Chapter 454 I'll Get You Some Supplements
The hazy feeling of being half-drunk and half-awake was nice, but not quite enough, because she couldn't quite make out Damian's expression.
In her memory, his expression was always sharp and cold like a blade, but tonight, she suddenly couldn't see it clearly.
That feeling of weightlessness was unsettling and terrifying.
She squinted and tried to focus, and after a long while, she heard the faceless Damian say, "You've had too much to drink."
He didn't answer directly.
Was this an admission or an evasion?
Ashley forced a bitter smile. She couldn't drink, fine, but she could eat, right? She took a few bites of the spicy pasta, and with the extreme spiciness and pain, tears once again flowed freely.
Later, it was Damian who drove them home.
She staggered upstairs, collapsed on the couch as soon as she entered, limp and dazed.
In the haze, she felt Damian come closer, the couch sank a bit, and then there was warm breath, "Ashley?"
She heard someone calling her name, very gently. She opened her eyes and looked over wearily, seeing two overlapping faces swaying left and right, "Damian, stop shaking, you have two heads!"
Damian held her head in his hands, steadying it, "Why did you drink?"
She wasn't a heavy drinker, but half a bottle of beer shouldn't have knocked her out. It wasn't the alcohol's strength; it was the heavy heart she carried. How could she not get drunk? Ashley giggled, "The pasta was too spicy, the cold beer helped."
Her laugh was innocent and naive.
Damian clearly didn't accept her explanation. He had sensed something was wrong when they left her parents' place and became more certain while they were eating. "Did someone say something to you?"
Ashley, with the last bit of her rationality, said, "Do you want me to know, or are you afraid I'll know?"
It seemed she had indeed heard something.
"About whom?"
"No one. I'm tired. I won't look at the files today. I'll finish them tomorrow, Mr. Hearst. Can I clock out now?"
Damian pinched her cheek, "Ashley?"
Ashley didn't respond. She was too tired, didn't want to think, didn't want to speak, didn't want to be conscious.
But his voice was so nice when he called her name.
Before losing consciousness, she thought so.
The next day, Ashley was woken up by stomach pain. Rubbing her stomach that felt like it was being pricked by needles, she struggled to open her eyes.
She pressed the remote, and the curtains slowly opened. Summer days were short, and it got bright very early. It was already broad daylight, illuminating the room's furnishings and her bare feet.
Did she climb up here by herself last night?
She had no memory of it.
Her gaze flickered, and she saw Damian returning from his run outside.
Dressed in a sleek, quick-dry outfit, his taut muscles exuded a hormonal allure.
She hadn't even had time to admire Damian's looks when her stomach pain returned, curling her up into a ball, making her whimper.
Damian went upstairs to shower, and when he came down, he saw her door still closed. He knocked, "Ashley?"
No response.
He turned the doorknob and saw Ashley writhing on the bed like a cocoon.
"What's wrong? Stomachache?"
Ashley's face was scrunched up in pain, her lips biting down hard, almost draining the color from them, her forehead beaded with sweat. Her voice was broken, "Do you have any painkillers?"
Damian scooped her up, "Hold on, I'll take you to the hospital."
Ashley's mind hadn't completely collapsed yet, and she struggled, "You can't use your arm! Put me down, I can walk!"
God, her stomach wouldn't kill her, but if Damian's arm got worse, she might just die.
Damian strode forward without a word, his tense jawline like a steep mountain ridge, "It's fine!"
Ashley only felt the wind whipping past her ears, and in no time, she was lying in the back seat.
The car sped forward, and she heard Damian on the phone, "Arrange a doctor, gastroenterology."
With Damian personally arranging it, the hospital handled everything very quickly. Ashley was sent to the emergency room, where the female doctor in charge listened to her, checked her tongue, asked questions, and after a series of procedures, confirmed she had acute gastroenteritis.
Ashley leaned weakly against Damian's shoulder, her face and back covered in cold sweat from the pain, "Do I need an IV?"
The female doctor finished writing the prescription and sent the nurse to get it, smiling wryly, "Eating spicy food and drinking alcohol, so bold, and you're afraid of an IV?"
Damian placed his large hand on her stomach, the warmth spreading from his palm, "She's afraid of pain."
