Me After Meeting You

Amber then proceeded to look at Ian. He was lying in a germ-free ward, still deep in sleep. If not for his hospital gown, this would have been the most peaceful that Amber had ever seen him.

She really felt quite guilty as she headed to the doctor in charge of Ian, an authority in the field. He had already finished looking at Ian’s file, and wasn’t in a hurry to answer her questions. Instead, the first words out of his mouth was, “He’s the boyfriend who booked all of your appointment slots because he was worried you’d be tired, isn’t he?”

“….”

Was this gossip not over yet? She was speechless, but still had to say something in response. “It’s all a misunderstanding. Could you please tell me how he’s doing?”

“Not well at all! Despite his good physique, he’s taken such poor care of his body that he’s lucky he’s not dead yet.”

Amber didn’t say anything, and only looked at him with pleading eyes until the doctor smiled and said, “Alright, stop looking at me like that! And to think that your professor said that you were her best student-it doesn’t seem like you’re anything special. Don’t worry. We just have to treat him slowly. At the very least, he won’t die on my watch.”

Even though he didn’t mention any specifics, Amber still relaxed. Next, she went over the possible reasons for his illness again, saying, “I asked my mom. She washes and dries that quilt every year, so we don’t know how he ended up getting an allergic reaction. If you need it, I can get you a sample of it.”

“Alright. Please do so, as we have to check everything.”

And so, Amber went to her department, took a day’s leave, went home, got a sample of the quilt, and then sent it to the lab before receiving yet another call from Ian’s grandmother. “Dr. Camille, are you at the hospital? Can you come over quickly? Our little Ian refuses to stay in the hospital and wants to leave. What do we do?!”

After Amber rushed over to the hospital, she found that Ian’s grandmother had been exaggerating. Ian didn’t plan on leaving, but he had woken up, and was sitting by the head of his bed with a severe mien as he listened to the doctor explain his illness to him.

It was true that his expression wasn’t good, but he certainly wasn’t “crying and shouting” about leaving the hospital.

From the monitor, Amber saw that Nancy was also inside the room, and immediately calmed down. She didn’t rush in, and silently observed the scene for a moment before heading outside again.

Ian’s grandfather had already left, and his grandmother was the only family member outside. She was somewhat embarrassed that she had called Amber over for nothing, and said, “He really was shouting about leaving the hospital just now. Luckily, your professor arrived and convinced him not to.”

Amber smiled. She could understand her worry and didn’t mind it much, comforting her with a warm voice instead. She was quite good at it too; not long after, Ian’s grandmother was convinced by her words and indeed did calm down.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Upon noticing her wan and bleary expression, Amber was about to persuade her to leave and rest-the truth was that she wasn’t doing much here; Ian was in a germ-free environment and receiving the best possible treatment with a professional nurse and doctor attending to him. The presence of his family members was unnecessary.

There was only one thing they could provide: because Ian had septicemia, besides the necessary medical treatment, he also needed to be well nourished. In the Axton household, this was no problem at all.

And so, Amber began discussing Ian’s future diet with his grandmother. But before they could finish, the door opened and Nancy and the others came out. Ian’s grandmother was called away by the doctor in charge, while Amber and her professor stayed behind.

“Sorry to bother you last night.”

“It was fine.” Amber shook her head and glanced at Ian’s ward before asking, “How is it?”

“It’s in the early stages, so it’s not difficult to treat. As long as he cooperates, it won’t be a big deal.”

Nancy’s words were concise, her tone calm. Amber clutched at her chest as she sighed, “That’s a relief.” When she raised her head, she saw that her professor was looking at her with a half-smile, and she blushed. “I was worried that I was responsible as I suspected that he fell ill at my place.”

Nancy was somewhat shocked. “What do you mean?”

Amber explained what had happened that day briefly, only leaving out the fact that he had hugged and kissed her right after seeing her.

When Nancy had heard everything, she started shaking her head. “You love to take responsibility for everything, don’t you? Do you know why he’s such a clean freak? It’s because his skin is naturally sensitive, and just a bit of carelessness can lead to endless problems. Who knows whether or not he touched something dirty beforehand? As you said, he ran to find you while dripping wet.”

Amber had no reply.

Nancy stopped comforting her, and instead said, “But his situation really was quite dangerous. If it took us any longer to get to him, then he might not have been saved. Go and take a look at him first. If there’s anything wrong, we can talk later.”

So Amber tidied herself up and put on a face mask and isolation suit before entering the ward.