Chapter Eighteen

Of course, he didn’t let her go alone. While the wheelchair made sense for longer journeys, for the few steps in between objects in the room, as long as she moved slowly it was actually less work than getting up and down constantly. Carefully, she turned around and Aiden helped ease her to sit on the bed, where she carefully scooched closer to the center.

The movement must’ve alerted Alex, because he rubbed his eyes, asking blearily, “Sister Vivian?”

Smiling, she reached over to stroke his hair. “Hey kiddo. Sorry for waking you up.” He was just so cute, and she knew her expression had completely melted in adoration. He closed his eyes blissfully, leaning into her touch. “Are you hungry? Assistant Zai brought you food.” He touched his stomach as he opened his eyes, nodding.

Aiden circled the bed and reached out, Alex obediently snuggling into his arms. The man paused, looking at her, but she was slowly shifting pillows to suit her. She could hear the two of them talking, but their voices were so quiet that it was nothing more than a soothing murmur. She was about to lay down when there was a sharp rap on the door and Director Heiliger came in.

“Ahh, is our little prince awake?” His eyes landed on the tiny boy cuddled in his uncle’s lap, being fed as the two of them ate. He smiled, asking, “Are you ready to go home tomorrow?”

“Hi, Uncle Maxim.” Alex replied immediately after he’d hurriedly swallowed his food.

“Eat slowly.” Aiden admonished the child, bringing another mouthful for him and conveniently stopping him from answering more. Looking at Maxim, he informed him, “You’ll return by car in a few days with Miss Vivian.” She rolled her eyes at the bed, hearing him call her miss again. It reminded her of being called First Missy for years like she didn’t have a name.

Maxim seemed completely unbothered by the information. “Understood.” Maybe she’d overthought it, or maybe he’d just remembered, correctly, that she wouldn’t be able to fly anytime soon because of her head injury. As a doctor, he was probably more conscious of the consequences. He patted Alex’s head briefly, then walked over to the bed as he asked, “Speaking of which, I heard you’re in pain. How are you feeling? Let’s take a look at your head.”

She hadn’t yet laid down, so she merely turned her head to give him better access as he brought out a pen light and clicked it on, moving closer. “Looks like you haven’t strained it yet.”

When he clicked off the light, she turned to look at him. “Yet? But yes, the numbing has worn off.” He frowned slightly, clearly thinking about it. He was fully aware of the extent of her injuries and how much they were probably hurting.

“Can you wait for an oral dose to kick in, or would you like an injection?” He slipped a pressure cuff over her arm as he seemed to be looking at her veins, muttering, “An IV is probably out of the question for now.” With how she had to sleep, she agreed. She didn’t want to accidentally stab it deeper or in the wrong direction.

“I can wait.” She affirmed, and he nodded. When he got the reading, he grabbed the chart hanging off the side of her bed, noting a few things down before retrieving a bottle of water and taking the cap off, handing it to her gently as he shook two pills into her palm. She obediently swallowed them, drinking the full bottle of water despite being full. The clean water felt like heaven, and the wrinkled tips of her fingers clearly indicated she was still dehydrated.

The doctor silently checked a few more of her wounds as she drank before taking the empty bottle from her. He got a new one, breaking the seal, but recapping it as he set it on the table next to her. “All right. Everything seems to be in order. Call me if you pull anything, and try to get some sleep.”

She nodded, then asked, “Is everything okay downstairs?” It had been headed in a better direction when she left, but she wanted to be sure, and she was hoping the surgery had gone well.

He paused. “They’re in good hands. Don’t worry, they’ll pull through this. I heard you helped quite a bit.” There was a small, satisfied smile on his face.

Huffing softly, she replied, “Usually yelling at people wouldn’t be considered helping, but they needed to snap out of it.” Shaking her head, she finished, “Thank you, Director. You should sleep at some point too.”

“Worrying about me now?”

She raised a brow. “Is there some reason I can’t?”

