Dylan lightly ruffled Lola’s hair. Lola pouted her lips as if she felt wronged.
Just then, the hospital room door opened and a nurse wheeled in a cart. Dylan stepped aside and walked towards the window.
The nurse glanced at Dylan, who seemed new to her, with sparkling eyes, and then looked at Lola and asked.
“Doctor, how are you feeling today? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“I think I’m a little better today. I feel like I’m alive.”
“Oh, I’m so glad. I’ll disinfect your wound. It’ll sting a little.”
Soon after the wound was disinfected, the nurse gave Lola an IV and left the hospital room.
Dylan, who had been watching quietly until then, immediately followed the nurse out.
“Nurse, just a moment.”
At Dylan’s voice, the nurse, who was walking down the hallway pushing the cart, stopped and turned around. The nurse’s eyes widened for a moment.
A handsome man was calling her, and she was surprised and puzzled, wondering what was going on.
Dylan quickly approached the nurse and asked.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Yes? Yes? W-What about?”
In contrast to his handsome face, the man’s eyes looked so cold that the nurse stammered.
Gia had told him in advance that an intern nurse was a witness, so Dylan asked, wondering if this was the nurse.
“Did you happen to see Lola being assaulted?”
The nurse nodded, recalling the memory, and began to pour out words like a waterfall, trembling.
“It almost became a big deal. If I had been just a little later, or if the prosecutor hadn’t been there that day, something might have happened to Dr. Lola.”
“Prosecutor?”
“There’s a prosecutor who often visits our hospital. A while ago, a suspect tried to commit suicide while being investigated by the prosecution and was taken to the emergency room, and the prosecutor practically lived in the hospital. He seemed to know Dr. Lola well.”
Dylan had been wondering how Frank knew that Lola was hurt, but after hearing the nurse’s words, he finally understood.
He felt grateful to Frank.
If Frank had been just a little later… It was too terrible to even imagine.
“That patient had occasional seizures before, but that day was very serious. He grabbed Dr. Lola by the hair and wouldn’t let go. He was attacking her like he was going to die, it was really creepy.”
The nurse explained so vividly, with expressions, gestures, and hand movements, that Dylan felt like he was at the scene.
Then, the pain, suffering, and fear that Lola felt at that moment came to him even more intensely.
As a result, even after the nurse finished talking and left, Dylan stayed in the hallway for a long time before reporting to 112 and returning to the hospital room.
Lola had fallen asleep in the meantime. Dylan pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed, looking at Lola’s face with pity. There were still traces of tears here and there on her face.
Dylan stroked Lola’s face with his hand and lightly stroked her hair.
‘I was afraid I would never see your again.’
‘I was happy to see Dylan’s face again. I was grateful to be alive.’
Lola’s words from earlier were vivid in his ears.
“I was scared, too.” The thought that he almost lost her made him unbearably angry and anxious.. And he felt chills.
‘Thank you so much for being alive.’
“Dylan, Dylan.” Lola was looking for Dylan, waving her hands in the air without even opening her eyes. He quickly grabbed her hand and whispered.
“Sleep a little more, I’ll wake you up when the IV is done. And let’s go home.”
“Really? Dear.” Lola asked, opening her eyes slightly as if to confirm. Dylan’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly.
“You always ask that. Have I ever lied to you?” Lola smiled brightly. Dylan kissed her forehead and said.
“Sleep quickly.”
And pat, pat.
Dylan patted Lola’s chest until she fell asleep.
*****
It was already past midnight when Lola finished her IV, and they returned home. He had dozed off for a while, but Dylan woke up on his own at the sound of groaning next to him.
It was dawn, but the surroundings were dark. Dylan, who had gotten up, reached out and pressed the remote control on the bedside table to turn on the light.
Only then, as bright light entered the dark bedroom, did Dylan clearly see Lola, who was sweating and groaning.
“What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
“O, Dear. Water.”
“Water?”
“Water, water.”
The same words kept flowing out of her parched and cracked lips. Dylan quickly raised his hand and touched her forehead.
Her forehead was hot. Her body was like a furnace.
Dylan quickly got out of bed and left the bedroom. He thought he should give her water first and then take her to the hospital.
A moment later, Dylan, who had brought a cup of lukewarm water, first put the cup on the bedside table and then sat her up. And he slowly fed her water and said.
“You seem to have a fever. Let’s go to the hospital.”
Lola shook her head, and Dylan frowned and scolded her.
“You’re not listening again, are you?”
“I think I have a cold because I came back from the dead. I’ll be fine if I take a fever reducer and get some rest. Really, Dear.”
Dylan frowned and pondered for a moment, then sighed and said. “Then let’s take a fever reducer and watch, and if the fever doesn’t go down, let’s go to the hospital.”
Lola nodded vigorously. “Yes. Dear.”
It wasn’t the first time for Dylan, who had taken care of Gia a few times when she was sick in the past, so he was able to remain calm without being flustered at all.
Dylan laid Lola back on the bed and quickly moved his hands and feet, first finding a fever reducer and giving it to Lola.
Then, he diligently nursed her, constantly changing the wet towel on her forehead and repeatedly checking her temperature until her fever subsided.
