After getting off the car, Patrick approached them. He yanked Anna’s backpack from her shoulders and slung it over his own back. “Dr. Wright, welcome back,” he greeted Anna happily. Meanwhile, Patrick pretended not to notice Wayne, who was apparently wary and disgusted.
“We appreciate you coming to get us,” Anna said to Patrick politely.
“I was worried you wouldn’t come back. Did you get everything taken care of?”
“Yes.”
“That’s fantastic! Camila told me you were in danger at the time. You weren’t hurt, were you?” Patrick asked, then began to eye Anna.
Seeing that, Wayne set his suitcase down and took Anna’s hand to bring her closer to him. He wanted to stop Patrick from looking at Anna that way.
“We’re all fine, thanks to Camila,” Anna didn’t want to go into those specifics because they were highly confidential.
“Great.”
Later, after they walked to the car, Patrick said as he opened the passenger door for Anna, “Dr. Wright, please get in.”
Anna looked at Wayne, then at the beat-up car. Because this Jeep only had two seats, one of them needed to sit in the trunk. After hesitating for a while, Anna said, “How about I sit in the trunk?”
Shaking his head, Patrick replied, “Just get in the car, Dr. Wright. You know how rough the roads are here. It’s uncomfortable enough to sit in the seat, let alone stand in the trunk. There will be dust and bugs in the air.” With a brief pause, Patrick said to Wayne teasingly, “Besides, I don’t think Mr. Wright would agree to let you sit in the trunk.”
Wayne stared at the young man in front of him as he had no idea what he was thinking. Of all the women your age in the hospital, why do you have a crush on my wife? She’s ten years older than you and she’s married! Don’t you think you should avoid Anna because she’s married? Wayne thought.
Wayne would not have been offended if Patrick had just had feelings for Anna. However, Patrick seemed very proud about it and wanted the entire world to know he had feelings for Anna. And he was hostile to Wayne and always seemed ready to fight him. As a result, Wayne was terrified of leaving Anna alone in the hospital because he was afraid Patrick would hit on her. And he decided to follow Anna around every day.
“Patrick, how about I drive the car? You’re a young man, so you won’t possibly feel uncomfortable staying in the trunk for a while, right? You’ve been here for months, and I bet that you’ve already gotten used to the bumpy roads here,” Wayne smiled as he said this.
Patrick was surprised when Wayne said that. He wanted to refuse, but he didn’t say anything after thinking for a while. He was afraid that Anna would think he was petty if he refused Wayne’s proposal.
“I’m your instructor’s husband, so you should respect me just as much as you respect her.” Wayne continued.
As she looked back and forth at the two drama queens, Anna was speechless. She didn’t expect they would still fight after not seeing each other for so long.
“Why don’t you go back to your office first, Wayne? Our hospital is at the heart of the infected area, so it’s quite dangerous there. What about you call your driver and ask him to come to get you?”
“Right! You can’t help Dr. Wright in any way.” Patrick spoke up. He appeared to want to get rid of Wayne right away.
“I can do the work from home. I’ve already been vaccinated, so I shouldn’t get infected. When you’re not with me, Anna, I’ll be worried about you. And I won’t be able to concentrate on my work.”
“Are you sure?” With a frown, Anna asked in uncertainty.
“Yes, I’m sure. We’re in this together, aren’t we?” Wayne replied with resolution.
Wayne was an eyesore, in Patrick’s opinion. So, Patrick knew the only way Wayne could stop talking was to bring up professional topics. After some thought, Patrick said, “Dr. Wright, by the way, I got about 500 patients to try the drug we brought earlier. They tried this drug three times and the results were getting better. The good news is the cure rate is nearly 95%. But, some patients also have side effects. Why don’t I report back to you later with the details?”
Wayne knew Patrick had said it on purpose, but he also knew Anna took that test seriously. Raising his brows, he had no choice but to throw the case into the trunk and then sit in it.
After seeing Wayne get into the trunk, Patrick smiled smugly and said to Anna, “Please come in, Dr. Wright. I’ll tell you more about the specifics on our way.” He took a stack of files from his shoulder bag and showed it to Anna after they got into the car.
Anna then began to carefully read it. And she uttered, “We need to re-examine those patients who are experiencing side effects to make sure what the cause is. We must make everything perfect so the medicine can be successfully launched. You know, the American medical team is here too. We will turn our country into a laughing stock if we make a mistake.”
“All right, I’ll tell them when we get to the hospital.”
The engine made a humming roar when the car started.
As the car bumped along the rough road, Wayne was feeling very uncomfortable. He grew up in a wealthy family with the best of everything, so he never imagined he would ride in a car like this. Wayne thought, I shouldn’t have let Patrick pick us up! Why didn’t I just call my driver?
At the same time, Wayne could tell Anna and Patrick were talking, but he couldn’t hear them clearly. He gripped the roof rails tightly to keep himself from falling. To make his mood worse, the dirt and dust from the country road blew in his face, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.
