Free Web NovelChapter 46: Doctor Nicole
I easily found my way to the infirmary― it was impossible to miss since all the other doors were a dark oaken brown, but the infirmary door stood out in bright white, a shining beacon that attracted all eyes to it. Even if a werewolf suffered severe head damage, they couldn’t have gone anywhere else.
Come to think of it, maybe that was the point.
I scrunched up my nose as the smell of sterile antiseptic filled the air, along with a hint of copperish blood. I didn’t recall my nose being so sensitive before, but then again, it could be simply because I was now actually marked and mated by my fated mate.
Maybe I was sharing senses with Blaise.
I chose to take it as a tiny boon given by the Moon Goddess for following her plans. After the life I led, I deserved this much at the very least. I raised a hesitant hand to the door, but before I could knock, I heard a female voice from the other end.
"I can smell you standing on the other side, Blaise. Stop wasting time and come in!"
A wrinkle of irrational jealousy entered my thoughts when I heard a woman address him so familiarly. I pushed open the door to reveal a busty woman with sweet doe eyes on the other side. To my surprise, one of her eyes had a thick white film over it. She must not be able to see well and instead used her nose to compensate.
She took one proper look at me with her remaining eye and gasped.
"Oh, my apologies! I thought you were Blaise. You smelled just like him," she said, twisting her hands anxiously as she waved me inside. "Come in, come in. What seems to be the problem? Did Blaise go overboard in the bedroom? Don’t be shy, I work better when you tell me the truth."
I coughed in embarrassment, quickly shaking my head. I’m going to have to ask Blaise what kind of bedroom activities he was doing with other women in the past for the doctor to have such an impression of him and of any woman that smelled like him.
"I’m perfectly fine, Miss..." I said, wondering how to address her.
"You can call me Doctor Nicole, at your service," Nicole said with a bright grin. "I’m the main doctor for the pack, and I work in House Sirius. Not to brag, but I have the most beautiful infirmary! Don’t you think so?"
She gestured to the room, and I could only nod dumbly as I took in the room’s design.
I had expected the infirmary to be white similar to Stormclaw’s own infirmary. However, it was three times bigger than Stormclaw’s own, and an explosion of color inside. The walls were a soothing blue and pink, and I couldn’t help but notice multiple framed paintings hanging on the walls.
I squinted― were they drawn by children? Those squiggles did look very childish.
The bedsheets and pillowcases of the infirmary beds weren’t white either; they were a variety of colors and patterns. I had never seen such a cheerful place.
This infirmary seemed more like a preschool for young children or a fancy coffee shop than an actual hospital, but there was no denying the smell of antiseptic and the multiple empty beds for patients.
"Did you decorate this yourself?" I asked curiously.
"Yes! I got some help from my younger patients, but this is mostly my work," Nicole said proudly. "I’m glad that Damon gave me leeway to do as I like with this place, so long as I do my job."
At her mention of Damon, I scowled. Nicole blinked in surprise, but with the bedside manner of a true professional, she changed the subject.
"Ah, here I go again, prattling on about interior design." Nicole laughed and shook her head. "I forgot that you haven’t told me your reason for visiting. Not that anyone needs a reason! I’m always happy to have visitors."
"I’m here to visit Elijah," I said, feeling slight pity for Nicole. She must be very lonely if she’s happy to have someone like me as a visitor. I’m definitely not the best companion.
"Sure thing, I’ll lead you to him." She led me to a bed near the end, facing the window. There was a curtain divider that roped off a particular bed from the rest, and I knew Elijah was there.
Somehow, I could smell his scent too, despite being unable to before.
"Elijah, are you awake? You have a visitor! Miss―"
"Harper―"
"Miss Harper is here to visit you!" Nicole didn’t need to bother with introductions. If Elijah wasn’t asleep, he would definitely recognize my voice. The fact that he didn’t reveal himself meant that some part of him must have been upset at how things turned out. frёewebηovel.cѳm
And how could he not be? Sweat formed on my palms as I thought about how I should apologize. Elijah had been nothing but kind to me, and I metaphorically stabbed him in the back.
"Elijah, it’s me," I said hesitantly. "I’ve come to check on you. Are you alright? Is it okay if I pull the curtain?"
A heavy sigh came from the other end, before Elijah finally replied, "Sure. But don’t say I didn’t warn you." freёweɓnovel.com
With that ominous warning in my ears, I gingerly pulled away the curtain, only to gasp as my eyes registered the sight of Elijah in the infirmary bed. Even the cheery sunflower yellow bed sheets could not make him look lively.
His body was littered with bruises all over that I could barely see a hint of skin unmarked by violence. There was a vicious black eye over his right eye, and he boasted a split lip that I knew from personal experience would be hell to eat with.
And he had his left arm in a sling.
"I’m sorry. This was all because of me," I said, bowing my head low as tears filled my eyes. My actions, while self-serving and justified in my mind, had caused harm to one of the few people who actually treated me with kindness since I arrived here.
At that moment, I felt like a scumbag who deserved to be wiped on someone’s floor mat.
