette stood up straight again. She said, "I'm fine."

Sylvia frowned, and asked, "If you're fine, why did you groan?"

Yvette said, "I'm hungry."

Sylvia was furious and scolded, "You want to scare me to death, don't you!"

Sylvia supported Yvette as they exited the hospital.

Yvette glanced back, watching Albert and Violet disappear at the end of the corridor.

She tightly pressed her lips together to contain the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

If he had known that Violet was in an accident, then he should have known that she was at the scene.

Yet he still hung up her call.

As always, his preference never seemed to include her.

After accompanying Violet through her examination to confirm her well-being, Albert returned to the emergency room.

With an influx of incoming patients alongside other individuals already present, all three emergency rooms were fully occupied.

Violet lay on the hospital bed, her complexion still somewhat pale.

Albert handed her a bottle of water.

Violet accepted the water; the cap had already been thoughtfully twisted open, evoking a mix of emotions within her.

She looked up and whispered a heartfelt, "Thank you. I was so scared, so I called you."

"Mm." Albert avoided further discussion on this matter. Their current circumstances did not lend themselves to such conversations.

Sensing his reserved demeanor, Violet bit her lip and said softly, "If you have things to do, you can go ahead. I can manage to go back by myself."

Albert claimed, "I don't have anything pressing."

Seeing that Albert wasn't leaving, a glimmer of a smile returned to Violet's face.

Albert sat by the edge of the bed, furrowing his brow. He offered, "Hospital beds aren't the most restful places. If you're feeling okay, I can take you back."

"Okay," Violet agreed and shifted her body under the covers.

"Why did you go there for coffee? Were you alone?" Albert inquired.
Violet paused, and asked, "Didn't you see?"

Albert asked, "See what?"

Violet realized from Albert's reaction that he was unaware of Yvette's presence.

She gripped the edge of the bed, unsure of how to respond.

She didn't know where Yvette had been taken.

Since Albert didn't know, Yvette should be fine, right? She was injured and very vulnerable at the moment. She didn't want to give Albert to Yvette. 

No matter what, today, now, at this moment, she needed Albert.

"Nothing, I was alone," she said. "I heard the coffee there was good, so I went."

The week passed swiftly for Albert, with his flight schedule packed each day, so much so that he had not even realized Yvette had disappeared from his life.

On Friday, Albert hurried to conduct his routine pre-flight checks.

Upon reaching the aeromedical office, the attending doctor's name tag read Yvette. It was then that he recalled the night Violet was injured and Yvette had called him out of the blue, only to remain silent. He was too preoccupied at the time and subsequently forgot to inquire further.

Seeing her name tag, Albert felt a twinge of guilt. He thought to himself, 'I should show her some care when I see her.'

Entering the aeromedical office, Albert realized that the doctor inside was not Yvette. The young female doctor, puzzled by Albert's hesitation at the door, asked, "What's wrong? Why aren't you coming in?"

Albert snapped back to reality immediately. "All right," he replied, entered the room, and took a seat.

The doctor took out a blood pressure cuff to measure Albert's blood pressure.

Her slender fingers roamed over Albert's arm, even brushing against the sensitive inner part of his bicep.

However, he felt no hint of unease. It was strange. That unbearable restlessness seemed to surface only in Yvette's presence.

"Mr. Valdemar, everything looks fine. Once the records are updated, you can go," the doctor stated.

Albert replied, "Okay."

"The shifts scheduled for you are too tight. Your flights are going to exceed the allotted time again," the doctor remarked while glancing at Albert's flight schedule.

Albert dressed in his coat, sitting quietly in the chair, his mind wandering elsewhere.

The wall clock in the aeromedical office ticked away, filling the room with a steady rhythm, while the name of the duty doctor hung quietly by the door. The name Yvette felt like a brush sweeping over Albert's heart, sensitizing and pricking at it.

After a moment of hesitation, Albert pointed towards the name of the duty doctor. "Isn't Dr. Yvette supposed to be on duty today?" he asked.

The female doctor continued to type on her keyboard, casually replying, "Oh, we haven't had time to update that yet. Dr. Orlando has been working at the Center recently and won't be on duty here."

"Why is that?" Albert inquired.

The doctor replied, "She had a minor accident, so she requested a shift change from the management."

"An accident? What kind of accident?" Albert pressed further.

“I really don't know. Probably just a minor injury,” the female doctor paused her typing, looking up, “Do you have something to discuss with Dr. Orlando?”

Albert fell silent for a moment before responding, "No, it's nothing."