My Darling, My Dearest

The man next to Rachel was the one she was meant to give Wendy's message to. She had accepted the task and naturally, she would deliver the message.

As she was working up the nerve to talk, carefully crafting her words just in case, Vincent surprised her by saying,

"You look familiar, Ms. Shen."

Rachel watched him with slight astonishment. His hands were on the steering wheel, his eyes focus intently on the road. "Are you working in a hospital?" he asked, looking towards her before focusing back on the road. "I have seen you several times."

Rachel nodded, "In the New District Hospital."

"Well, that must be it," he muttered quietly. Rachel couldn't help but steal another look at him. This time there was a meaningful look on Vincent's face.

After that the car was silent for a moment. Rachel watched as the road got darker and darker. Vincent didn't seem to mind as he drove on the national highway, preparing to take a detour.

Rachel swallowed and said, "Miss Wen asked me to send a message to you for her."

It would seem like hearing the name of his sister didn't faze Vincent, but Rachel noticed that he ■3

tightened his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Okay." He looked calm, almost aloof, as if she had spoken about the weather. "What message?"

It looked as if he didn't care about it at all, Rachel thought. She paused, studying his face before repeating what Wendy had asked her to say. "Stay out of it and go back."

Rachel couldn't make out his expression clearly, but she didn't need to. She felt the atmosphere in the car suddenly changed as the man beside her register her words.

Vincent was trying hard to control his emotions and managed a cold, clipped thank you to Rachel.

It was clear as day that the brother and sister of the Wen family had some issues. After that, the car once again was filled with silence, and it was kept that way. When they arrived at the entrance of the community, Vincent surprised Rachel by saying, "Thank you."

Rachel unfastened the seat belt, but she didn't get out of the car immediately. Something inside her was rooting her to her seat, where she stayed for a while.

They spent a few seconds in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Vincent's fingers rested on the steering wheel, and the engine was still buzzing. A moment later, he said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I want to ask you a favor, Ms. Shen. If possible, tell her..." He hesitated for a moment. "Never mind." He shook his head slightly as if shaking off the thought, "Thank you for your help today."

Vincent thanked her for the third time, and ■3

Rachel couldn't help but notice that the more he thanked her, the stranger she felt. There was no reason for her to interfere. After she got out of the car, she watched the car leave the residential area slowly. Then she turned around and went in.

On the other side, Jack had sent Celine back to her apartment. When they arrived, she stopped making a scene.

Her complaints and anger gradually disappeared after she entered the room. But she still kept shedding tears. Celine sat quietly on the sofa as Jack stood beside her, taking a moment to watch her before speaking up. "You can't say anything until you've dried your tears,"

Celine sobbed as she wiped the tears on her face, trying to rail in her emotions.

Seeing this, Jack slightly sighed. He knew her well, and even though he was well aware of her temper, he was still pissed off and hurt from Celine's words earlier.

Jack went into the bathroom and came back with a warm wet towel. Without a word, he started to erase any trace of tears. While he worked, he noticed her bare shoulders, and thought she could be cold crossed his mind; he got up to get a small blanket from the other room.

However, Celine thought he was leaving, so she surprised both of them by throwing the towel to the side and grabbing his hand in panic. "Where are you going?"

Jack's heart was softened by her actions; he felt his anger evaporating and instead, he sat back ■3

down and wrapped his arms around her, holding her softly in his arms. "Don't cry, I won't go," he said as she gripped onto him harder.

Celine was his beloved woman. He was supposed to hold her in his arms and comfort her, reassure her of everything, but he just held her in his arms, unable to say a word. How could he say anything when his mind was drifting back to the woman he left behind in the hotel?

The next day, Rachel found herself with a stuffy nose and a headache; she had caught a cold unexpectedly. But instead of dulling on it, she took out the medicine from the medical cabin at home and drank the medication with some hot water, getting ready for the long day ahead of her.

Soon after Rachel had arrived at the hospital, Eric called to tell her he wanted to come by that day to get a check-up. She agreed and asked him to come at noon.

After the first half of her shift was done, Rachel found herself drinking another glass of water at break. Celia, who had noticed the tired look on her face, asked with concern, "Dr. Shen, why don't you rest for a bit?"

Rachel shook her head immediately. That month, she had asked for leave several times. "I'll take more medicine at noon. It's okay."

After that, two injured from a big accident came in and Rachel pushed all her tiredness to the back of her mind, and putting her mask back on, she hurried back to help stitch up the wounded.

It wasn't until noon that Rachel found a quiet ■3

moment to herself again. And when she finally stopped to gather her thoughts, she realized just how weak she felt. Her head seemed as if it was about to explode, and her stuffy nose was making it harder for her to breathe through her mask. She didn't feel well at all, and she wasn't sure she could continue to work.

Deciding that checking her temperature was the first thing she should do, she grabbed the nearest thermometer and sat down, her body sagging in relief. As she was about to check her temperature, a slender hand gently covered her forehead, making her gasp in surprise.

Rachel raised her eyes and found Lucas towering over her. She tried to calm her racing heart as she sat up straight. He drew back his hand with a frown on his face. "You have a fever, did you know?"

"Yes, I can feel it. I'm taking my medicine," she explained softly. She raised her hand to her forehead and found that it was indeed a little hotter than earlier. There was no need to take her temperature now; it was obvious she was running a fever.

