The Next Day***
The time was some minutes past 8 in the morning and Anne was seen walking down the street towards the hospital. She was on a tight-fitting dress with a flowery design and her long dark hair flowed freely behind her. She was with high hopes of seeing her beloved, Carl, and this time, nothing would stop her.
Anne entered the hospital lobby, she tried to keep a low profile as she passed the waiting room, but then she saw a woman who seemed to be in her late seventies. She immediately ducked her head with fear of meeting Carl's grandmother.
Anne's heart skipped a beat. She knew she would be in big trouble if Ms. Natalie saw her so she planned to sneak into the room and catch a glimpse of Carl before anyone noticed.
Anne peered around the corner and saw the old woman, but she realized it wasn't Ms. Natalie after all. She had mistaken the woman for someone else. A wave of relief washed over her, but she knew she couldn't linger in the lobby. She had to find Carl.
"Miss Stewart," A female voice called out and Anne stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest.
She thought she could get through this without being noticed, but now she was caught. She didn't know what to do, whether to run or hide or try to explain herself. But at the end of the day, she knew she had to face Ms. Natalie eventually.
What's the worst that can happen?
Taking a deep breath, Anne slowly turned around to face the woman who had called out to her.
To her surprise, it wasn't Ms. Natalie. It was a nurse, dressed in scrubs and a stethoscope around her neck.
Seeing that it was just a nurse, Anne felt a bit relieved "Yes, how may I help you?" she said as the nurse drew closer.
"Oh, it's nothing much. I just wanted to ask if you remember me. I was the nurse who was with Dr. Edward yesterday" the nurse said.
Anne's heart sank as she remembered who the nurse was. The nurse was standing next to the doctor when he asked her to leave the hospital.
Anne felt uneasy because she already knew what this lady was going to tell her. She would ask her to leave the hospital just like the doctor told her the other day.
"seeing how quiet you are, I'm sure you remember me," the nurse said.
Anne didn't know what to say. She was exhausted both physically and mentally. The last time she was at the hospital, the doctor threatened to call security to take her out. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen now.
Anne took a deep breath and tried to gather her thoughts. "What's your deal," she said to the nurse in a frustrated tone.
"Oh, in case you've forgotten, let me refresh your memory," the nurse replied, her tone professional but slightly cold. "You're not allowed to set foot in this hospital. It's Ms. Natalie's orders, not mine,"
Anne clenched her jaw, struggling to contain the anger she was feeling inside of her. Though it was a large hospital, it felt like the staff had a grudge against her, and she didn't know why. It was as if Ms. Natalie had shared her photo and personal information with everyone, so she would be recognized and questioned whenever she tried to visit Carl.
"Why am I not allowed to see Carl? what did I do wrong?" Anne said in a high-pitched voice.
"That's none of my problem ma'am!" the nurse folded her arms across her chest with a stern expression. "You need to leave the hospital immediately, or I'll have to call security to remove you. Or would you rather Ms. Natalie find you here herself?"
Anne scoffed in disbelief. If she had the money and influence of the McAlesters, things would be very different. She could go wherever she wanted, without interference.
"Look, nurse," Anne said trying to keep her voice calm. "I only came here because I want to see Carl else I wouldn't be in this hospital…"
"That's precisely the reason you can't stay here," the nurse rudely cut her off. "You're not allowed to see Mr. McAlester period. And besides, his life is still in danger so not ANYONE can visit him,"
"I am not anyone to Carl McAlester," Anne retorted. She couldn't bear the way the nurse was looking at her, as if she had a hand in Carl's shooting. It seemed like every time she came to the hospital, she was met with hostility and suspicion and it was getting on her nerves.
The doctor she had met the other day was a lot nicer but this nurse gave her a suspicious look. Anne was being treated like a criminal and she couldn't help but wonder how much Ms. Natalie was paying the hospital staff to treat her this way.
"so, if you're not anyone to Carl McAlester, who are you to him then," The nurse curiously asked. There was something about Anne's desperation to see Mr. McAlester that made her suspicious.
Anne paused for a while thinking of what to say to this woman. She knew she had to say something sensible to back her words not to embarrass herself. But after much thought, she didn't know what to say to the nurse. She didn't know how to define her relationship with Carl.
Were they lovers? Friends with emotional attachment or exes who were on the edge of getting back together.
Anne kept mute. She just stood there unable to say who she was to Carl.
In the silence, the nurse's expression grew even more suspicious "I'm still waiting to hear who you are to Carl McAlester," She said firmly.
