"Who is that girl?"
It was a question Troy couldn't answer.
"Instead of going to work, you're making me work," grumbled James, the half-century-old doctor and owner of the restaurant where Troy worked.
Troy couldn't respond to that either.
"But, it wasn't your doing, was it?" James looked at Troy suspiciously.
"No," replied Troy indignantly, disapprovingly. "If it was me who made her like that, why did I bring her here? I could have just let her die by the side of the road. She doesn't seem like she's in very good condition."
James sighed. "You're right, the conditions are not good. But, taking her to the hospital seemed dangerous. That's also why you called me here, right?"
Troy cleared his throat. "I'm just not sure what happened to him. So, how are things?"
"She has a concussion. There are a lot of scratches due to broken glass, it looks like she had an accident." James sighed. "After this, you change her clothes and check for any bruises on her body," he ordered.
Troy glared at that. "You mean … I have to do that? To her?"
James nodded casually.
"Are you crazy? I am a man and she…"
"You brought her here," James interrupted. "So you're in charge of it." James then walked towards the front door. "If there are bruises on her body, take her to my clinic."
"James, wait…"
"You can leave the restaurant until the girl wakes up," James added before exiting Troy's house.
Troy was about to go after James to protest, but he remembered James' message about checking for bruises. If indeed the girl had an accident and a bone was cracked or broken until it pierced her internal organs, her life was in danger.
Troy had no other choice.
***
Carol's eyes felt heavy as she began to gain consciousness. She winced at the feeling of a headache hitting her head.
The soft caress of the wet cloth in her hand made Carol finally open her eyes. The first sight she saw was the figure of a man with short black hair wiping Carol's hand with a cloth.
"Who are you?" Her voice sounded just like a whisper. However, it was enough to make the stranger in front of her turn his head.
"Are you awake?" The man immediately stood up. "Wait, I'll call the doctor to examine you."
The man then took out his cell phone from the back pocket of his pants and called someone. Carol kept an eye on the man. He has a good facial character. Apparently, he's a good person.
After the call, the man fetched Carol some warm water and helped her sit down for a drink. Carol can finally see if her clothes have been changed to… patchwork? No. This is a knee-length dress made of patchwork. This man didn't sew it himself, did he?
"What's your name and what happened to you exactly?" the man asked suddenly.
Carol was suddenly alert. "I do not know. I don't remember anything. What happened to me?" Carol wore a weak, helpless expression.
Right now, she had to survive. And right now, only this man could help her. He had already helped Carol who was dying, why not help Carol for a while?
"You … don't remember anything?" The man frowned doubtfully.
Carol nodded.
"Do you remember our meeting?" the man asked.
Of course. Carol will never forget how she woke up in the middle of the forest, then stumbled to the edge of the forest, and met the man. However, Carol shook her head.
The stranger sighed. "Looks like you lost your memory."
Carol blinked innocently. "Memory loss?"
The man nodded. "I already called the doctor who treated you. We'll know your exact condition once he comes and checks on you."
Carol nodded. "But … how did I get here? What happened to me?"
The man sighed again. "You seem to have had an accident. I found you in the garden … some kind of forest, and you passed out. There's no hospital here, and I don't have the vehicle to take you to the hospital. So, I brought you here to be examined by the doctor first."
Bringing Carol here? How? Dragged? Carried? Carol checked her hands for drag marks.
"Your hand looks like it was hurt from the broken glass of the vehicle," the man explained, misunderstanding why Carol had checked her hand.
Carol just nodded. "Then… who are you? And where is this?"
"I'm Troy. This is my house," explained the man. "If I had found an ID card or anything that could give me a clue as to your identity, I would have contacted your family, but …" The man shook his head.
Thank goodness Carol had nothing but her body with her. However, she remembered her father. How's he doing?
"If you feel dizzy, you can lie down again. You've been out for three days," Troy told her.
"Three days?" Carol was surprised. It seemed, she really almost died.
Troy nodded. "I was trying to find out about the accident around here. Who knows, I might find your family or anything related to you."
Carol was surprised to hear that. No. The man couldn't find out. If anyone finds out that Carol is still alive and here, it's not only Carol who will be harmed. That man too …
A knocking sound from outside caught Carol's attention.
"Oh, that must be the doctor." Troy hurried out of the room to open the door.
Before long, the man returned with a middle-aged man whom Carol recognized. However, to Carol's surprise, the man should have died ten years ago.
"He seems to have lost his memory," Troy told the doctor.
The doctor stared at Carol for a moment, then nodded at Troy. "You can wait outside, let me check first."
Troy just nodded and left. As soon as Troy left and closed the door, the doctor approached Carol and asked in a whisper, "Young Lady, what happened?"
Carol frowned, as the memories of the past flashed through her head, igniting her emotions.
"You must calm down, Young Lady. Currently, you must survive in this house. Troy is a nice guy. You will be safe here," said James quickly.
Carol looked at the old man hatefully. "Once I can return to my house, the first thing I will do is kill you."
The man looked down regretfully and nodded. "I'm sorry, Young Lady."
Carol didn't reply and looked away. Her hands clenched tightly, resisting the urge to kill the old man there. Right now, the person who killed her mother was right in front of her eyes, but Carol couldn't do anything because she had to save herself.
Ten years ago, when James was declared missing and died, Carol was frustrated, distraught, not knowing who to blame for her mother's death. She once vowed to kill his mother's killer in front of her mother's grave. However, even now she couldn't do anything.
Carol is truly a selfish coward who only thinks about her own life.
***