Chapter 36: Austin

Austin shot Patrick a look that could freeze lava and asked, "Got nothing better to do?"

Patrick shrugged, "Busy as a bee, Austin."

Austin turned off his phone and asked, "Did you nab the guy?"

Patrick's face got all serious, "Nope."

Austin frowned, "Did you check all the road cams?"

Patrick nodded, "Yeah, checked 'em all. Traffic cops pulled all the footage, but nada."

Meanwhile, over at the hospital, Anna pushed open the door and froze at what she saw. She stepped back, double-checked the room number, then walked in.

Given Tina and Thalia's status, they should've been in the swankiest, quietest single rooms. But nope, they were in a double room.

Sure, it was a VIP double, but still, just a curtain between the beds? Not somewhere she had thought they would be living in.

Her eyes drifted to the sofas by the beds.  Charles and Michael were each lounging on a sofa, close by.

The two patients were half-reclining on their beds. The two "caregivers" were chilling on the sofas.

The whole scene was awkwardly quiet.

"Dr. Howard." A nurse pushed a medical cart into the room. She took one look and was just as stunned.

Now, with two guys, two gals, and the nurse, all eyes were on Anna.

Two seconds later, Michael, cool as a cucumber, said, "Beds are tight right now. No single rooms available, so they're stuck in a double for a bit."

Since Michael had spoken, Anna and the nurse didn't say a word.

Following protocol, Anna headed to Thalia's bed first. The nurse trailed behind with the cart.

Tina, awake on the outer bed, watched and shot Charles a look that said it all. Charles was lounging on the sofa, a lazy smile on his lips. But his eyes were glued to Anna, tracking her every move.

Thalia had been at Radiant Life Hospital for ten minutes, and only the head nurse had come by for some basic disinfecting. Anna grabbed a reflex hammer, lifted Thalia's blanket, and gently tapped her legs. "Does it hurt?"

Thalia clutched the bedsheet, tears welling up. She glanced at Michael, then at Anna, her voice shaky. "Anna, be gentle; it hurts."

Tina watched, her lips curling with interest, commenting in her head thatThalia Howard was born to be an actress. If she played a vicious yet fragile character, she wouldn't need any acting skills or practice; she could nail it naturally and give the director exactly what they wanted.

Tina's gaze shifted to Anna.

Anna didn't react to Thalia's pitiful act. She tapped Thalia's left leg, checked her reaction, and moved to the right leg.

She didn't use much force, but with a small tap, Thalia's tone changed immediately; maybe the right leg had some bone injury.

She let out a blood-curdling scream, her leg jerking like crazy. "Ah! Anna, it hurts! Be gentle."

Anna, ice-cold, said, "If you don't wanna end up crippled, stay still."

Thalia froze instantly. She turned her head, giving Michael a pitiful look. But Michael didn't even glance her way. His eyes were locked on Anna, like he couldn't look away.

After checking both legs, Anna squeezed Thalia's arms. Then she put the reflex hammer back on the cart and jotted down Thalia's symptoms in a notebook.

While scribbling, she said, "Bones are fine, but your right leg's got some ligament tears, and the knee's dislocated, causing swelling and bruising. Stay in bed. Someone will come to give you an IV later. You need to stay put for observation."

Thalia raised her arm, showing a bloody elbow. "Anna, my arm hurts too."

Anna barely looked up, "It's just a scrape."

Then she told the nurse to prep the IV.

Anna moved to Tina's bed, checked the IV fluid, and asked, "Still feeling nauseous?"

Tina tilted her head slightly, "Not now. Way better than before."

"Where are you hurt?" Anna asked.

Tina lifted half the blanket, showing her left leg and ankle. "Leg and foot."

Tina's leg and foot were already bandaged. Anna bent down, gently squeezed her ankle, confirmed no bone issues, then pulled back.

"Bones are good, but the cartilage is messed up. You need to stay in bed and rest," Anna said.

Tina pulled the blanket over her leg and sighed, "Dr. Howard, how many days do I need to stay in bed? I have a shoot coming up."

"At least three days of clinical observation. After that, we'll see how you're doing and decide when you can leave," Anna said.

Just as Anna finished up, Austin, who'd been waiting outside for a bit, pushed the door open and walked in. His tall frame went straight to Tina's bed, "All the hospital stuff and expenses are sorted, Miss Green. You can chill and recover here."

Tina looked at Austin, her eyes locking onto his. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, got some stuff to handle," Austin said.

Tina pouted, "Can you tell me your name?"

Austin paused for a couple of seconds, then said, "Austin."

Tina repeated it softly, a bright smile spreading across her face, "Thanks for saving me today. Can I get your contact info so I can thank you properly later?"

Austin didn't budge or give her his number. His situation was complicated, and getting involved could put her in danger. "Miss Green, no need to thank me. What happened today, part of it's on me for getting you hurt."

Before leaving, Austin gave Anna a long look. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but after a moment, he just nodded at her and turned to leave.

Charles watched Austin's retreating figure, his indifferent eyes darkening a bit.