Chapter 186 Malicious Sabotage
Seeing her silent, Dr. Powell thought she was frightened and gently pushed her shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Don't worry, it's not too late to change your mind. You can leave it to the hospital to handle."
Patricia shook her head firmly, "With all this information, we cannot give up. They came to us at the start because they trusted our hospital. Now that it has come to this, our hospital cannot shirk its responsibility."
Dr. Powell fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice, "Indeed, our hospital is responsible, but they don't know that. It's better not to meddle where you're not needed, we could completely..."
Before he could finish, Patricia guessed what he was about to say and interrupted, "Dr. Powell, thank you for the warning. I’ve considered this thoroughly. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, I won't give up."
Seeing her determination, Dr. Powell did not persist further, simply patting her shoulder, "Since you've made up your mind, I won't say anymore. I'll send you her files, and if you have any questions, you can always ask me."
"Thank you." After expressing her thanks, Patricia stored the information Dr. Powell had sent into her computer.
Once Milly's matter was settled, Patricia hurriedly rushed to the emergency room. Not sure of Hunter's exact location, she called him while squeezing into the elevator.
"My injury has been taken care of; I can leave now! Where are you?"
Patricia replied anxiously, "You can leave already? Then wait for me at the entrance of the emergency room, I'll be right there."
"OK!"
After hanging up, Patricia hurried towards the emergency room, and from a distance saw Hunter standing at the entrance with his back to her, his thick tweed coat slashed with a long cut from a fruit knife, his black clothes dyed burgundy with blood.
Thinking of the fresh wound added to his already scarred body, Patricia felt a pang of guilt. Approaching step by step with a lump in her throat, she asked hoarsely, "Hunter, are you alright? Is it any muscle or bone injury?"
Hearing her voice, Hunter turned around abruptly, giving her a gentle smile upon seeing her.
"I'm fine, the doctor said it's just a superficial injury, it'll be healed with some medication in a few days, don't worry."
Patricia felt a twinge at the tip of her nose, and her eyes heated up, "Thank you for what you did just now!"
Hunter crooked his right index finger, tapping her forehead lightly and said with a smile, "If you keep being so formal with me, I'm really going to get angry."
Patricia, touching her forehead that didn't really hurt, smiled playfully. "By the way, how come you ended up at the hospital?"
And such a coincidence that he was there to save her at the moment she faced danger. Hunter feigned an epiphany, "I almost forgot the real reason I was here. It's Christmas Eve today, and I wanted to take you and the kids out to celebrate."
"To spend Christmas Eve together?" Patricia was taken aback. But she had already promised Martin to spend Christmas Eve together.
Seeing her look troubled, Hunter tentatively asked, "Do you already have plans?"
Patricia nodded, "Yes, I made plans the day before yesterday."
Hunter didn't give her a hard time or inquire further. Patting her on the head, he said, "Since you have plans, that's settled then! Go have fun. I'll head back to the hotel myself."
The more magnanimous he was, the more guilty Patricia felt. "You're injured, let me take you back to the hotel!" she insisted.
Hunter declined, "There’s really no need, I can drive myself back."
Patricia shot him a glance, "You're back is injured; you shouldn’t be driving, it’s not good for you. Let me take you. It's still early and I have plenty of time."
After hesitating for a moment while looking up at the sky, Hunter nodded in agreement, and threw the car keys to Patricia. Patricia had ridden in countless luxury cars, but this was her first time driving one.
With the snow and slippery roads, a journey that should have taken twenty minutes stretched out to forty. By the time they reached their destination, Patricia found herself sweating profusely.
Hunter chuckled at her appearance and teased, "Is it hot?"
Once he pointed it out, Patricia couldn't help but feel her forehead and, to her surprise, found her palm covered in sweat. Her face flushed with embarrassment, she hastily unbuckled her seatbelt, trying to cover her shyness, "I'll walk you up."
Hunter shook his head, "There's no need! I can manage on my own. You should get going so you won't be late."
Patricia insisted, "No, I have to take you myself! You got injured because of me; it's my responsibility to look after you."
Half-seriously, Hunter replied, "I'd prefer you take responsibility of me, for the rest of my life."
Patricia didn't know how to respond for a moment, not sure whether Hunter was being sincere or joking. Seeing her discomfort, Hunter smiled and tousled her hair.
"I'm just kidding! Since you said you'd walk me upstairs, I won't be polite. Let's get out of the car."
Patricia nodded. The two got out of the car and took the elevator directly from the underground parking lot to the presidential suite on the top floor.
Patricia had planned to see him into his room and then leave, but Hunter said, "It's still early, come inside and have some water. And help me out—I need to change and if the bandage comes loose, could you wrap it up for me again?"
Without overthinking it, Patricia agreed. As soon as they entered, Patricia's phone pinged with a new message. She pulled out her phone to see a message from Martin.
‘Where are you now? Have you finished work? Should I come to pick you up?’
Patricia replied, ‘I've got something on right now. I can be home in an hour at most. I'll contact you then.’
‘Great! I'll pick you up in an hour. The plans are all set! [smiley face]’ emoji.
Patricia felt a sweet joy in her heart and cheerfully sent back an ‘[OK]’ emoji.
Hunter quietly observed her expression, his eyes narrowing slightly as jealousy surfaced. Without making it obvious, he glanced at her phone and poured her a cup of hot water.
"Have a seat for a bit, I'm going to change."
"Sure!" Patricia looked up at him, expressing her concern, "Do you need any help?"
Hunter's face softened into a tender smile again. He shrugged and winked at her suggestively, "If you don't mind, I'd be delighted!"
Patricia suddenly realized what he meant, and quickly bowed her head, embarrassed. "You go ahead! Call me if you need any help."
"Then have a seat!" Hunter affectionately ruffled her hair and on leaving, his smile twisted slightly.
Once he was in the bedroom, any trace of gentleness vanished from Hunter's face, his demeanor chilling in an instant. Changing clothes was a strain on the wound on his back, causing the bandage wrapped around him to be stained red with fresh blood.
For ease of changing the bandage, Hunter had only put on a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt.
Seeing the wound had reopened, Patricia gasped and quickly fetched the first aid kit to carefully tend to it, nagging like a grandmother.
"Don't shower today. Call me, immediately, if you feel unwell, or call customer service. Remember to take your medicine and keep an eye on the wound for any changes."
Her caring words, pouring out like a gentle stream, seeped into Hunter's heart, causing ripples in his calm and iron-like heart, warming him gradually.
When leaving, Hunter walked Patricia to the elevator. In the moment the elevator doors opened, he couldn't help but embrace her tightly. Patricia's hands flailed helplessly at her sides, unsure how to react.
Hunter spoke softly in her ear, "I really hate to see you go, I wish I could spend Christmas Eve with you, it's our first one together since we reunited."
Patricia's feelings were a jumbled mess. She slowly raised her hand, intending to comfort him, but Hunter had already let her go, "Have fun, and send me photos of anything interesting you see."
Seeing his forced smile made Patricia feel even more guilty. Despite feeling sorry for Hunter, she couldn't bear to let down Martin and the three children, so she steeled her heart and stepped into the elevator.
The elevator doors closed slowly. A deep coldness flickered in Hunter's kind eyes, well-concealed. He walked unhurriedly to the bathroom, stood under the shower still dressed. Soon, his entire body was drenched.
Clothes clung tightly to the body, shivering from the cold, yet still not leaving, in the harsh winter day, letting the icy water pour down continuously.
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