Chapter 7

When Graham woke up again, he was in a VIP room at the hospital. Every bone in his body screamed with pain, and gauze was wrapped all over his face and body. The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the machines.

He managed to move his fingers and pressed the call button by the bed. He waited a long time, so long that he nearly drifted off again, before a nurse finally pushed the door open with an impatient look. "What is it now?"

"Water..." Graham's throat was bone-dry.

The nurse rolled her eyes, poured a cup of cold water, and set it down hard on the nightstand. Some of it sloshed over the rim.

"Drink it and stop pressing the button. We're busy!" With that, she turned and left.

Graham looked at the cup of water, then at the closed door, and understood everything. This was the Ainsworth family's hospital.

After the way Holly had treated him, the staff were never going to show him any kindness, even if he was her fiancé on paper and even if he was staying in a VIP room.

He lay there in silence and endured the pain and the thirst.

The next few days went exactly the same way.

His meals arrived cold, his bandages were changed roughly, and eight times out of ten, no one answered when he pressed the call button. Whenever nurses did come in, they huddled together and chatted at a volume just loud enough for him to hear.

"I heard the Winthrops' other son is staying in 302 next door. He's so good-looking, and so sweet."

"I know, right? Ms. Ainsworth is with him every single day. She really cares about him."

"We'd better take good care of him. If Ms. Ainsworth is happy, maybe we'll get promoted and get a raise."

"Not like this one. He brought it all on himself. Ms. Ainsworth is clearly sick of him, and he's still acting high and mighty."

Graham listened without any expression on his face.

That day, two nurses came in to change his dressings and rushed through the job. When they finished, they hurried out while pushing the medical cart, and one of its wheels caught the IV line hanging off the side of the bed and yanked it hard.

"Ah!"

The needle was ripped straight out of his vein. Beads of blood welled up on the back of his hand, and a sharp sting shot through it.

Graham was already weak, and the sudden pull dragged him right off the bed. He hit the floor hard.

A piercing pain shot through his injured ribs. His vision went black, and he nearly passed out again.

The two nurses were startled and glanced back, yet instead of helping him up, they complained. "What's wrong with you? Be more careful! We're in a hurry to bring snacks to Colin. If we're late, are you going to take the blame?"

With that, the two of them pushed the cart away without looking back.

Graham lay on the floor. His ribs hurt so much that he could barely breathe, and he tried several times to get up but could not.

Just then, the door opened, and Holly walked in.

She saw Graham on the floor at once. She went pale and rushed over in a few quick strides. "Graham! What happened?"

She carefully helped him up and lifted him back onto the bed. When she saw the blood on the back of his hand and the pain on his face, she pressed the call button for a doctor right away.

Then she turned on the two nurses, who had just reached the doorway and had not managed to slip out yet. "What is going on here? Is this how you take care of patients?"

The two nurses went white with fear and stammered.

Leaning against her, Graham could smell her crisp, wintry floral perfume, along with a faint trace of Colin's scent. He spoke calmly, his voice weak but clear. "It's nothing. They just tripped me by accident, and I fell."

Holly stiffened and looked down at him.

There was no hint of grievance on his face and no attempt to get anyone in trouble. He was simply stating the facts.

The thorn that had been lodged in her chest dug in deeper.

She turned on the nurses, her voice sharp. "Both of you, go to payroll and collect your final paychecks. Then get out of this hospital! And tell the head nurse to run a full review of the entire VIP wing. If anything like this ever happens again, everyone's fired!"

The nurses ran off in tears.

The doctor arrived soon after, treated the wound on Graham's hand again, and checked his ribs. Fortunately, they had not broken a second time.

Once the doctor left, only the two of them remained in the room.

Holly sat by the bed and looked at his pale, gaunt face, her eyes full of conflicting emotions. She reached out as though she wanted to touch his cheek, but her hand stopped in midair. In the end, she only tucked in the corner of his blanket.

"Have they been treating you like this the whole time?" Her voice was a little hoarse. "Why didn't you tell me? I was right next door with Colin. I know I've been neglecting you, but you could have come to me."

Graham closed his eyes. "It would've been pointless."