Fenella’s POV
It’s getting late, but I’m still patiently waiting for the doctor to come out. Laird underwent surgery to remove the bullet two hours ago. But the surgery sign lamp was still glowing red in the hospital hallway.
I sat waiting on the chair with my right leg wrapped in bandages. Sometimes my ankle throbs with pain, but when I take a deep breath, the pain dissipates.
My hands tightened around the jacket that Matthew had lent me. Although it wasn’t enough to block the cold night, at least it was enough to cover my arms and body that were slightly exposed because of the plunging neckline jumpsuit I was wearing. It’s a good thing that it was in black, so people won’t be too disgusted by the traces of blood seeping through my clothes.
“It’s done!” Jessy exclaimed.
I jumped up from my chair. My hand clasped Jessy’s for a moment. Thank goodness I had a loyal friend like her. Even Prosecutors Golden and Matthew had gone home first to follow the FBI commander to their office.
Not long after, a nurse opened the door to the operating room wide. I went straight to him.
“How did the surgery go?” I asked him.
“It generally went well, but you’ll have to wait for the doctor to ask for further details.”
“Oh, thank you. Thank God.” I sighed in relief.
Some time later, some nurses pushed a hospital bed out of the operating room. Laird was lying there weak, and he was still unconscious. Jessy and I walked beside the bed, following the staff to the room.
Laird’s body was then moved to a clean bed, and the nurses arranged some equipment and IVs around him. Soon, a man in a white robe came in and introduced himself as the doctor in charge.
“He was hit by a bullet, but it did not hit any fatal internal organs. It has been successfully removed.”
“Oh, thank you, doctor.” I let out a long sigh of relief.
“Yes. It’s just that one of his ribs was fractured, and he suffered a mild concussion. We still have to wait until his condition stabilizes to give him further treatment. Are you his family?”
“Not yet. I’m his girlfriend, but his brother will be here soon.”
“When he comes, ask him to go to the nurse’s station to sign some follow-up documents and the hospitalization papers.”
“Okay, thank you, doctor.”
The doctor then nodded with a friendly smile. He left the room, leaving Jessy and me alone. I sat on the waiting chair beside Laird while Jessy took a call from Mr. Golden.
“Fenella, you’re still going to wait for Laird here, right?” Jessy asked.
“Yes, Jessy. You go home first and rest,” I said in a weak voice.
“Oh, sure. But after you clean up and tidy yourself up.”
“No one will see me either, Jessy,” I said with my eyes rolling upwards.
“At least Laird will see you when he wakes up. You’d better convince him that you’re okay.”
“Hm, yeah, you might have a point.”
I went to the bathroom to wash my face, tidy my ponytail, and rinse off the blood on my hands. When I came out of the bathroom, my eyes widened at the sight of a dark blonde man with dark green eyes come into the room. At first I thought Laird was awake, but after I took a good look at the clothes and glasses adorning his face, I guessed that it was his younger brother.
“Lloyd?” I asked hesitantly.
He looked at me with widened eyes. His gaze was then assessed from the tips of my hair to the tips of my feet, which were only wearing makeshift hospital slippers.
“Oh, hey, Fenella. How are you?”
“I’m much better now.” I spread my arms with a big smile. He then hugged me for a moment and gave my temple a quick peck.
“I heard everything from the guy who called me earlier. Care to explain the case? What happened exactly? I didn’t even know Laird had returned to Boston.” Lloyd frowned as he pulled out a chair for me to sit beside him.
“Uh, well,” I glanced at Jessy, whose eyes seemed to be sparkling wide. He glanced at me a few times, and I introduced Jessy to Lloyd.
“This is Jessy, my friend. Jessy, this is Laird’s brother, Lloyd.”
“Nice to meet you. You look so much like Laird, are you twins?” asked Jessy with a big smile and a look of amazement in his eyes. He rose to his feet, then they shook hands briefly.
“No, we’re not twins. I’m three years younger than him,” Lloyd told him in a cold tone.
“Now I’m sure you both have those handsome genes.” Jessy giggled for a while, but Lloyd only looked at him with an unamused stare. His cold demeanor towards strangers is much the same as it was when he was a teenager. There was an awkward silence, then Jessy coughed a bit.
“Oh, well. Uh, Fenella, I think I’m going home. I’ll come back later with a change of clothes for you when we take turns looking after Laird.”
I nodded at Jessy’s words. He then left me alone with Lloyd, while Laird was still sleeping with his regular breathing.
“I didn’t know you went back to Boston. Did you and Laird come together?”
“Yes, I only came on Christmas Eve, but Laird came afterward.”
“Oh. Has he been staying at your house all this time?” asked Lloyd with a frown of amazement on his forehead.
“Uhm, please don’t tell your dad,” I said as my teeth bit my lower lip.
“No, I won’t. I’m just surprised he had the nerve not to come to the Christmas party and didn’t even come to the house to say hello to us.” Lloyd shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s actually impossible, isn’t it? But he insisted on staying in my house while working online.”
“That’s fine. I actually think it’s better for him. I even envy him for standing up to our father like that. Is it because of you?” He asked me with his gaze fixed on me.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged as I let out a long sigh.
“Anyway, you haven’t told me everything.”
Then all night I told him the chronology of events. I told Lloyd everything from when I first met Laird in New York, how Alan took over Gene, until tonight’s event. Before I knew it, two hours had passed, and I finished my story with a deep sigh.
“That’s messed up.” Lloyd let out a long sigh.
“Yeah, I know.”
“The world can be turned upside down by the temptation of women.” Lloyd chuckled as he shook his head.
“Should I be insulted?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Please don’t. I’m just saying that women are the strongest rulers of the world.” Lloyd chuckled with a hue of laughter similar to Laird’s. “So, I take it you’ll wait here until Laird wakes up.”
“Yes.” I nodded firmly.
“You’re going to stay here overnight?”
“Uh, yeah, you’re right.”
I nodded again.
“You’re not going home?”
“No, I’ll wait until Laird wakes up.”
For some reason, Lloyd made me realize that maybe I should bring a mattress or blanket if I wanted to stay overnight in the hospital. I didn’t have enough preparation and thought Matthew’s borrowed jacket would be enough to keep me warm.
“Then wait here. I’ll sort out the paperwork and borrow a blanket for you to sleep on,” Lloyd squeezed my shoulder for a moment.
“Thank you, Lloyd,” I said in sincerity.
He smiled, then walked out of the room.