The hospital exit automatically opened as Number 1 pushed Number 2 out of the institution. Number 1 was not used to the quietness between them. Usually, she would be the one talking to him nonstop. Although he had always claimed she was a chatterbox, he enjoyed her random thoughts. Hence, it felt weird to not hear her speak.
He cleared his throat with an obvious purpose of clearing the silence. "How are you feeling? If you feel bad, we don't have to rush the discharge process."
"Sir, you just got me discharged and now you offer this? It's too much work to stay at the hospital anyway. I hate it when strangers touch me. Don't worry, these old bones can still last a decade or longer. Just some blood loss and flesh removal. I'm fine." Number 2 chuckled in a joking manner, making Number 1 frown in the back.
He noticed the way she leaned on her elbow toward one side of the wheelchair. Concerned, he wanted to remind her about her posture. However, he was not used to caring words. Finally, he decided to wait until they reach his vehicle before adjusting her posture. Still, the way she sat bothered him, resulting in him frowning as they were going to the car.
"Are you frowning?" Number 2 knew him long enough to know what expressions were on his face even though her back is facing him. Just one glare from him can make her hair go crazily static. She thought to herself at one point: 'I should change my career to being the Number 1 radar. This would help so many ladies and I can get mountains of gold in a day doing this job.'
"Who says?" He replied, breaking the frown on his face.
"When you frown you look like you ate bitter gourd melon. Haaahahahahha. Anyway, I know you long enough. Come on, open up. What's wrong?" Number 2 laughed out loud as she imagined his face with a clown's frown on it.
Number 1 thought that besides Lia, nobody would be able to read his thoughts. "Your posture annoys me. You should shift your body to a different position or your wound might hurt."
"Oh~ So in other words, you're worrying about me? Is that it?" She giggled while carelessly turning her torso back to peek at Number 1's expression.
"Careful! Your wound! It'll split open again!" Number 1 saw the angle she attempted to twist her hips to look at him while speaking. After all, they were partners were a while. Therefore, he knew what she wanted to do from her one move.
"if you wanted to speak to me face to face, you could've told me. Here, I'm right in front of you. What did you want to say to me?" Number 1 stood in front of the wheelchair with his arms crossed.
"Hehe. You are too tall! My neck will get stiff from looking up at you. Bend down." She waved her hand, hinting for him to get to her eye level. Number 1 let out a helpless sigh before doing what she wanted him to do.
"Now can you say it?" Number 1 asked somewhat impatiently. However, this wasn't because he was running out of patience with her. He was impatient because there was more stuff waiting for them to sort out once they get back to the headquarters. In addition, he still hasn't beaten Master Liam to a pulp yet. His fingers were itching for a war with him.
"Come closer. Even if I could hear what you say, you won't be able to hear me. It's hard to speak after the operation you know?" She used the recent surgery as an excuse. To make him comply with her request, she added two dry coughs to convince him.
"Fine. And now?" As Number 1 pushed his body forward, his face enlarged in her vision. He was so close that she could feel his breath.
Number 2 was dumbfounded for a second. She blinked multiple times only to realize she had forgotten that she was the one who wanted him to get this close to her. Revealing a sweet gentle smile, she raised her palm and patted his head. Rather than patting, it was close to rubbing or messing up his hairstyle.
"Sorry for worrying you." She whispered. She whispered a few more words into his ear in a lowered voice. From afar, his underlings were all holding binoculars with snacks on their laps. All they could decipher from this scene was the embarrassing flush and shocked expression on Number 1's face.
While Number 2 laughed, Number 1 stood up and awkwardly coughed before going back to his original task. In a matter of minutes, they reached the vehicle with Number 1's underlings watching the two of them with teasing grins on their faces.
"Here, let me help you boss!" One of the underlings offered his help but was immediately rejected by Number 1.
"No. I can carry her into the car by myself. You can fold the wheelchair and put it in the trunk. She doesn't like strangers touching her." Number 1 bent down and swiftly picked Number 2 up from her seat. It took her a minute to process what had just happened.
His underlings grinned and commented, "oh! So boss isn't a stranger? We see!"
She played along with his fellow underlings teasing. "Yeah, so you're not a stranger. Then, what are you? Hmm?" Her eyelashes fanned several times at him as if she was sending hidden words to him.
"Of course, we are-" Before he accidentally slipped his tongue, two figures dashed past Number 1 and his underlings like a whirlwind rushing to sweep everything in its way elsewhere. Everyone's attention focused on the two figures who were roasting each other while running at a high speed toward the hospital. Following a rather far behind was a young man who was carrying loads of luggage with him, trying hard to catch his breath.
"Idiot! I told you it was the other gateway!" Bryan rolled his eyes at Alfred, who was running on his right side.
"You're the one who said it was the 5th gate! You gave us the wrong information!" Alfred refuted with evidence in his hands as their flight tickets printed the correct gate number.
"Argh! Whatever! Why do I feel like we forgot something?" Bryan only recalled reading his message about Selina being in the hospital as soon as his flight landed. After that, everything became a blur to his mind.
"Yea, I feel like I'm missing something too. Oh well. Selina is more important!" Alfred panted as he reached the hospital's entrance.
Meanwhile, Aaron whose mood was written across his face took his time walking to the hospital with 5 bags of luggage with him. "Of course, you guys forgot something! Your damn luggage!"