"His girlfriend!" a deep, masculine voice cut through.
Both Anne and the nurse whirled around only to see Noah striding towards them. His confident and intense expression immediately put the nurse on alert.
"In case you didn't know," Noah said to the nurse, his voice smooth and confident, "This is Anastasia Robyn Stewart. Mr. McAlester's girlfriend,"
Noah shifted his gaze to Anne, and there was something in his eyes that made her feel instantly more at ease. Her heart raced inside her chest because of what he just said. She knew in her heart that she and Carl weren't officially dating, but to hear someone else say it out loud was a bit overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the nurse was clearly taken aback as she stared at the detective with her mouth slightly opened. She couldn't believe what Noah had just said, neither did Anne.
"I don't believe that's true," the nurse replied looking at Noah and then she fixed her gaze on Anne. "Mr. McAlester doesn't have a girlfriend," She said with certainty. "It's just not possible,"
The nurse couldn't bring herself to believe it. Besides, why would Ms. Natalie deprive Carl's girlfriend of seeing him? Everything was just too suspicious to her.
"Why? Are you spying on Carl through a crystal ball?" Noah questioned the nurse with a smirk.
Anne struggled to contain her laughter as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Meanwhile, The nurse looked at Noah with a frown on her face. "well, even if she's Carl's wife, she's not allowed to be here," she insisted. "It's an order from Ms. Natalie"
Anne let out a heavy sigh. She couldn't tell if the nurse had a personal beef against her, or if she was simply being stubborn. Either way, it was clear that the nurse wasn't going to budge.
Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out his police badge, flashing it at the nurse. "listen here woman, Miss Stewart is coming with me to Carl's ward, and that's final," he said in a more authoritative tone.
He kept the badge in his pocket and gestured for Anne to follow him. "If you'll excuse us," Noah said to the nurse. He took Anne's wrist in his hand and led her away from the nurse, who looked shocked and speechless.
As they walked away, Anne couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and gratitude. She couldn't believe she was finally going to see Carl. Even though he was still unconscious, just being in the same room as him would make her feel a little less lost and alone.
She glanced over at Noah, a small smile playing on her lips. "Thank you," she said with so much gratitude on her face.
"Anytime, pretty face," he replied, smiling. He held her wrist gently but firmly, like a father protecting his daughter from danger.
"How did you know?" Anne asked Noah with curiosity. She kept wondering how he appeared at the perfect moment to save her from the stubborn nurse.
"It was Dexter," Noah replied "He told me what happened, so I came as quickly as I could to help you see your boyfriend," He winked at her.
Anne felt a rush of gratitude, both for her brother for looking out for her and for Noah for helping her break through the walls that were keeping her from her goal. "I can't thank you enough," she said.
Noah and Anne were walking through the hallway when they saw Ms. Natalie emerge from Carl's ward.
Anne stood frozen, her eyes wide and her breath catching in her throat. But Noah remained calm.
Ms. Natalie's eyes locked onto Anne's, and she fumed with anger. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice cold and harsh.
Anne could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. She felt like a mouse trapped in a box.
Ms. Natalie became more furious as Anne kept mute. She turned her gaze at Noah "Noah, tell me why she's here! Why is she in my hospital?" she yelled.
"Ms. Natalie, please calm down," Noah said, "Anne is here because she cares about Carl and wants to see him. I understand that you're upset, but she deserves to see him at least once,"
"No! She never cared about Carl!" Ms. Natalie exclaimed. "She's the reason Carl is unconscious in the first place! She's the reason he might never wake up!"
Anne swallowed her saliva hard. She could see the pain and anguish in the grandmother's eyes. Even at that, she didn't have the nerve to comfort her.
Anne felt a lump forming in her throat, but she forced herself to speak. "Ms. Natalie, please," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
But before she could say anything else, Ms. Natalie cut her off. "Get out of here!" she screamed, her voice full of rage.
"No, she's not leaving," Noah said firmly. "At least not yet,"
"Why? So she can hurt my grandson again?" Carl's grandma said to Noah in anger. "Didn't you hear what Sasha said, this woman here," she said, pointing at Anne "She plotted with that surgeon to kill my grandson,"
Anne's eyes shone like it would pop out of its socket.
What did she just hear? Plotted with who?
Anne was confused and shocked and her mouth was wide open.
Noah was also perplexed to hear what he just heard from Ms. Natalie. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.
However, Ms. Natalie's face was stern and serious.