Rachel retreated her chair, opened the drawer and took out the medicine.

Lucas had poured her a glass of water, and before she could say anything, he handed her the glass. She grabbed it from him with a small grateful smile and then put a few pills in her mouth, swallowing them down with the water.

Rachel hadn't felt uncomfortable as she had been working, probably because she had been too ■3

busy to notice her discomfort, but now that she was calmly sipping water in the break room, she felt every ache and pain hit her at once.

Lucas was quiet as he took an antipyretic stick and carefully put it on Rachel's forehead, his slender fingers brushing softly against her skin.

Celia, who was about to knock on the door, watched their interaction, and since she hadn't been seen or heard by either of them, she gave them some privacy and wait a moment outside before reentering the

room.

This time Celia raised her hand and knocked before entering. The two people inside looked up watching the nurse enter the room. It was then that she noticed Rachel's forehead and realize that she had a fever.

"Dr. Shen, why don't you take a break in the afternoon?" she asked as she came closer to them.

She watched as Lucas tested Rachel's temperature. They waited only a moment before the thermometer told them it was over 39 degrees centigrade. Rachel shook her head at Celia's words. "I'll be fine after I sleep tonight."

"Rachel! Ask for leave now and go rest,"

Lucas said angrily. He tried to keep a straight face. "How can you take care of patients when you are sick yourself?" His tone was soft, but his words were firm.

She was running a fever of 39 degrees. Did she really think she could still pretend she was fine? It looked as if she could barely walk right at that moment. Even though he was angry at her ■3 irresponsible actions, he felt sorry for her. He turned towards the nurse who had been watching the exchange silently. "Celia, could you please go to Director Yu's office to ask for leave for Rachel?" "Okay." Celia turned around to leave.

"Hey, wait," Rachel called out. Lucas looked at her and snapped, "You're not made of iron. Do you really think you can go on like this?"

Rachel didn't know whether she wanted to cry or laugh, but she did neither. Instead, she shook her head, a small smile on her face. "You have misunderstood. Eric said he would come over at noon for a check-up."

She looked at her watch and then back at Lucas. "It's about time. I want to leave after he comes."

"Eric?" Lucas sounded confused. "What's wrong with him?" he asked with an eyebrow raised in doubt.

"He got hurt some time ago," Rachel said. Eric got hurt because of Jack.

Suddenly, Rachel recalled the scene of last night, when she was left behind by Jack. She raised her hand and touched her forehead.

'Whenever I meet that man, bad things happen,' she thought to herself as she let out a soft sigh.

"I'll send you back when he comes. Now, you can rest in the lounge." Lucas' order didn't leave room for discussion.

Rachel, who hadn't been feeling that bad in the morning, was now exhausted. After sitting down, ■3

she wasn't sure if she could even get up again.

She nodded her head, deciding not to deny Lucas' request anymore.

When she finally made it to the lounge, Rachel lay in the bed. As the minutes ticked by, she felt herself become more and more tired. Following Lucas' orders was the right decision.

Half an hour later, Lucas came to check up on her. He carefully took her temperature again and was happy to find that the fever had subsided a little, but Rachel's mental state had worsened. Lucas couldn't help but frown as he looked her over. He was originally meant to come to work the next day, but now he was thankful he had come to the hospital today.

Rachel had always been healthy, she had a good lifestyle. It was rare for her to get this sick.

Lucas told her to keep on resting, and he went out to the pharmacy to get her some more suited medicine. He wanted to be quick, just in case she needed him.

When Eric arrived, Lucas had just gotten back with the medicine. It was something he would use if Rachel's fever wasn't gone.

Eric was stunned at seeing Rachel in the bed. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, confused.

Rachel opened her eyes but didn't want to talk.

"She has a fever," Lucas answered instead. Eric seemed to notice him just then; he looked at him for a second before recognizing him. "You're Lucas Zhou, right?" he asked. ■3 "Yes." He gave him a polite smile before turning to pour a new glass of water for Rachel. "Well since your cousin is already here, should we let him finish his examination or not?"

Eric had just come over to take an X-ray of his hand to see the recovery of the bone. The damage was done by Rachel hitting it with the beer bottle, and then Jack heavily stepped on it. The bone was damaged, and it hurt terribly, but it was not a serious injury.

"I just need to see how my wounds are recovering."

Eric wasn't stupid. When he saw Rachel like this, he would not bother her for anything. "Rachel, why did you come to the hospital to work when you got a fever? Do you think you can fight like a superman?" Eric carefully put a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature, but he wasn't able to tell if she was running a fever or not.

"I'll take you to the doctor." Eric decided with a frown.

It took a second for Eric's words to sink in and when they did, the others laughed. Rachel shook her head and couldn't bear to look at his silly expression, so she raised her hand to cover her eyes. Rachel wasn't sure if he was trying to lift her spirits or if he had truly forgotten Lucas was also a doctor.

Lucas couldn't help laughing. Eric's simple humor was a refreshing change from all the stress ■3

of the hospital. "You go to see the doctor first," he told him. "And I will take Rachel home."

Eric's eyes dripped on Lucas for a short while, weighing in his options. Finally he nodded, "Okay, I'll go to the doctor's office now. It won't take long, so wait a moment, and I'll take her home with you."