Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

Lara cried again, the hatred and pain not easily vanquished. Slowly, her body began to feel weak. Even her eyes started to dim, and strangely, her head felt dizzy.

She tried to hold onto the IV pole beside her as the fetal monitor cables still entwined her body. Since a while ago, the hatred and pain filling her being felt suffocating, leaving no peace at all for her. She grew weaker and more powerless.

The peace she had just felt was incomparable to the accumulation of pain that had been buried for so long. She was once again gnawed by negative energy, sucking strongly, as if unwilling to let her go so easily.

“Ha…”

Her breath began to weaken. Black spots started to blur her vision. Her head spun instantly, like a whirlpool sucking all thoughts and feelings.

The pain pounding in her head grew more intense, creeping through the bones of her neck, then engulfing waves in her brain that increasingly gripped her consciousness.

She tried her best to endure the pain, but its strength was so great, forcing her to surrender.

Her once strong body now felt weak and fragile. The pulse in her neck now beat faster than usual, her breath became ragged. Cold sweat began to drip from her forehead and fingers.

“Ah…”

She could feel her heart pounding hard, making it difficult to breathe.

All the sounds around her began to fade.

“Lara!”

Even Andre’s shouts in front of her were barely audible.

Thud!

She staggered, almost falling to the ground. But luckily, her body didn’t seem to hit anything; someone had caught her.

Though somewhat blurry, she could see that the person who caught her was Andre, who then hugged her tightly with a tense and half-shouting face.

“Nurse!”

Andre’s shout, though heard, couldn’t fully awaken her. She was now in a subconscious state and no longer aware of what was happening.

***

“Lara! Lara!”

Andre gently tapped the girl’s face, trying to elicit a response, but to no avail. Lara didn’t respond to his calls.

Her weak body was now in Andre’s embrace.

“Nurse! Nurse!” Andre shouted, calling for a nurse as he laid Lara on the bed. Andre immediately checked her vital signs, nothing seemed to be of concern.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He then checked her dilated pupils, indicating she was indeed unconscious.

Anxiety began to creep in. Andre became increasingly worried about Lara’s condition.

“Doctor? What’s happening?”

A nurse promptly entered the hospital room after Andre called for assistance.

“Patient Lara fainted! Check her blood pressure!” ordered the doctor Andre while continuing to monitor her condition.

The nurse immediately felt her pulse and measured her blood pressure. “Her blood pressure is normal, doctor,” the nurse said, jotting down notes on her clipboard. “But her pulse is weak and irregular.”

Andre immediately began CPR-cardiopulmonary resuscitation-hoping Lara would soon breathe normally.

He placed his palm on her chest and performed chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.

He also opened her airway and gave rescue breaths every 30 compressions. He continued CPR in hopes that Lara would regain consciousness.

After a few minutes of CPR, Lara finally began to move her body and slowly opened her eyes.

Though appearing weak and confused, she began to move her fingers and open her mouth, though without speaking.

“Lara? Lara?” Andre called out anxiously. The nurse on the doctor’s left immediately calmed him down and provided oxygen mask so Lara could fully recover.

Lara took deep breaths through the provided mask. A few moments later, her eyes widened again.

She began to observe her surroundings and hear the voices in her room.

She seemed more stable and fully conscious. Although unable to speak yet, she looked at Andre and the nurse in front of her with a grateful look for successfully bringing her back to consciousness.

Shortly after, her eyes closed completely. She now slept soundly in the cradle of dreams.

***

Andre and the nurse remained by Lara’s side to monitor her condition.

They ensured that her blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels remained within normal limits.

They also monitored any developments in her condition and took appropriate medical actions if necessary.

Andre never stopped praying and hoping for her full recovery. He continued to provide support and encouragement to his patient, speaking calmly and gently beside her bed.

Unnoticed, the dark night had turned into morning, and Andre still accompanied her by her bedside.

Her condition gradually improved. She began to speak and move more smoothly.

When she opened her eyes, she was very surprised to see Andre sleeping beside her, holding her hand tightly.

A haze of confusion mingled with a sense of security and protection as she saw his faithful presence guarding her during sleep.

Feelings of anger and hatred mixed with strange emotions swept over her.

She indeed felt relieved to have survived the traumatic event. However, it couldn’t be denied that her body’s response was also due to his presence rejected by her subconscious.

She seemed to want to escape from the shackles of the past when he returned like a ghost. She wanted to leave and abandon all the bitter memories she had experienced.

He should disappear from her sight immediately.

“Ah, you’re awake?” He opened his eyes after she forcibly pulled her hand away.

He didn’t actually intend to hold her hand; he just wanted to make sure her body temperature didn’t suddenly drop.

Unconsciously, he didn’t let go of her hand and continued to hold her warm hand.

“What happened?”

“You fainted,” he replied awkwardly, beginning to move away from her side. He didn’t want her to faint again from pumping too much blood to her heart and brain. Her tendency to get angry made him worried about her health.

However, she was not a girl who enjoyed getting angry. She tended to be cold and silent rather than expressing her emotions.

Somehow, when with him, it was different. She couldn’t contain her emotions. And he deserved to be scolded, because of the heartache she suffered.

“Don’t you have other work, Doctor?” She retorted, now smiling sarcastically.

He seemed to take a deep breath, as if choosing to surrender to the situation. He had to stop chasing her because there would be no results he hoped for from this conflict.

“Alright. I’ll leave. You… make sure to control your emotions. You’re very hot-headed!” He exclaimed, starting to feel impatient. He felt he had no hope other than to give up.

The day had dawned, bird chirps accompanying the sunlight streaming into her room.

His disheveled face contrasted with the appearance that was so charming yesterday. He had only slept for a few hours after taking care of her. Somehow, he chose not to go home and stayed with her until she was fully conscious.

He felt like a fool hoping for something he couldn’t achieve. He would give up. But only for now.

He began to rise from his chair, his steps faltering as he began to walk away from the girl who had once stayed and ruled his heart for almost twelve years.

Perhaps, that saying was not true.

Supposedly, time heals wounds.

However, that didn’t apply to the relationship between them, which only worsened when they met.