As the light of dawn spilled in, Diarmuid had already suited up, looking prim and cool.
At the dining table, he said, “I might be traveling abroad for work for over half a month.”
Abigail was puzzled. Why a business trip out of the blue?
“What for? Do you really have to leave?”
“I’m going to Remy headquarters. Something I have to deal with,” Diarmuid said flatly.
Abigail stared at him and said, “I’ll help pack your bags.”
“No, Mrs. Watson can do it. I’ll take you to the hospital after breakfast,” he said, putting down his napkin and leaving the dining room.
Abigail sensed the dark clouds in his mood.
Knowing that it was probably because of the diary, she put down her knife and fork to follow him outside.
“Diarmuid—”
That was when Diarmuid’s phone rang, and he answered it.
James was calling, saying that something urgent came up at the office, needing his attention just then.
Putting away his phone, he said, “The chauffeur will take you to the hospital instead.”
Abigail held his gaze. “Are you busy?”
“Something urgent came up,” he said, and he called for the chauffeur.
He then walked her to the car without giving her a chance to speak, and then drove out as well.
Still, Abigail felt restless—Diarmuid’s alooness left her uneasy.
When they arrived at the hospital, she did not get out.
Instead, she told the chauffeur to drive to Twinrise—she must find
Diarmuid and clear the air!
Abigail could not care less that her face was heavily bandaged.
She aligned and dashed into the Twinrise office building, heading straight for the front desk when she spotted James stepping out.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I’m looking for Diarmuid. Where is he?” Abigail asked right away.
“He’s out to deal with something,” James said. “Is it urgent? Do you want me to call him back right now?”
Abigail thought about it, but gave up. “It’s fine.”
She decided that she could wait until Diarmuid came back, and she turned to leave.
When she returned to the hospital, she managed to make it back to her ward before Seth did his rounds and he helped her change her bandages.
“Can I stay home to recover instead?” Abigail asked just then. Seth chuckled. “Do you hate the smell here? Aren’t you a doctor yourself?”
“No, it’s just cabin fever,” Abigail said.
“Well, sure. Actually, if you don’t want to come here, I can visit your home to change your bandages every other day too.”
Abigail quickly rejected the offer—Diarmuid was already upset, and the misunderstanding would worsen if she allowed Seth in her house.
“Forget it. [ think I’ll just stay here!”
Seth smiled. “You seemed afraid of me visiting your house.”
“Nope.” Abigail denied it, then asked, “By the way, why did you come back to Zidonia?”
Seth lowered his head to hide his reaction, but he then grinned. “Business is booming here. Can’t you see that all our wards are full?They’re all young women too—it seems that they’re not content with their looks.”
Abigail was actually left in awe, but it was true—ladies did get self conscious about their looks these days, neglecting their health instead, which was disagreeable for Abigail.
“You don’t think that’s good? But if you think about it in another way, our hospital would be bankrupt if not for them.” Seth chuckled. “Actually, I have a favor to ask… 1 don’t know if you’d help, though.”
“What is it?” Abigail asked.
“You mentioned that you worked at Mead Clinic before, yes? I have a relative who has a heart condition, and I was wondering if you could take a look.”
“But as you can see, I can’t work in this condition—it’s inconvenient. Also, isn’t it good that your relative is in Minerva, since medical facilities there are as good as the stuff we have here?”
Abigail was not rejecting him, but stating the truth.
Moreover, Jeff Cartman was their mutual friend, and Jeff could help as far as cardiovascular conditions were concerned.
Seth smiled. “Actually, my relative is in the country. I just wanted a diagnosis, or is that ago?”
Abigail quickly said, “No…”
“Oh? So what’s it actually gonna be?” Seth asked, almost pushy suddenly.
Abigail did a double take, surprised by Seth’s attitude.
She pursed her lips. “You did a perfect job with my surgery, and I owe you that… How about I check on your relative when I’m better?
“Thank you,” Seth said.
Abigail actually felt a little concerned just then.
It felt like Seth was making a deal—an equivalent exchange with her, as if all old sentiment was gone.
Though she smiled faintly without answering, her impression of Seth had changed.
He certainly was not mild and soft-spoken like his younger self, but time does change everything — including people.
The thought relieved her when she understood that, and since Seth was not particularly important to her, she did not pay him much heed.
After he changed her bandages, she reseted in the ward until around 3 PM before returning home, and she waited for Diarmuid to come home in the evening to clear the air.
Even so, he never returned, and she got a bombshell instead!
Diarmuid did not return even at 8 PM and Abigail’s calls were not getting through.
It was only after she asked James that she found out that Diarmuid had left the country.
How could he leave so quietly without giving her a head’s up?
Abigail actually felt very miserable that she could not sleep that night, and was left staring at her phone, wishing that he would call.
However, she received a call from the hospital instead.
“Sorry for calling this late, but are you a friend or family member of Zachary Slate?”
Abigail drew a blank, and asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m calling from emergency dispatch—we had to get your number from the patient’s phone. If you’re a family member, please come to the hospital at once.”
Abigail frowned. “What happened?”
“He was wounded in a fire. He’s being rushed to Cloud City General as we speak.”
“Understood. I’ll be right there,” Abigail said. She then quickly got out of bed and put on her clothes before asking the chauffeur to drive her to the hospital.
There were not many cars this late at night, and they soon arrived.
Abigail rushed inside with the chauffeur in tow.
She made a query at the front desk, but Zachary was still being examined before surgery and she was not allowed to meet him just yet.
As such, she had to wait.
It was not until 4 AM when Abigail was finally allowed to meet Zachary.
A huge chunk of his arm was charred but treated, and he was now laying exhaustively in his bed.
“What happened?” Abigail asked.
She could not believe it—the Slates’ residence was a standalone mansion, and there should have been fire safety equipment installed when it was first built. Even if that failed, getting out should be no trouble either since it was no high-rise building.
Zachary had no idea how it happened either. He was sleeping soundly, and he felt feeble when he woke up, coughing from the thick smoke.
Since he was a doctor himself, he knew that something was wrong with his body, but he did not dwell on it—he first carried Lulu out of the building, and he was burned when he returned for his mother.
“I’m not sure how the fire actually started, but the cops are on it,” he finished.
“Where’s Lulu? Why haven’t I seen her?” Abigail asked.
“Don’t worry, she’s fine—she passed out from shock, but she’s still out. You should check on her later. Try to comfort her in my place,” Zachary said.
“Passed out from shock?” Abigail frowned.
Lulu was a forensic doctor who feared nothing even though she had to look at all forms of corpses everyday.
And she somehow fainted from the fire?
The Lulu she knew was no scaredy cat and she would calmly face any dangerous situation.
Saying that she would pass out from shock was hardly believable, or did amnesia really change a person?
Seeing that Abigail was spacing out, Zachary asked, “What’s in your mind?”
Abigail came to her senses just then and said, “Nothing.”
“Okay. You should get some rest —you need it, especially after your surgery,” Zachary told her.
Abigail did not feel sleepy at all. “I’ll check on Lulu first before I go home.”
“How about I ask for an extra bed? You could sleep while you wait,
” Zachary suggested.
“It’s fine.” Abigail turned him down. “I’ll stay here for a bit and leave right after I check on Lulu.”
Zachary got out of his bed just then.
“where are you going?” Abigail asked.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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