“She’s right. You should leave and get rest.” Aiden’s voice just about made Maxim jump out of his skin as it sounded right behind him, and Max turned to find him holding Alex, who was glaring at him.

“What’s wrong, little prince?”

“Uncle Maxim is staying with Sister Vivian?” Alex pouted, clearly unhappy to find out they were going to be separated for a few days. He was like a tiny vinegar jar as Aiden set him on the bed, scooting closer to Viv.

“It’s just a few days.” Vivian reassured him, patting his head as he lay down on the other side of her pillow, and she slowly lowered herself. Aiden moved to help, tucking the pillows against her for support as she settled. Smiling at the kiddo who watched her every move, she continued, “You’ll go home and see your grandpa first. He’s been very worried about you. And then, in a few days, I’ll be there too with your Uncle Maxim and you can introduce me to them.”

He nodded, but he was clearly still tired, so he hugged onto a pillow like a baby koala and stared at her until his eyelids drooped and he drifted into slumber. She couldn’t help but smile softly as she heard Maxim complain softly behind her. “Wait, why is she a sister and I’m an uncle? The seniority is all mixed up!”

Raising her head slightly to look at the two men, she whispered, “Do you think I look like an aunt?”

Seeing the dangerous look in her eyes, Aiden, who looked like he’d about to agree with the director, quickly backtracked. “Of course not.” Looking at Maxim, he continued, “You shouldn’t be so petty with a child.” The doctor gave him a disbelieving look, then raised his hands in surrender.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Whatever. Get some sleep.” He ordered both of them, quickly retreating out of the room.

She raised a brow, but agreed. “He’s right. You need to sleep too.” Only there wasn’t another bed in the room. He’d likely intended to sleep with his nephew, but… she was there now. He cast her an amused glance, then nodded.

“Fine. I’ll be in the caretaker’s room. Just push this button if you need anything.” He hung the button on the bedframe by her pillow so it was within reach before turning off all the lights save a single lamp. She nodded, and then watched as he walked to one of the doors she hadn’t explored yet, opening it and vanishing inside. The door was closed, but not fully so the sound still transmitted. She listened to the rustling of sheets as he settled, then closed her eyes, trying to relax.

At some point, the painkillers kicked in and she slipped into dreams.

***

It was still dark when she awoke, feeling the weight of a tiny head on her right forearm where it stuck out from beneath the pillow. Alex’s back was against the pillow, her left hand curled around his body as she realized he’d tucked himself as far into her arms as he could get with the barrier between them. Smiling, she carefully extricated herself as he snoozed on. She managed to slip out of the bed, making sure to tuck the blanket back in around him.

She slow-walked as quickly as she could to the bathroom, feeling like her bladder was about to explode. After taking care of her business, she found several new toothbrushes at the sink, so she carefully washed her face and brushed her teeth, fully waking up with the minty taste. She undid and finger-combed her hair before tying it back into a neat braid.

Returning to the room, she still couldn’t tell what time it was, but figured it was still around five, given that was when she was conditioned to wake in the village. Vee’s body still hadn’t felt so rested in years, despite only having gotten a few hours. It probably had something to do with finally feeling safe.

Still, it felt strange to not be heading to the kitchen, so she picked up her water and went to her desk instead. Turning on another lamp, she glanced at the bed to make sure it hadn’t woken Alex up before she settled down and got back to the business of drawing. She wanted to have a talk with the police today and get her report settled, so she needed them done before that. Honestly, she was itching to go downstairs because she had a feeling several of the other women might also be waking up feeling lost. However, while she could get away with walking the room, she knew Aiden and Director Heiliger would be angry if she tried to go downstairs.

A few minutes later the door opened and she looked up, seeing Aiden entering in workout clothes, clearly having availed himself of facilities she wasn’t aware the hospital had. He seemed surprised to see her at the desk, because he asked almost reflexively, “You’re awake?”

