At the sight of the man in blue medical scrubs and a stethoscope slung around his neck, Selina inhaled the fresh, earthy scent of wood, which was surprisingly soothing and familiar. As she beheld the most stunning man she had ever laid eyes on, her sob subsided, but her eyes stayed moist and her cheeks were still red. His medical suit concealed his ripped arms and legs but the long platinum-blond hair tied up in a man bun gave him the appearance of a Norse god. His divine gaze cast over where Winona's hands were hidden beneath Selina's robe. The woman had the gall to interrupt his patient and he wasted no time glaring at the impertinent woman.
The handsome man clearly captured an abusive scenario, and both the mother and son appeared terrified of being caught red-handed. Winona immediately retracted her hands away from Selina's stomach and clarified, "I was just massaging the lump on her stomach." She quickly acquiesced with a smile. Of course, the divine man was not born yesterday and walked over Selina and removed her robe, not enough to expose her core and her breast, but just enough to show the area of her stomach, which was badly bruised. Selina instinctively covered herself as her face turned red with embarrassment.
"That was the lump that I was referring to. The poor girl was bound to get bruises from her tumble off the counter top." Winona immediately responded to his scrutinous glare; she then added, "My dear, you ought to be careful, and next time, please perform on an appropriate stage in an appropriate venue." To further explain her contemptuous actions, Winona persisted in manipulating the narrative, casting Selina in a negative light and justifying herself. Selina, feeling cornered and overwhelmed by not remembering anything, grappled to respond to her stepmother's accusations.
The charming man held out his hand, gently resting it on Selina's chin and tilted her face towards him to observe the red bruises and the fresh bloody cut on her face. Selina avoided his serious gaze on her face. Her body trembled with a wave of heat, like she was about to get a fever. He continued to stare down at Winona, who was avoiding his stare. "I didn't expect my patient to have visitors; are you both her family members? My nurse mentioned that she didn't have anyone as her emergency contact. Hence, we have never informed anyone of her stay at the hospital. Who are you and who informed you of her whereabouts?" The gorgeous man was concise and precise.
His straightforwardness and candor caught Winona and Ramsey off guard. They were deliberating over revealing their status as family, which would risk revealing their family name, but if they don't admit that they are family, they will be ousted from the patient room and banned from retrieving her. Without a choice, Winona said, "We are her family. Hazel finally contacted us and she wants to go home. So what is the verdict, doctor? How is she and when can we bring her home?" The man's eyes briefly widened in surprise, thinking his patient's name was Selina, not Hazel, but he remained indifferent.
As he tenderly stroked Selina's cheek, the man kept his hands close to her face. She plucked up the courage and muttered softly while slowly moving her face away from his grasp. "I feel uncomfortable; can you please send them away?"
Winona gave Selina a furious look that the man did not miss; she briefly lost her composure before regaining it. "You are not yourself, my dear. That fall might hit you hard."
The man then questioned Winona, "Lady, did you do this?" He indicated the cut on Selina's cheek and the bruise on her stomach.
"Like I have said, the bruises were there when we came."
"A simple yes or no for that question will do.I will ask you one more time, lady. Did you do this to my patient? Yes or no?"
"No!"
"Very well, we will investigate your denial. The hospital will investigate this matter, as she did not have these bruises when she arrived here! In the meantime, I suggest you two leave immediately, as you are our prime suspects."
"Suspect? Impertinent! What is your name? I will report you to the management! This pathetic hospital will endure our wrath. Mark my words." The accusation infuriated Ramsey, who responded.
"Wonderful. Feel free to launch a complaint with our receptionist downstairs. Now, if you please excuse yourselves from this room, my patient needs to rest."
Winona screamed, "Who are you to try and drive us away? We will get in touch with you soon! And when the Axelsons show up at the hospital, you can kiss goodbye to your career in medicine!"
"Axelson?"
Winona smirked, thinking that the ill-mannered doctor had clearly heard of the family name and was about to wet his pants right now.
Then he looked at Selina and said, "Who are the Axelson? I thought your last name was Anderson."
"What?!" All three of them gasped.
Winona could not believe her ears that this doctor was not intimidated by the family name, or worse, he didn't acknowledge them.
"That brat!" She thought.
"That's right, sir; I was disowned and wasn't welcomed into the Axelson family. I do not know why they show up right now, demanding that I return home. Please, I don't feel comfortable being in their presence. The bruises on my stomach and cheeks were made by-"
"Shut up, you insolent brat!"
Before Winona had a chance to place her hands on Selina's mouth, two security guards suddenly entered the room. Both Winona and Ramsey were astonished because they did not see the doctor make a call or press any buttons.
"Please escort the Axelson's out of the premises; they have been disrupting the peace of the hospital and are both banned from ever entering this building." The doctor said it firmly.
Winona harshly criticized, "Mark my words, I will return; we Axelson's will not stand idle from such insolent treatment. Hazel! You and your boyfriend, doctor, will suffer the consequences for crossing us!"
After both mother and son were dragged out of the room, Selina let out a huge sigh of relief. Her moment of peace and anticipation for the New Year's was destroyed by more horrible news and unwanted people that she would like to eliminate. "Why did this happen to me?" The handsome doctor looked at her while she muttered softly to herself. Looking at her mesmerizing eyes, dulled due to exhaustion, made his fist clench.
He placed his hand on her chin again and said, "Be not afraid; I will always go before you." Selina's eyes widened at the sudden quote from her favorite psalm. The enigmatic man once again piqued the interest of the young girl, as she wondered what the identity of this doctor was.
After retrieving the alcohol wipes from the hospital storage drawer, he soaked them in antiseptic cream and delicately applied them to Selina's bruised cheeks. His tenderness soothed Selina slightly as the heart monitor beside her bed resumed to beep softly. His gentle touch had provided solace. At the same time, the tingling sensation and smell of the alcohol were tempting her to drink another bottle of her favorite Pinot Noir.
Gazing at the mysterious man standing before her, she took another deep breath of his earthy, wooden scent once again. His scent and image were so familiar that she could not quite place them. Her sudden urge to just hug him tightly and bury her face in his embrace due to her desperate need for comfort surprised her. She felt like she had found a long-lost friend, and her innate sense instinctively knew that he was safe to be with.
Selina shook her head vigorously, thinking that her stepmother was right; she probably did hit her head too hard on the floor, and perhaps the effects of the alcohol were still lingering in her system.
The man used both his hands to stop her from shaking so vigorously. "Don't do that; your headaches will worsen." The physician's attempt to halt her forceful head shake to avoid her continued discomfort was unsuccessful. Selina pushed his hands away, thinking that he had touched her face too many times in the morning. Her heart was pounding in her chest, ready to beat out. "I am fine. You must be Dr. Hawke; I was expecting you." She tried to maintain composure by switching subjects, eager to ask him a flurry of questions that were on her mind.
The doctor grinned at her excitement to switch the subject. He tucked her unruly bed hair behind her ear and took the opportunity to rub his hands on her cheeks once again. Selina recoiled at the strange sensation that she was feeling, which felt similar to when she was drunk but better. She couldn't understand why she had butterflies in her stomach right now. His hands were still there on her flushed face.
"Call me, Albert."