shuhaige
Chapter 37: Just Rest
He didn’t respond. He simply leaned down where Scarlett was lying on the bed and lifted the quilt closer to her chin.
“Just stay in bed and get some rest. I’ll deal with you when you’re healthy again. Just rest.”
Scarlett had not yet recovered from the immense shock of all that had transpired. She was also extremely exhausted, so she had no energy to fight him. She slipped back into a deep sleep.
As she slept, Francis’s eyes fell on the IV drip that was attached to Scarlett, slowly breathing life back into her. He stared at Scarlett. She had been through a lot in the past 24 hours. He held Scarlett’s hand in his own and gently caressed her fingers.
He was lost in thought. How come he had decided to fire the gun? What had come over him right then?
***
Scarlett left the hospital five days later. Skyler’s injury was a bit serious, so Scarlett ordered him to stay in the hospital until his wounds were all taken good care of and had healed.
Scarlett didn’t get injured in the warehouse but had just passed out from fright and exhaustion, so she had been planning to leave the hospital a few days before. But, because of Francis, Scarlett had not been able to leave the hospital and get back to her everyday routine. Francis ordered the nurses in the hospital to keep her in her ward and take good care of her– as if Scarlett were a pregnant woman or something…
When Scarlett received a call from Bell, her best friend, Scarlett told her the entire story of the abduction. As one might expect, Bell rushed to the hospital as soon as they got off the phone. At first, Scarlett was delighted to have Bell accompany her so they could both kill time together in that dull hospital. But as time went on, Scarlett realized that Bell was just like another overprotective nurse at the hospital. Bell forbade Scarlett from doing anything she thought was too energy-intensive. She wouldn’t let Scarlett run around, go for a stroll, or even hold up a bottle of water.
Scarlett was too eager to leave the hospital. She was starving for a greasy, unhealthy meal after all the healthy hospital trays she had been chowing down. She knew just what would hit the spot: the buttery goodness of some classic German street food.
As she walked out of the hospital, having been discharged by the doctors and nurses, Scarlett felt like a convict being released from prison after serving a decade-long term.
“Let’s go for a big dinner to celebrate this exciting moment! How about Haunbauer? I’ve been dreaming of eating their spicy pork knuckle for two nights now!” Scarlett couldn’t wait to go to the German restaurant to enjoy a feast of meat.
“Are you serious? Girl, you only just got discharged from the hospital. German food would be way too heavy for you. I don’t think we should risk it.” Bell gave her a disapproving look.
“Bell…” Scarlett held Bell’s arm and made a puppy dog face. She widened her eyes and batted her eyelashes rapidly– this usually did the trick, and Scarlett would get what she wanted. She tried her best to persuade Bell.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go. Today’s your day anyway.” Bell had no choice but to surrender.
Scarlett tugged Bell into the Haunbauer restaurant– it was a popular neighborhood joint in the area. They had the best wursts and a great selection of beers on taps. But Scarlett knew what she wanted: spicy pork knuckles.
Bell looked out the window at the cityscape outside while listening to Scarlett excitedly ordered a full set of German pork knuckles and many other side dishes and desserts.
“Oh my god, finally! I’ve been waiting to eat this real food for so long!” Just looking at the pictures of food on the menu had Scarlett salivating. She couldn’t conceal her excitement.
Though Bell was still a bit reluctant to let Scarlett eat such greasy food right after leaving the hospital, she was glad to see Scarlett so happy and energetic again– as if nothing bad had ever happened to her.
“Hey, what’s up? What are you thinking? You’re not gonna go back on your word, are you?” Scarlett saw Bell lost in thought for a long time; she was afraid that she would change her mind.
Bell blinked at her, “Enjoy your big meal tonight, girl!” Scarlett finally felt relieved and gave Bell a big smile.
“Scarlett?” An attractive girl was coming their way. She was tall and wore a long red dress that reached her ankles. She had lovely curly hair.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
Scarlett gazed into the distance, but she didn’t reply to the girl calling her name.
“Hey, who’s that?” Bell felt puzzled and asked.
Scarlett didn’t say a word. She had been in a good mood just seconds before. But now, her face looked stiff and cold. Bell just waited to see what was about to happen.
The girl walked over with another beautiful lady, with a sweet smile on her face.
“Scarlett! It’s you! I haven’t seen you in years. If it weren’t for dad, who often shows me your photos, I would hardly even recognize you!”
“Oh, really?” Scarlett stood up and put on a fake smile.
“Are you dining with your friend? Would you mind if we share your table with you?”
Scarlett cast a glance at Bell, and she immediately stood up and said, “Oh, so sorry! We actually have another friend coming to join us here… so I don’t think that’ll work. So sorry! It would’ve been wonderful to eat with you but unfortunately…”
The girl was not angry. She remained completely calm and said politely, “Oh, it’s okay. Absolutely no worries. I was just asking. Oh, by the way, Scarlett, do you think you could give me your number? We haven’t met in so long! It’d be great if we could hang out sometime– maybe get dinner or some drinks? Ah! You haven’t met Johnny, right? I wanna have the two of you meet sometime soon, if possible. You’re his sister too, after all!”