Chapter 594 What Exactly Is Your Illness
Zachary hated talking about personal stuff with strangers. He shut his eyes and stayed silent.
Maeve, looking a bit sheepish, said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to get all up in your business. It's just part of the routine to chat about light stuff or things you like to help you chill out. It keeps stress from messing with the test results."
"Alright," Zachary mumbled, still not really engaging.
Noticing his reluctance, Maeve switched gears. "You saved me last time, and I never got to thank you properly. If you're free, I'd love to treat you to a meal. How about it?"
Zachary opened his eyes, his face cold and distant. "No need. I was just there at the right time. Anyone else would've done the same. You don't need to make a big deal out of it."
"I get it," Maeve said sincerely. "Even if it was no big deal to you, it meant a lot to me. My mom always taught me to be grateful and repay kindness. I can't just ignore it because you don't think it's a big deal."
Zachary looked at the determined Maeve, frowning slightly. If it were Winona insisting on repaying him, he might find it cute and tease her. But with others, it just annoyed him, making him want to ask if she understood English.
"Just forget about it, and that'll be your way of repaying me," Zachary said, closing his eyes again. "Also, I don't like chatting with people I don't know well. You can skip that part of the procedure. Just do your job."
Maeve fell silent.
His words were basically telling her to shut up. As an intern who hadn't even graduated yet, being dismissed like that was rough. She couldn't hold back her emotions, and her eyes started to water. "I'm sorry."
Zachary said, "Okay."
No one spoke after that. The only sound in the room was the soft background music. Zachary was actually really tired. His headaches were getting worse, and the stress from work meant he was sleeping less than four hours a night.
He already had trouble sleeping, and in this unfamiliar setting, he didn't dare to let himself fall asleep, especially with someone he didn't know well nearby, even if they were a medical professional. Zachary couldn't fully relax.
Maeve kept her eyes on the monitor, noticing the irregularities in the data. She frowned and said, "Mr. Bailey, please try to relax and think of something calming."
Zachary said, "Sorry, I can't sleep with someone else in the room. Could you please step out?"
For such long tests, the doctor didn't need to stay by the machine the whole time. The test records could be reviewed later.
"Sorry," Maeve said, feeling awkward as she got up from her chair. "I just wanted to see the data while you were awake. I'll step out now."
At the door, she seemed to remember something. "You need to put your phone in the locker outside to avoid interference. Do you need me to take it out for you?"
This was one of the posted rules, and the locker was visible through the door's glass. There was no worry about her doing anything suspicious.
Zachary said, "No need, I'll turn it off."
Before turning off his phone, he checked it. Winona hadn't replied yet. He scrolled through his contacts and sent a message to someone.
Half an hour later, Matthew knocked on the door of the examination room. Seeing Zachary lying on the bed with electrodes on his head, he frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
Zachary had only sent him an address and the words "something's up," without any details.
Zachary, eyes closed, replied curtly, "Headache, getting a check-up."
Matthew asked, "You called me here for a headache check-up? You don't expect me to babysit you, do you?"
This reason was clearly a jab at him. Zachary must have made it up on the spot. Normally, he'd call Winona, play the sympathy card, and have her take care of him.
Zachary's real motive was likely to flaunt his relationship with Winona, hoping Matthew would give up.
Matthew rolled his eyes said, "Childish."
Zachary said, "Okay."
Matthew scanned the room. "Where's Winona?"
"She didn't come. The doctor said this test takes a while and needs sleep data. She might be busy, didn't answer her phone or messages. My phone needs to be off. If I'm not done by the time she gets off work, text her and say I'm in a meeting," Zachary said after thinking for a moment.
Hearing this long explanation, Matthew realized Zachary did want him to stay and watch over him.
As for the reason...
He was being asked to play bodyguard.
But Matthew couldn't be angry. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
From his words, it seemed he didn't plan to tell Winona. If it were a simple illness, he wouldn't hide it.
Zachary said, "Alzheimer's."
Matthew was silent.
How was he supposed to respond to that? He couldn't.
He didn't take Zachary's obviously false statement seriously, thinking he was just being difficult. "Fine, get your check-up."
Matthew moved to the corner sofa, put his phone on silent, and tried to create a quiet, comfortable space for Zachary to sleep.
He'd been busy with the second phase of the Traverse City project, working late into the night. He hadn't felt it at the office, but now, with the soothing music, he was struggling to stay awake.
He looked at Zachary on the bed, eyes closed, unsure if he was asleep or not, feeling resentful. He'd lost in love and now had to play nurse to his rival.
His eyes stung with fatigue, so Matthew lay down on the sofa, closing his eyes to rest.
He didn't know how long had passed when the music stopped, and the dim room fell into a still silence, urging deeper sleep.
The monitor's lines moved steadily.
Though Matthew's eyes were closed, he wasn't asleep, despite his exhaustion.
He suddenly felt like someone was watching them, not just a casual glance, but a focused stare, particularly at Zachary.
He snapped his eyes open and looked towards the source of the feeling. There stood a person, staring intently through the glass at the examination room.
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