Chapter 9

Kali just received a call from the front desk that a janitress asked to see her in her office. She sneered when she heard who it was.

"I am busy right now, but let her in. I'm sure she wants to see me to hand in her resignation. I can make time for that."

"Okay, Ma'am. I will tell her to come in."

"Thank you." 

She put down the phone and put away the laptop on her desk. Then she heard three faint knocks on the door. 

"Come in."

Slowly the door opened, and Lesley's head peeked. 

"Good evening," the young lady greeted before entering her office.

Kali smiled widely. She could no longer wait to sign Lesley's resignation papers.

"So, how may I help you, Miss Madrigal?"

"Y-yes." Lesley swallowed before continuing. "Uhm, I just wanted to say tha—"

"Wait!" she interrupted while she raised her right hand. "Let me guess. You want to leave, right?"

She did not wait for Lesley to answer and assumed that the girl was giving up her job. She stood up and took a couple of documents from the drawer behind her.

"Don't worry. I am expecting this, so I am not angry at all. Employees come and go. I understand that, especially in your case. I can only imagine how hard and scary it was for you last night. So I can not blame you if you want to leave."

She smiled at Lesley, who was standing quietly in front of her desk. She handed over the documents to her and a black ballpen. 

"Sign it, and you will be free. You have only been here for a day, so we will let you go," she said before returning to her seat. 

Lesley looked at the papers for a few seconds and then looked at her face again. One of her eyebrows rose. The girl is not saying anything and seems deep in thought while staring at her. 

"I still have a lot to do. I will really appreciate it if you sign it now and not waste any more of my time."

She frowned as the girl put the papers and the ballpen on the table. 

"Uhm, I want to stay."

Both her eyebrows rose. "Say what?"

"I'm not going to leave. I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened while the veins in her neck protruded in anger. This was not what she wanted to hear from her. 

Lesley has an apologetic look on her face while her restless hands are clasped in front of her. The girl took a deep breath before speaking again. 

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dapit, but I want to stay. I came here to say that and to request to change task one. If possible, I want to be responsible for what V-03 eats every night. He is always served rice soups and unhealthy dishes. Even though he has vitamins, I do not think that is enough."

Kali's eyes widened even more. This girl in front of her was beyond doubt testing her patience. Lesley wanted to stay even if she was obviously pushing her out. And more importantly, her proposition to change task one was presumptuous. She was stunned and unable to speak for a moment. She could not believe the bravery of this girl.

"M-mrs. Dapit?" Lesley weakly called when she did not answer.

Kali took a deep breath to recover from the shock. She needed to calm down, or she might have a heart attack. 

"Is it just me, or did I hear you say you wanted to stay? And, and you want to change his diet?!" 

Lesley confidently smiled. Unlike earlier, there was no more nervousness on her face. 

"You heard correctly."

She was astounded for a second. "Why?! After everything I told you, why?!"

Lesley's fists clenched while giving her a firm gaze. Her eyes were not the same as before. She could see a fire burning in them. Where did that weak and timid girl go?

"I know you have little confidence in my ability. I am not numb so as not to feel that you dislike me. But Mrs. Dapit, I dare to stay no matter what you say. I desire to continue working here at the hospital as V-03's caregiver at night."

Lesley paused for a second before she took another deep breath. Then she pressed her chest with her right hand. 

"Please, give me a chance. I promise I can handle him, Mrs. Dapit. You will not regret hiring me!" she wholeheartedly pleaded. 

Her lips parted, and she was once again speechless. She stared at her determined face. She could see that this girl was dead serious about staying. It made her curious.

"But why?" she asked as her forehead furrowed. "I don't understand. What do you see in that patient? Why are you forcing yourself to work here?"

"This is my decision, Mrs. Dapit. Nobody is forcing me. And I..."

Lesley lowered her gaze and shyly bit her lower lip. The girl thought deeply for a few seconds before lifting her head again. 

"I feel like we are connected..."

"What?!" 

"I-It's hard to explain. I-I also have other reasons, but that is not the point. It does not matter what other reasons I have. The important thing is that I can do my job well. I proved it last night, didn't I?"

She exhaled sharply. 

This girl is unbelievable...

She looked at the girl in front of her with anger and amazement. She was offended because she did not get what she wanted. But she admired the determination this lady showed.

Lesley was more courageous than she thought. She underestimated this woman. 

"You are one brave girl," she said breathlessly.

It looks like she can not do anything anymore. Now she is beginning to understand why Jacoben allowed this girl to work in the hospital. This girl is something else.

"Fine," she said defeatedly. "Do what you want. Change his diet if you need to. You have my permission."

Lesley happily covered her mouth and beamed in excitement. 

"Really?! Thank you! Thank you very much, Mrs. Dapit!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Let me just remind you. That patient is a monster. Believe it or not, I mean it literally." 

Lesley just smiled. She seemed to not care about her remarks towards V-03. 

Kali slowly shook her head in disbelief. When she first saw Lesley, she gave an aura of a girl who knew nothing about the world. She looked so innocent and fragile. That is why she was disappointed when Lesley was assigned to V-03, their most violent patient. But this same girl showed her some real guts just now. She was impressed.

She tore the resignation papers and threw them in the trash bin next to her desk. 

"Do you need anything else? If you don't, you may leave. Go and attend to your monster pet," she mockingly said. "I just hope you are still that determined when you see the true color of that person. Don't say I did not warn you."

Lesley's heart leaped with joy at what Kali said. The cantankerous woman finally gave her a chance to prove herself. She felt very proud.

"I will not disappoint you! Thank you so much again!" 

She could not hide the joy on her face when she came out of Mrs. Dapit's office. She got permission to cook what she liked for V-03. And most of all, she was able to impress that intimidating woman. 

Lesley still had a few things she wanted to ask Kali regarding V-03 and the hospital, but she was afraid she would annoy her even more than she already was. Mrs. Dapit might change her mind if she pushes it. Anyway, there are other people she can ask.