Elisa had something on her mind. Originally, she intended to head home with Hamish after work, but now she wanted to take a trip to the hospital to thoroughly check her own health.
“I think I’ll head back first?” she said.
“Why? Didn’t we agree to go home together after work?” Hamish inquired.
“It’s too dull here, I’m a bit sleepy and want to go home to rest. Besides, watching you work is not as enjoyable as being at home with Mimi.”
Living like a cat indeed. Unhappy with her decision, Hamish grabbed her hand pressing his temples, “There’s a rest area behind, you can sleep there. It’s quiet and no one will disturb you. I’ll wake you up after I finish work.”
“I can’t sleep on a strange bed.”
“Do you really want to go back? Are you sure?” Elisa nodded.
Seeing her determination, Hamish didn’t want to force her to stay. “Then I’ll have the driver take you home.”
“No need to trouble yourself. I have my phone. I’ll catch a cab on the roadside later.” Elisa snuggled against Hamish’s shoulder, her voice soft and sweet, like a spoiled cat at home, very endearing.
Despite the calm facade of her carrying her bag, her hurried demeanor gave her away. She hastily left, even forgetting to take her lunchbox.
Hamish, with a deep gaze, got up and stretched his legs. Standing by the French window, he soon spotted a figure below, heading not towards home, but seemingly toward the nearby hospital.
Why did Elisa want to go to the hospital? Was it because she wasn’t feeling well? Or had she remembered something? Or perhaps she found out something?
In any case, no matter how he looked at it, her direction didn’t bode well. Hamish immediately instructed someone to follow her.
He had been worried about Elisa wandering off for a long time, so he had installed a tracking device on her phone. As long as she had her phone with her, he would always know where she went.
Elisa smoothly descended the stairs, and the receptionist politely bid her farewell.
Glancing back, she noticed that the receptionist who had greeted her at noon was no longer there.
Elisa didn’t dwell on it, she opened her map and searched for a hospital, following the navigation to the nearest one for a check-up.
She hailed a cab and didn’t notice someone following her.
Fortunately, the hospital wasn’t crowded at this time. Elisa primarily needed two check-ups, one for her stomach and the other for her brain. The medications she usually took were mainly for these two conditions. After waiting in line for a while, she went to see the specialist.
Due to her stomach issues, the doctor ordered her to undergo a fasting gastroscopy in the morning, and today she could also have her brain waves examined.
At the mention of a gastroscopy, Elisa became scared. Although she read online that a painless gastroscopy wouldn’t be uncomfortable, she was still afraid. She had esophagitis, and a gastroscopy would trigger a strong stress response in her.
As she went for her brain wave examination, the costs for these check-ups were quite high. The cards she used were provided by Hamish, and she felt somewhat burdened using them.
She was the only one in line for the neurology examination, so she didn’t have to wait long.
Elisa asked the examining doctor, “Doctor, can I see the results of the examination now?”
“No, you will be notified to come and collect the results.”
Learning that she would have to wait for some time for the results, Elisa felt restless in the consultation room and soon left.
Meanwhile, at the Burns Group, in the CEO’s office, Hamish looked at the tracking map. When he saw the location on the map matching the hospital, his brow furrowed with unease.
He called the person he had assigned to follow Elisa, “Mr. Burns, Mrs. Burns has entered the hospital. What should we do? Should we go in or wait outside for her?”
“See which department she has registered in, then pay the hospital to forge a false examination report for her.”
“Understood.”
After hanging up, Hamish remained restless and paced in his office, unable to understand why Elisa had entered the hospital.
After work, when Hamish returned home and faced Elisa, he acted as if nothing was amiss. However, Elisa, with her back to Hamish, was hiding something, her mind clearly preoccupied.
After dinner, she took her medication and then refused to eat anything else.
The next day, when Hamish got up, she also quietly woke up. She lay in bed without moving until she heard the sound of a car downstairs, then she got up, dressed, and washed.
Mrs. Rugger wasgetting ready to call her down for breakfast when she saw Elisa hurriedly rushing downstairs.
“Mrs. Rugger, I’m going out for a while today. I’ll grab breakfast outside, so I won’t eat here,” Elisa said.
“In that case, how will you go out? Should I have the driver come back to take you?” Mrs. Rugger asked.
“No need, I can easily hail a cab using my phone,” Elisa replied, already on her way out as she slipped on her shoes.
In the early morning, the hospital was bustling with people. There were over a dozen people queuing for gastroscopy alone, but Elisa arrived relatively early, positioning herself in the middle of the line. After a short wait, she was called in by the doctor.
The air was tainted with the smell of disinfectant. As Elisa watched each person come out after their gastroscopy, their faces displayed exhaustion and unbearable pain.
Trepidatiously, she underwent the gastroscopy. Although it was supposed to be painless, the procedure induced a strong stress reaction due to her esophagitis. The doctor reassured her that it wouldn’t hurt and that she would wake up after a brief sleep.
However, Elisa nearly retched, and the vomit displayed evident streaks of blood, a horrifying sight.
She didn’t know if she was the only one who vomited blood after a gastroscopy, but it felt as if her stomach was being twisted and clenched by an invisible hand. She was in excruciating pain, and amidst the agony, the scene of the gastroscopy felt oddly familiar, as if she had experienced it a long time ago.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t surprising that she had undergone it in the past. Due to her stomach condition, she used to visit the hospital regularly for check-ups before her memory loss.
An assistant doctor handed her a cup of water and some tissues, saying, “Rinse your mouth.”
“Thank you,” Elisa replied, rinsing her mouth, which brought relief to her mouth and throat. After wiping her mouth with the tissues, she hoarsely asked, “Doctor, when can I get my examination report?”
The doctor glanced at her listlessly, then focused on the names on the table. When he saw Elisa’s name, his eyes narrowed slightly.
“You can rest in the waiting area for a while. I’ll notify you when the examination report is ready.”
Elisa covered her stomach and walked out. As she heard the doctor calling out the next person’s name, she sat in the waiting area, looking at her phone amid the bustling noises around her.
The people around her displayed various expressions. Some were crying hysterically after being diagnosed with terminal illnesses, while others made phone calls to update their loved ones or expressed regret.
The hospital was a place of life and death, where joy and sorrow were commonplace.
“Elisa, come in and get your examination report.”