004. The accident

Killian

I'm disappointed.

She didn't recognize me. My eyes, my touch, not even my voice, or my cologne.

I leaned back at my desk, looking at the grey ceiling and fighting the urge to break another vase. She had completely forgotten about me.

It's been eight years, and I'm still obsessed with her. I still want her so badly, still watching her every damn day.

She made me a stalker, and she only discovered four days ago that I had been stalking her when I'd been at it for eight years.

I lifted my fingers to my eyes. The feel of her skin on my fingers still lingered. I want more, I want all of her. I've watched from her from a far for too long.

I see it in her eyes, she's terrified of me and it thrills me.

I'm obsessed with her.

How the fuck is this going to work?

A knock on my door jolted me out of my thoughts and the door creaked open.

Scarlett, my assistant, walked in. “Good evening sir. The interns scheduled for 6pm at St. Nova have arrived. The vice president is waiting for you to begin the tour.”

I smirked. “ I'll be there in thirty minutes. ”

St. Nova would be mine soon and so would its employees, including her. I'm buying the entire hospital since my plan to get her here as an intern failed.

St Nova was twenty minutes away from my lounge. I just came here to cool off before my surgery, scheduled to start by 9pm.

Twenty minutes later, I walked into the building. A cigarette in my mouth, collars flying, and both hands tucked into my pocket.

“ Forgive me, sir, but this is a hospital. You have to stop smoking,” Scarlett whispered by my side as we got into the waiting room.

I ignored her, slipped the cigarette in between my fingers and puffed out a smoke.

The intern nurses were already lined up in the waiting area, wearing purple scrubs with hair pulled back in tight buns. All of them except one. She had her hair in a loose ponytail with several strands falling over her face and the rest cascading down her back.

“Killian, these are our new interns.” The vice president started, and I let my eyes run over the twenty-four of them, stopping at her.

My gaze lowered to her chest. The memories of this morning, how her breast felt on my fingers and how fucking aroused I was.

The heating came rushing back, filling my veins with dopamine. Fuck! I'm hard. I adjusted my pants to make the bulge less noticeable.

This is fucking embarrassing.

Our eyes met, hers were irritated as she glanced at the cigarette in my mouth.

I smiled at her, and she frowned, turning her eyes away.

She still doesn't recognize me.

The vice president led the tour, and introduced them to the patients.

“ I need two nurses in the operating room, Miss Raven and another person. Tell them to prepare the patient for surgery,” I told Scarlett as I dumped the cigarette in a trash can and strolled to my office to get changed.

“ Umm…who's Raven?” Scarlett asked, scurrying over to me.

" Check their profiles.” That was the last thing I said before shutting the door.

An hour later I was in the operating room, my eyes never leaving her as she moved about, preparing for the surgery.

She had noticed me staring a few times but looked away immediately. She's diligent and focused. I liked that.

I leaned in on the surgical table, enjoying the view until she stepped up to me.

“ Excuse me…you shouldn't touch a sterile field.” She spoke, her voice firm and professional.“ Now I have to disinfect it all over again.”

I looked down and noticed that I had my hands on the mayo tray.“ I'm wearing gloves.” I raised a brow.

" It doesn't matter ... It's the same way you don't smoke in a hospital.” She snapped, her lips twitching.

So that's it ....the smoke pisses her off.“ My bad…” I removed my hands from the tray.

She turned to leave but I called her back. “ Get a skin antiseptic, chlorhexidine to be precise, and get to work.”

Her jaw twitched, but she returned a moment later with the bottle of antiseptic. I watched as she struggled to open it. She was actually doing it wrongly.

“ Stop pressing the bottle. It's dangerous, it could burst,” I stated.

“ I know.” She hissed but didn't stop pressing it. She pulled the cover forcefully, and it burst open, the fluid spilling out like a fountain and splattering on her face.

Fuck, she wasn't wearing goggles.

Her piercing scream filled the room as she collapsed to the floor, the bottle rolling to one side.

I cursed as I rushed towards her.“ Someone get water.” I yelled at the staff.

Her face had turned red, blistering in patches.