The female doctor tried to ignore the strikingly handsome family member and said gently, "Knowing your girlfriend is afraid of pain, you should watch her diet in the future. If she eats something bad, she'll be in pain, and you'll be heartbroken."
Damian looked down at Ashley in his arms, "Did you hear that?"
Ashley was in so much pain that she could barely recognize her own mother, let alone have the energy to argue with him. She replied sulkily, "Got it."
Because she was weak, her voice was soft and sounded very obedient.
Damian's heart trembled, and he held her even tighter.
When the needle was inserted, Ashley had a look of bravery like a soldier going to war, but at the last moment, she couldn't help but turn her head and bury it in Damian's chest.
Damian's long arm cradled her head, protecting her like a mother hen with her chicks.
The nurse administering the injection was envious to the point of tears.
So handsome, and so doting on his girlfriend, it was simply unfair to ordinary people.
"There are two bottles in total. Press the call button before the medication runs out, don't wait until it's empty, or the blood will flow back," the young nurse said, all the while eyeing Damian.
"Okay," he replied calmly.
Before long, the door was pushed open, and Hayden rushed in, "What's wrong with Ashley?"
Ashley lay weakly on the bed, her face pale, "Aren't you supposed to be at work? What are you doing here?"
Seeing her weak state and Damian's murderous expression, Hayden realized he might have come at a bad time. But since he was already there, he had to find an excuse, "Ashley, you're so sick, I had to come check on you! By the way, you guys haven't had breakfast yet, right? I'll go get some food."
Damian's expression finally softened a bit, "Something light, she has gastroenteritis."
Hayden thought to himself, what a double standard, "Got it!"
Damian took out his phone, informed his secretary to move today's work to his email, and told Thomas to postpone the meeting.
After finishing these tasks, he asked Ashley, "How are you feeling?"
Ashley pursed her lips, "I'm the patient, are you sure you want to lecture me now?"
Damian's mouth twitched. He felt both heartache and a sense that this might be a good opportunity to teach her a lesson, to see if she would dare to act recklessly again, "You're taking the day off, the deadline is extended by a day."
"Hey! You!"
Damian pressed her shoulder to keep her from getting up, "Lie down, don't move the needle, or you'll have to get pricked again."
The threat was effective, and Ashley immediately stopped moving.
Damian sat on the couch reading documents, occasionally glancing at the IV bag.
Ashley twisted in pain, wanting to get up but didn't.
Damian put down his phone, "What are you doing?"
Ashley was distressed, "I haven't used the bathroom since I got up."
Without a word, Damian helped her up, "Take it slow."
Ashley suddenly felt like Damian was taking care of a postpartum woman rather than a gastroenteritis patient, "It's not that serious, I can do it myself."
Damian, not reassured, helped her hang the IV bag on a mobile stand and supported her to the bathroom, "Stop being stubborn."
"Okay, I'm good now." Ashley entered the bathroom and indicated he could leave.
Damian frowned, "I've seen everything, what are you shy about?"
Ashley's face turned red. Sure, he had seen everything, but using the bathroom was a private matter!
"I can't go with you here."
Damian's mouth twitched, and he stepped out.
Hearing the sound of water inside, he couldn't help but smile.
He never thought that in his lifetime, he would be doing something like this.
"Where's Ashley?"
Hayden came in with bags of food and immediately noticed Damian's strange expression.
Wait, was he smiling?
Damian coughed into his fist, "What did you buy? Do two people need this much for breakfast? As a doctor, shouldn't you be promoting a low-carbon lifestyle and not wasting people's labor?"
Hayden still felt something was off. Not only was this person smiling, but he was also talking a lot, "Aren't you the picky one? This and that you won't eat!"
He placed the food on the table, arranging it neatly, and then looked around the room, not seeing Ashley. He whispered, "So, why did you bring Ashley to the hospital? Were you together last night?"
"So?"
"So, you live together? Mr. Hearst, no matter how hungry or thirsty you are, you shouldn't have worn her out to the point of gastroenteritis! Were you too rough last night?"
Damian shot him a piercing look, "Shut up."
Hayden grinned, "What's the matter? Embarrassed about finally having a sex life? Just curious, after so many years, how did it go? Need me to prescribe some supplements? They work wonders for boosting performance!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