She just raised a brow, because wasn’t the answer obvious? He coughed a bit awkwardly, but she deigned to respond at last. “I’m used to getting up to bake.”

He took the out she’d given and nodded. “How’re you feeling?”

Contemplating her injuries as she turned back and finished the drawing she was working on, she replied absently, “Painkillers are starting to wear off again, but it’s not terrible.” It could be worse. Everything had been treated and was starting to heal, so she really couldn’t complain.

Seeming exasperated, he scolded, “There’s no need to downplay it. If you’re in pain, get more painkillers. Would you deny the women downstairs?”

She paused. Was she holding herself to a higher standard? Maybe. Still, she shrugged. “It’s honestly not that bad if I’m not trying to sleep.”

“But why would you choose to be in pain instead of taking something that is completely normal?” Ignoring any response she might’ve made, he left the room, and she assumed he’d gone to call a nurse or something. She continued working, content to let him do what he wanted. He was leaving today anyway, so she’d just let him do what he wanted while he was here.

He returned a minute later with Nurse Taylor who quickly hurried in holding a small plastic cup with two pills and a thermos. She grabbed Vivian’s chart and the pressure cuff as she walked over, asking, “Please hold your arm out.”

Viv cooperated as she asked, “Do you guys really need to take my blood pressure this often?”

As she noted the numbers, Nurse Taylor replied absently, “It’s standard procedure, but yes, we absolutely do. Your numbers are all low because of your condition, so we have to be sure we’re not overdosing you or causing further problems.”

“First I’ve been told that.” She muttered darkly. She realized they really hadn’t told her much about her condition at all. Didn’t the doctors usually talk to the patients about what was going on with them? Had it been forgotten in the hurry, or had Aiden been intercepting her reports?

Pouring a cup from the thermos, Nurse Taylor handed her the pills as she replied, “We’re watching over it so you don’t have to worry. Now drink up.” Taking a sip to whet her throat and make sure it was a temperature she could handle, Vivian tasted brown sugar mixed with some herb she couldn’t identify.

Absently she took the pills, trying to identify the taste before she gave up and asked, “What’s in this?’

“Brown sugar and ginseng.” The woman seemed unbothered by her questions, watching her to make sure nothing averse happened before her gaze caught on the drawings. Successfully distracted, she murmured, “Oh my, these are so realistic.”

Meanwhile, Vivian was rummaging through every webnovel memory she had. Ginseng was like… the catch-all of cultivation novels or anything set in China. Slightly uneasy, she brushed the compliment off. “Just trying to be accurate. Say, the ginseng wasn’t anything crazy like being a hundred years old or something, right?”

Aiden seemed amused as he tried to figure out what mad theories were going through her brain. “Oh no, those are very hard to come by. It’s just a few years old.” the nurse replied absently, still engrossed in the pictures until she happened to flip one over, her eyes widening as she read her notes. “Oh my.” The paper dropped almost like she’d been burned, and she looked at the large stack with dawning horror. “Are these all…?”

Sipping at her tea with a grim smile, Viv nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“...right. Well, let me know if you need anything. I’ll be just outside.” She seemed eager to leave, still casting glances at the growing pile with repulsion. Thankfully, Vivian knew it wasn’t directed at her as the nurse made a few more notes on her chart and hung it on her bed.

She was almost out the door when Vivian remembered she probably needed help to clean up more. She couldn’t take a shower, but she could at least wipe down if she avoided the wounds, right? Giving a glance at Aiden as he retrieved a suit from the wardrobe, she decided it could wait until after he was gone and could no longer fuss at her.

“Will you be okay for a few minutes?” He asked, pausing by her to straighten the papers Nurse Taylor had messed up.

She just gave him a look as she sighed. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can survive ten minutes without a babysitter. Seriously. I’ve lasted this long in worse conditions. You don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass.”

“Are you sure you aren’t?” The words were half muttered as he moved past her to enter the bathroom.

Praying for patience, she went back to her drawings, reminding herself that they worried because they cared.