She sobbed, clutching at my arms.“ I can't open my eyes….. I can't see.” She was trembling violently.

" Relax ….you'll be fine. Keep your eyes closed till I rinse it off.” I picked her up and carried her out of the operating room.

I sent for an ophthalmologist immediately as I placed her on the bed in my private room. I helped her rinse the liquid off and dried her face.

" Can you open your eyes now? "

She tried, but a wail escaped her lips instead.“ I can't…it burns.”

The ophthalmologist arrived just then, and I gave way for him to do his job. I'm a cardiologist, not a fucking eye doctor.

“ I have to rinse with sterile water ma’am, so try to open your eyes a little,” he said.

She winced as he flushed her eyes.

“ Open up and tell me if you can see.”

She blinked rapidly, slowly opening her eyelids, then another sob escaped her lips.“ I can't…it's all blurry.”

I cursed underneath my breath. I should have taken the bottle from her when I had the chance.

The eye doctor turned to face me.“ I have to conduct tests and see if her cornea has been damaged.”

I nodded and they left for the test. I stayed the whole time and at some point I pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. Cigarettes had become my crutch over the years.

The ophthalmologist finished the test and came to give me a report. He sighed heavily. “ She can't see a thing….her vision is very blurred. I'm putting her on four months medication. If nothing changes then…….”

I furrowed my brows.“ What do you mean by four months?”

He handed me the test results.“ She's temporarily blind, and I'm putting her on this four-month medication to see if we can get her sight back…. Hopefully it works.”

I scoffed and slipped past him. She was crying when I unscreened the bed. He must have told her. She had her eyes opened, staring at nothing in particular.

I called Scarlett immediately.“ Get another doctor to perform the surgery.”

" But sir….. " I hung up before she could continue.

I helped Raven up from the bed, but she slapped my hands off.“ You're smoking!” She sniffed, droplets of tears staining her blistered skin.

I chuckled.“ Apologies….” Then I tossed the cigarette in a nearby trash can.

“ Where are you taking me? " She inquired as I led her slowly through the hallway.

“ Away from here. You can't see ….you have to rest.”

She let out a shaky breath. “ I left my phone in the nurses room, locker 015. It has a blue pouch, I need to call my husband. He'll pick me up and take me home.”

I stopped walking, gritting my teeth in irritation. I'd be damned if I let Viktor take her. I've put in too much effort into getting her here, I'm not letting it go down the drain.

“ Wait here ”

I went into the nurse's room, got her phone and dialed the number. My number actually, then I watched my phone ring loud enough for her to hear.

"Why isn't he picking up?” she whined.

“ He's probably busy.” I grabbed her hand again and took her to the garage, then helped her into the car.

“ Where are you taking me?” she asked as I started the ignition.

" You stay in the dormitory with the other interns, right ?” I asked, like I didn't already know.

She stammered. “Yeah…but call my husband again. I can't stay alone if I can't see a thing.”

My lips twitched at the mention of ‘ husband'.“ You won't be alone.”

I stepped on the gas and in about half an hour ,we arrived at my place. I carried her inside and dropped her gently on the couch.

I noticed how her muscles tensed. “ Umm…excuse me sir. I might be blind temporarily, but my senses are still intact. This is not my dorm room, this place reeks of cigarettes.”

I poured myself a drink and gulped down the liquid before speaking.“ No, It's not your dorm….”

She jumped to her feet.“ You said you would take me to my dorm!” She jeered, her tone clipped.

“ I didn't say that.”

She took a step forward in the direction opposite me, facing the window. She really can't see. “ Excuse me? I thought you were going to help me ,not bring me here against my will. I need you to call my husband….right now!”

My fingers tightened around the phone.“ You're husband?” I scoffed, letting the anger get the best of me. “ Let's call him then.”

I dialed Viktor's number without a second thought and tossed it towards her. It was by sheer luck that she caught the phone.

The phone kept ringing but no answer. It went on for another two minutes, then she began to panic. She called again and after the third ring, he finally picked up, but a woman's voice echoed through the phone.

She tensed, her fingers trembling around the device.

I snickered… I guess she's about to find out what kind of man Viktor was.