In her dream, Emily saw a large dog covered in black fur, and when she felt cold, the big dog warmed her with its thick coat.
When she played with the big dog, it licked her arms with its tongue, too, and she felt ticklish yet enjoyed it. Emily wished the dream would continue, but a ringing phone woke her up.
Emily, with half-open eyes, reached for the phone on the bedside table, put the receiver to her ear, and soon a man's voice was heard on the other end of the line.
"Good morning, Emily. This is Marx. Alpha ordered me to take you to the hospital for a check-up in the morning, and I'll pick you up at the hotel in half an hour," Marx said on the other end of the phone.
Emily knew that Marx wasn't asking for her opinion; he was merely informing her. But she couldn't understand why Klaus had asked Marx to take her to the hospital for a check-up. Was that part of the deal?
"We'll see you in half an hour. Goodbye," Marx said.
Emily lay there for a few minutes before she could fully open her eyes, and as the sun streamed through the window, she couldn't help but stretch herself.
Why am I in bed? Emily struggled to remember what had happened the night before, and she remembered that she had seemingly fallen asleep on the sofa the night before.
There was no one else in the room besides her. Perhaps she had crept back into bed last night and fallen asleep.
Emily didn't think much of it, and when she was fully awake, she walked slowly to the bathroom and began to wash her face and rinse her mouth. When she reached the living room, a delicate breakfast was already on the table.
Half an hour later, Marx rang the bell from his room. Emily changed into a baggy tracksuit and followed Marx out of the hotel.
In about fifteen minutes, they reached the hospital. Marx parked his car in the hospital's underground garage, from which he took Emily to the top floor of the hospital in an elevator.
The elevator doors slowly opened, and a male doctor with black-rimmed glasses stood in the hallway. Dressed in a crisp white lab coat, he looked professional and confident. As the elevator doors swung open, his gaze quickly swept over Marx and Emily, a warm smile on his face
The male doctor looked at Emily, "You must be Emily. I'm the doctor in charge of this case. My name is Stephen. I'm going to give you a physical examination today."
Emily smiled politely at Dr. Stephen.
"Good morning, Dr. Stephen," Marx shook hands with Dr. Stephen, "Then Emily will be in your hands."
"No problem," Dr. Stephen said, smiling.
Dr. Stephen led Emily into a large room filled with various high-end medical equipment. A female nurse stood behind a desk, and Emily noticed a syringe and glass tubes for drawing blood on the table.
Emily felt a little nervous, but she tried to keep her composure. Dr. Stephen assured her it was a routine medical check-up to ensure she was in good health. These high-end medical devices, he explained, would help them more accurately assess her physical indicators so that they could formulate the most appropriate treatment plan for her.
The silver glow of the needle on the syringe reminded Emily of what her stepmother had done to her. The pain and fear of the past surged upon her like a wave, and she couldn't help feeling a chill. To escape from these unpleasant memories, she turned her head away and deliberately avoided looking at what was on the table.
"As Alpha instructed, we need to do a full examination of your body today," Dr. Stephen said, noticing her discomfort. "To better understand your physical condition, we need to draw some blood. Don't worry, the whole process is painless."
"So, can we start now?" Dr. Stephen asked, smiling.
Emily took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and nodded softly. Slowly, she approached the table and sat down. However, her heart sank when she saw the glittering silver needle in the nurse's hand about to touch her arm.
It felt as if a huge rock were pressing against her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe. Her heart was racing, her palms were beginning to sweat, and her entire body was in an indescribable panic.
Almost instinctively, propelled by the intensity of her emotions, she withdrew her hand and stood up sharply. Her body seemed to be pushed forward by an invisible force, and she retreated until her back struck the cold wall.
"It's okay, it's okay," Dr. Stephen spoke to Emily in a gentle, soothing voice.
"We can start with something else first," Dr. Stephen suggested.
Dr. Stephen gently guided Emily to a nearby sofa and sat her down to rest for a moment. Once she had sufficiently calmed down, he guided Emily through the rest of the tests.
Dr. Stephen carefully examined Emily's eyes and throat before ordering a full-body MRI scan. About an hour later, he asked a female nurse to accompany Emily to the break room to rest.
The nurse was very considerate and brought Emily a cup of hot black tea and some delicious snacks. However, Emily's mood at that moment was not one to be captivated by such delicacies. She knew that a blood test was still ahead, and Emily frowned at the thought of the sharp, thin needle about to enter her body.
Standing in front of the transparent floor-to-ceiling glass door, Emily peered through and saw Dr. Stephen talking to Marx. She noticed that Marx then pulled out his cell phone and appeared to be making a call.
Ten minutes later, the door to the break room swung open.
Emily's eyes fell on Klaus standing in the doorway, his tall figure almost filling the entire frame. The sun poured in behind him, but his face was still hidden by sunglasses, making it difficult to catch a glimpse of his eyes.
Klaus walked slowly toward Emily, looking so calm and powerful with each step. His presence made the otherwise spacious room feel a little cramped.
He walked up to Emily and stopped. Klaus looked directly at Emily through his sunglasses. His voice was deep and authoritative.
"I heard you need help."