Chapter 8: Back to the Hospital

Although the action was questionable, Georgia thought of taking advantage of it anyway. What’s important now is she’s finally freed from Primo’s grasp.

“I could infer that you really got Primo’s heart, Honey.” In the deafening silence inside the car, Jennifer chose to break the silence. “That was surprising as I don’t really see anything special in you.” Jennifer added as she showed her a smile afterward, leaving Georgia flabbergasted. She kept on smiling, but Georgia could see that there's something beneath it.

“I don’t think the boss is that serious about me.” Georgia answered firmly. It just didn’t seem like Primo took her seriously. What happened involving them just all seem like jokes and teases to her. 

“Well, if you say so.” Jennifer responded. But the smile never leaving her face suggests something different. Her smile definitely signifies that there’s more to it–that she doesn’t want to disclose to her. 

In the end, Georgia, who’s right beside her, just stared at her intently. She couldn’t help but to think about that approach–does she like Primo? But instead of letting it out loud, Georgia chose to stick it in her mind.

“By the way,” as Georgia left her gaze from her, Jennifer spoke again only to throw her a rectangular piece of object. Having it in her hand, Georgia’s eyes widened in surprise. It’s her phone!

She didn’t hesitate to turn it on immediately. As expected, she was bombarded with calls and messages from the closest people she knew, that included her fiance and Nurse Lily! Just a second after the lit up screen came next the ringing of her phone. She let out a huge gulp as she read the caller and one heavy sigh before pressing the answer button.

“Oh my God, Georgia! Where the hell have you been?! I was so worried sick about you! I couldn’t reach you all day! You left me without a trace! Are you okay?!” the familiar voice knocked her system. Her eyes started to get wet. She wanted to tell him, her fiance, everything that she had been through in just a day. But she doesn’t want him to get worried even more!

And she also knew it’s not safe for her to do that–not in Jennifer’s presence. Georgia covered the speaker for a moment and sniffed, before making her response. 

“I’m completely fine! Something urgent happened at home–I had to leave quickly. But it’s better now.” Georgia swallowed the lump in her throat with the lies she was saying. Silence ensued the other line, until she heard a sigh from Lawrence.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I’m sorry, sweetie...” with his calmed voice, Lawrence answered after a few seconds.

“No, I am sorry. I should’ve told you about it…” and another lie escaped from her mouth. “I’m on my way to the hospital. I’ll see you there.” Georgia couldn’t contain more lies in her heavy heart anymore. She had to end the call.

“That must be your boyfriend.” Jennifer heard everything.

“No, my fiance, to be exact.” Georgia emphasized, subtly telling her not to associate her with Primo anymore. Jennifer didn’t say anything and just went in silence until they’re near the hospital building.

“I’d prefer you to drop me here.” Georgia said, pointing to the waiting shed by the roadside that is over ten meters away from the building. “I don’t want to attract attention from the hospital with your McLaren.” She answered honestly. They were already getting attention on the road, she doesn’t want any more of it.

“Aight, point taken.” Jennifer understood and did what she said. “See you around, Doctor.” Georgia watched the purple car fly off toward the sunset horizon, before diverting her gaze to the nearby hospital. She checked her appearance first and did what she could just not to raise a doubt on them.

Fortunately, Primo had her clothes washed and dried. She could just get things straight from there–with lies.

“Let’s take it as my usual day.” Georgia whispered as she finally decided to walk the distance to the hospital. Everything was normal when she reached the building. Well, except for having Nurse Lily rushing over her with worries etched on her face.

“I was looking for you everywhere, Doc!” Lily exclaimed like a younger sibling complaining against her sister. Georgia chuckled. She couldn’t blame her. She knew herself that she must have it hard to be the nurse-in-charge in the operations with Georgia not around.

She was about to accept the embrace that Lily offered and ask her about her patients, when she could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket.

It was a text message from an unregistered number. Fortunately, the sender had the decency to introduce himself–it was Primo. Georgia tried to resist the frown in her face in consideration of the nurse’ presence.

Still, she read it silently.

‘Cheers to your safe trip back to the hospital, Mi Amore. 

Your smell left a trace in your room. It makes me want to get you back again. But I’m quite sure it’s needless for me to do so because I know you’ll come back to me anytime tomorrow, if not tonight.

I left you a package in your office. Check it out and come back to me already.’

How many times did she cringe in reading all of it? It doesn’t matter, because one thing caught her attention along the lines of his message. A package? Before she dwells into it, her attention is diverted to a masculine voice calling her name and rushing toward her.

“Georgia!” It was Lawrence’ voice who still looked worried for her. “Are you really okay? Nothing bad happened at home, right?” Georgia’s face lit up at the sight of Lawrence. She quickly threw her body to him. She wanted to cry on him, but she didn’t want things to go far.

Georgia tried so hard to hold her tears. When she finally calmed her heart down, she finally faced him again.

“Everyone’s doing well. You don’t have to worry.” She gave him her best smile, but Lawrence just stared at her eyes as if he was trying to uncover the surface of what really happened. In the end, he sighed and gave him a hug once more and a peck on her forehead.

“Right in front of me?” The momentum broke when Lily’s voice ensued. She doesn’t feel so single in her whole life, but she’s constantly slapped with loneliness whenever she’s with these two! “Good Lord, where’s mine already?!” her reaction left a laugh on the two.

After the nerve-racking reunion with Lawrence and Nurse Lily, Georgia decided to excuse herself and go straight to her office first. Lawrence wanted to accompany her, but Georgia insisted on going alone.

Aside from the curiosity of the package that Primo got her, Georgia couldn’t think of a plausible reason for the lost ring yet. Perhaps, she was lucky when Lawrence didn’t notice her empty finger.

Just as she was told, there really was a package in her office. It was laid on the table–definitely the first thing that one would notice.

“This isn’t something explosive, right?” as if anyone could respond to her, Georgia whispered. But then again, she thought that Primo wouldn’t go that far just yet. After all, there was no excuse for him to not get dragged into the case if it really is.

Georgia listened to her intuition. She opened the box… as careful as she could, until she saw that it didn’t contain something harmful. The package was large enough for a basketball to fit, but it turned out that it only had a flash drive and…

Her brows furrowed in one line when her eyes were met with photos under the packaging of the flashdrive. A photo of a familiar doctor in different angles. It’s quite obvious that these photos are from the CCTV footage. With that, she returned her attention to the flash drive. 

It was strange, because she felt uneasy just looking at it. 

“This should be nothing bad…” she whispered as she inserted the flash drive to the CPU after turning on the computer. There should be nothing to be nervous about, but her heart just wants to burst out of her chest for unknown reason!

Until the unknown was revealed and she couldn’t return to become oblivious anymore.