Undoubtedly, Wayne was in a bad mood. He was jealous of Patrick because that lucky guy got to sit with Anna. However, all he could do was stand in the trunk like a sucker and keep trying to dust himself off. For him, a clean freak, this was one of the scariest things in the world.
About an hour later, they arrived at the hospital. Patrick drove them straight to the dormitory where they had earlier stayed. After dropping off her luggage, Anna went straight to the hospital, leaving Wayne alone in the empty room.
Wayne was relieved to find a cell phone signal there. He then called his assistant and asked him to prepare a car and some food. Wayne knew he couldn’t help Anna at work, so he wanted to make her life more comfortable. He took a shower and went to bed after making that call.
And when Wayne woke up hours later, he realized he was alone in the room, and Anna was still at work. Then Wayne began to feel worried. He worried about Anna’s safety because her workplace was virus-infested and dangerous. So, he decided to go to the hospital to check on her.
When Wayne left the dorm, it was already one o’clock in the morning. With a mask on his face and a flashlight in his hand, he walked toward the hospital. A few minutes later, he arrived at the doctor’s office.
Because the hospital was built in an emergency following the outbreak, it was small and simple. It was a single-story house divided into three ward areas for mild, moderate, and severe patients. The doctor’s office was directly across from the wards.
At that moment, the hospital was deafeningly quiet. Some wards had lights on, and some patients occasionally moaned in pain. Wayne was upset when he realized that Anna needed to work there every day from now on. For a moment, he wanted to ask Anna to go back to England with him. But on second thought, he perished the thought.
Anna is a doctor, and it’s her job to save people’s lives. Also, it has always been her dream to help those in need. I don’t want to stop her from realizing her dream. And I need to stay by her side when she needs me, just like what she did for me in the past. Wayne reasoned to himself.
As he approached the office, he noticed two rooms had lights on. And he was relieved because he assumed that Anna and Patrick would be in different rooms. But to his surprise, no one was in the first office. Later, Wayne discovered two people inside the second office after opening the door.
Dressed in a white coat, Anna was sleeping on a makeshift bed in the office. Patrick, the last person Wayne expected to see, was sitting by the table beside her.
Patrick was typing on his computer at the time. When he saw Wayne, he made a silent gesture and whispered, “Dr. Wright is exhausted. She said that she needed to rest, but she then fell asleep. We were just getting started on the case.”
Wayne frowned and asked, “Why didn’t you ask her to go back to her room for some rest? She’s already worn out.”
After that, Wayne leaned down and gently picked up Anna. The moment he touched her, Anna opened her eyes. When she realized Wayne was holding her, she muttered, “Did I fall asleep?”
“Yes. Come on, honey, let me take you to your room,” Wayne said.
Slightly nodding, Anna wrapped her arms around Wayne’s waist and dozed off in his arms. She snored while breathing steadily. Earlier, Anna came to the hospital as soon as she stepped off the plane, so she was really exhausted.
After carrying her back to the dorm, Wayne took her to the bathroom, bathed her and helped her change into her pajamas. During the period of time, Anna was sound asleep like a baby. And Wayne couldn’t help but sigh seeing her so worn out.
When he stopped sighing, Wayne laid Anna on the bed gently. He then lay beside her and held her close. The instant he spotted her phone, he unlocked it and turned off the alarm clock. Gently stroking her hair, Wayne thought, You’re a doctor, but you’re also a human, Anna. If you don’t get enough rest, you won’t be able to work more effectively and you might make mistakes when treating the patients. So, get some rest, honey. You really need a decent rest.
The next morning, Anna awoke at ten o’clock, which was much later than usual. She had a good night’s sleep and was energetic when she awoke. She didn’t realize she was late for work until she checked her phone.
After she looked around, she realized she was in her own dorm. Wayne had carried her back here last night, as she vaguely remembered.
“Wayne,” she yelled to the outside of the room.
After hearing her voice, Wayne entered the room with some bags. Anna was surprised when she saw the supermarket bags in his hands, which seemed to contain ingredients for food. Wow! Look at you, Wayne. The once successful and domineering president of a huge group cooked for me! I still remember how domineering and aloof you were back then. And now, you’re even willing to follow me to a war zone and take care of me. Thank you, babe. Anna couldn’t help but smile at the thought that he was looking after her.
As he noticed Anna was in good spirits, Wayne smiled and asked, “How are you feeling, honey?”
“I’m feeling much better now. Did you turn off my alarm clock again?” She asked, pretending to be annoyed.
“I just want you to have a good rest. You know, you’ll only be able to work efficiently if you get a good night’s sleep. I’m doing this for your own good, honey.”
“Fine. I’ll spare you this time. But if you do it next time, don’t blame me for punishing you,” Raising her fist, Anna said jokingly.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.