The warm water steams as it pours over their heads and catches the light like luminous diamonds. Leilani pushes him away and says in a harsh tone, “Go away! I’ll shower myself.”
Waylen doesn’t object. He releases her and grabs a towel, rubbing his hair dry as he leaves the bathroom. Leilani doesn’t know if it’s because she’s still ill or if it’s because she’s in a confined space, but she feels suffocated and claustrophobic. Her discomfort eases as Waylen leaves.
She quickly strips off her clothes and lowers herself into the tub. As the warm water enwraps her frozen body she utters an indescribable sigh of relief.
In the other room, Waylen wraps himself in a robe and heads to the study. Robert follows him, carrying a small plastic bag which he puts on the desk.
“Mr. Bamford, Dr. Walter said this is for you.”
Waylen glances at the bag. It contains a small box labeled “folic acid.” Dr. Walter has prescribed the supplement to help Leilani prepare for pregnancy. Suddenly recalling medicine, Waylen takes a small brown bottle from his pocket and pinches it between his fingers. He can faintly see a special mark used by the Meyer family on the brown glass.
“Is Dr. Walter still here?” he asks.
“He left just now. Shall I get him to come back?”
Waylen nods and Robert runs from the room to chase down Dr. Walter. Upon entering the study, he sees Waylen is staring at a delicate glass bottle which looks different from the average pill bottle. Though the glass is tinted it becomes transparent and clear under the light as if it were a work of art.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Bamford?” Dr. Walter asks.
“Contact the director of St. Meyer Hospital to arrange for a medical examination for Leilani tomorrow.”
Dr. Walter hesitates. He knows that Charles came to the manor in the evening, and he knows that Charles is the reason St. Meyer Hospital has become so popular. If the celebrities and nobility in the city want to make an appointment with him, they typically have to wait for a long time.
In the evening, Charles personally examined Leilani and said that she was too weak to get pregnant and needs to be nursed with great care for three to six months. Charles’s diagnosis sounds exhaustive and accurate, but now Waylen Bamford wants to go around him and ask his father to reexamine her.
“Does he doubt Charles’ diagnosis?” Dr. Walter wonders.
Waylen’s demands create a rather subtle problem. If Charles’ diagnosis is right, everyone will take it for granted because he’s a well-respected doctor. Waylen’s request to have Leilani re-examined will make the Bamford family appear ungrateful. However, if Charles made a mistake, his reputation will suffer and St. Meyer hospital will lose many of its devoted upper-class clients.
Dr. Walter raises his eyes in time to see Waylen open the brown bottle and pour its contents into the empty trash can. Then he pours half of the folic acid pills into the brown bottle.
“What is he doing?” Dr. Walter wonders.
Though Dr. Walter is concerned as a medical professional, he doesn’t dare to voice his concerns to Waylen. Waylen seems to remember something and plucks a pill from the trash can. He rolls it in his palm before handing it to Dr. Walter.
“Have this tested,” he orders, “I want to know exactly what it is within three days.”
Dr. Walter carefully wraps the pill in tissue and leaves the room after a curt nod to Waylen. Waylen puts the brown bottle back into his pocket, grabs the remaining folic acid, and returns to the bedroom. Still warm from her bath, Leilani lies half-reclined in the bed.
A maid stands by the bedside and presents medicine and water on a tray. Leilani frowns slightly, takes the medicine hurriedly, and finally drinks sweetened water to wash away the medicine’s bitter taste.
Waylen watches her and then throws a bag to her, “Take this.”
The small bag lands on the quilt and a white medicine bottle roll out. Leilani examines the bottle and frowns upon discovering that it’s folic acid.
“Dr. Meyer said that I’m too weak to get pregnant right now,” she says.
“You’re supposed to start taking folic acid three months before conception,” he replies.
Leilani’s heart misses a beat. Ignoring the fact that she’s not currently fit for pregnancy, she is alarmed by Waylen’s single-mindedness. She thought the pregnancy was just a ruse to distract the press, but he seems very serious about it now.
“You know I don’t want to have a baby,” she says.
“You have no choice.”
“But you do. There are lots of women who want to be Mrs. Bamford and they’d all be willing to have a baby for you. Why must it be me?”
“Because you already are Mrs. Bamford and this is your responsibility.”
“Mrs. Bamford is nothing but a machine for reproduction,” she sneers, “Why don’t you pick someone who can have a baby for you now?
“Don’t challenge my patience,” he warns, “And keep tomorrow afternoon free— I’m having someone take you to the hospital.”
“The hospital?”
“Do you think I really believe Charles’ bullshit?” he looks at her defiantly, “I’m having Charles’ father reexamine you. He’s the director of the hospital after all.”
“Since you don’t trust Dr. Meyer, I suggest you find a new hospital.”
Waylen speaks to the maids without looking at them, “Get another glass of water for Mrs. Bamford. Do I need to explain everything to you?” The maids retreat in a fright one after another.
Waylen casually puts the medicine bottle in his pocket into the drawer of the bedside table.
“The St. Meyer Hospital has the most advanced medical equipment but no skilled staff,” he says.
Leilani quietly clenches the quilt. She knows that weakness has nothing to do with Charles’ diagnosis; he said she’s unsuited for pregnancy because of the newly developed toxin in her blood. She knows that no one besides Charles is skilled enough to find the toxin. To any other doctor, it will look like Charles has misdiagnosed her. She doesn’t want Charles to get into trouble after he’s gone to such great lengths to help her, and she’s worried about his reputation and his career.
“I absolutely can’t go to that medical examination!” Leilani thinks.
As she thinks she watches Waylen, and she recognizes the medicine bottle he put into the drawer.
“So he did take the pills away from me when he kissed me!” she thinks.
Pretending that she didn’t see him move the brown bottle, Leilani opens the folic acid takes a pill. She swallows it and the maid hands her water before retreating from the room. Waylen lifts a corner of the quilt. As he slides into the bed, the mattress sinks and her heart sinks with it; they’ve never slept in the same bed before.
The taste of the medicine gradually fades and the air is full of his smell. She c.o.c.ks her head to the side and finds that he is sitting with his back against the headboard and looking at her like a strange pet.
“Are you going to sleep sitting down? Your habits are very odd,” she says, “But I have odder habits which may affect your sleep quality.”
“For example?”
Waylen’s fingers are already entwined her hair. He seems increasingly fascinated by playing with her hair and earlobe. Resisting the urge to beat his hand away, she says, “I grind my teeth, snort, talk, and even sleepwalk at night.”
Waylen stares at her with a look of deep significance and casually says, “I don’t mind.”
He gently tugs her hair, forcing her to lean down close to him. He grasps her waist with his other hand and holds her tightly. As she struggles to get away from him, he holds her more firmly against the body.
“Stop moving unless you want to cause problems for yourself,” he commands, then his voice turns rougher, “Or maybe you’re eager for me to put a baby in you.”
She can feel his growing excitement, “You’re too sensitive, Mr. Bamford—it takes next to nothing to get you in the mood.”
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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