Mr. Tank was puzzled. “I thought Mr. York was asleep.”
“Mr. York can play pretend all he wants. Mr. Bucham said that we can leave Mr. York to the CEO’s wife when she gets here. The missus will have everything covered. We’re safe once she’s here.”
‘Though, I never heard from headquarters that Mr. York was married.”
The deputy manager gossiped as they walked away.
Mr. Tank turned his head and replied, “Whatever Mr. Bucham says can’t go wrong. We’re far from Wiltspoon. It’s a two-hour journey by flight, so of course, we don’t know about Mr. York’s marriage. Based on my observations, the missus doesn’t seem to know about Mr. York’s real position in the company.”
She mentioned Mr. York’s salary.
“Mr. York told me to buy some fruits and desserts when he found out that Ms. Hunt was on her way over. I can tell from these gestures that Mr. York is good to Ms. Hunt.”
The deputy manager complimented, “You have a keen observation, Mr. Tank.”
Serena was in the dark about the conversation between the managers. She stared at Zack who was in bed and felt his head from time to time. With each touch, the frown on her face deepened.
Zack’s temperature had not gone down.
After feeling his temperature once more, Serena sat down on a chair by the bed. She pulled out her phone to send her sister and the others a text message to inform them that she was at the hospital with Zack.
She told her sister about Zack’s condition.
Serena then sent Jasmine a message.
With the messages sent out, Serena stuffed the phone back into her pocket.
Everybody must be asleep since it was late at night. She did not count on receiving an immediate reply.
Zack gradually came around.
Opening his eyes, Zack deliberately made a bewildered face as if he could not believe Serena was here. He lifted his free hand and rubbed his eyes while mumbling to himself, “Is the fever getting to me? Are my eyes deceiving me? Why is my Seren here?” 1
Serena pulled his arm away from his face and gave him a hard pinch on the hand.
“Owl”
“Does it hurt?” Serena asked him.
Zack pulled those cute puppy dog eyes. “It hurts. It hurts so bad.”
“It’s good that you felt the pain. You’re not dreaming. This is reality. I told you I’ll make my way here if you don’t get a doctor’s appointment.”
Zack was about to sit up.
“Lie down. You’re in a hospital. You’re still burning up. I don’t know why you want to tough it out.”
Serena pressed him down. “Now lie yourself down. How do you feel now?”
“My temperature has gone down but not completely. My throat feels sore. Even my voice is hoarse. Cough, cough…”
Zack hacked his throat.
“I’m starting to cough. Seren, can you ask the nurse for a mask? I have a viral cold, so you might get it from me.”
He reached out to press the call button above his head. Once the nurse answered the call, he said to the nurse, “Can you give me two masks?”
“Why do you need the masks?” the nurse inquired.
Zack answered in a raspy voice, “I have the viral flu, and my wife’s here to take care of me. Can you give the masks to my wife? I don’t want to spread the flu to my wife.”
The nurse ended the communication.
Soon, the nurse came knocking on the door and delivered two medical masks.
‘Thank you.”
Serena expressed her thanks and put on a mask.
Zack said, “You should grab a couple more packs of these marks from the pharmacy when it’s morning. You better have a mask on around me before I get better. I don’t want you to be sick while I’m sick too.”
“Sure. Is the chicken soup for you?”
Noticing the takeaway chicken soup, Serena put her hand out to feel the container. It was still warm.
“It’s mine. Mr. Tank bought it for me. I was asleep, so I hadn’t eaten.”
“Do you want to have it now?”
Raising his right arm, Zack uttered helplessly, “My right hand is still on drips. I can’t really eat with my left hand.”
Serena helped him to sit up before taking out the container of soup. She remarked, “I’ve seen you using utensils with both hands. You had no problems then. You can just be straight that you want me to feed you.”
Zack’s eyes were gleaming. “Did I? I don’t remember. It’s not convenient to eat with my hands now. Seren, I’ll find the chicken soup a gourmet if you feed me.”
“You should get a doctor to examine you if you don’t feel well next time. Work is important, but it isn’t more important than your health. You work for your boss, and the company doesn’t belong to you. Do you need to give your boss your life?”
Serena nagged while spooning him the soup.
Zack retorted in his mind, ‘The company does belong to me.’
Serena went on saying, “Is Mr. Tank the manager here at the subsidiary company? That’s how he introduced himself.
“He said you’ll need to remain in the hospital for a few days. You don’t need to do anything but rest. You might appear healthy, but all the work and tiredness finally caught up to you. Your immune system went down, and now you got one nasty cold.
“You’re on paid medical leave. Mr. Tank asked me to look after you and will be paying me on the clock. At least, they had everything thought out for you.”
least, they had everything thought out for you.”
Serena was impressed by the subsidiary company of a huge corporation. Every aspect was considered thoroughly as family members were offered some form of remuneration without needing to ask for it.
Zack enjoyed his chicken soup while thinking to himself, ‘It’s my money nonetheless.’
However, it was not something he had the guts to blurt out.
“How long do I have to be in the hospital? It’s only a cold and fever. I want to be out by morning. All I need is to rest at the apartment. I can just come to the hospital for daily IV drips if required. I don’t want to stay at the hospital. I hate hospitals the most.”
Serena peevishly retorted, “Who likes the hospital anyway? But you’re sick. You won’t get better if you stay away from hospital treatments. Look at you. The medicine you got from the pharmacy didn’t do you any good. You were unconscious. While on the way here, I was worried the fever might cause you permanent neurological problems.”
Shuddering at that thought, Zack immediately responded, “I’m a lot better now. No permanent damage whatsoever.”
“It’s the doctor’s orders!”
“Seren…”
“The doctor’s orders!”
Zack’s face fell. “It’s boring in the hospital.”
“I’ll be here with you. I don’t think it’s boring or a hassle, so who are you to complain?”
Zack was speechless.
He was glad that Josh sent his wife here to take care of him since it had not been long ago when the couple had another fight. The illness could bring the couple back together again. However, Serena had him on a tight leash since she set foot into the hospital.
“Or do you want me to go home now? I won’t stay and look after you if you don’t remain in the hospital. Aunt Audrey’s hosting a party just for Liberty and I. Since you don’t require care in the hospital, I can rush back and make it to the party.”
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.