Alice felt her face go pale as she processed Alissa's words.
'Stay? Why on earth would she want to stay?' Alice wondered in confusion.
Trying to persuade her, Alice said, "Look, Alissa, it's really okay. You can go; I'll manage on my own."
But Alissa, hearing Alice's insistence, became even more convinced that Alice was concealing something, as the usual Alice would never let go of her only chance for help. Despite Alice's efforts to appear capable, it was clear that her upbringing in a wealthy family, where everything was done for her, had ingrained a certain laziness in her, making her reliant on others for even the simplest tasks.
'For her to refuse my help, something must definitely be wrong,' Alissa thought. Looking up at Alice, she asked,
"Alice, is there a reason you're trying to send me away?"
Alice, hearing Alissa's words, began to sweat profusely as she tried to act casual.
"Of course not! I just thought you might be tired—" she trailed off, a thought striking her. Why was she even trying to hide the fact that Lance Cooper was here? It wasn't like she had accidentally revealed his identity to anyone, so why did she feel afraid? It was this very fear that might expose her knowledge of his true identity. Gathering newfound courage, she said,
"You know what, Alissa? You're right. I can't possibly handle this all by myself, so you can stay."
"I can stay? Wow, um, okay," Alissa replied, surprised that Alice had given in so easily.
"So, what's next?" she asked.
Umm, what's next? Alice pondered before saying,
"Well, there's really not much to do… but I'm just waiting for…." She hesitated, considering whether to mention Devon's visit. Finally, she said, "I'm waiting for a patient's visitor to leave so we can close up and get some sleep."
"A visitor? … this late?" Alissa asked, confused.
"Yeah," Alice replied. "This late."
Alissa wanted to ask more about it, but she decided against it, feeling too tired to even continue the conversation.
After a while of not hearing Alissa's voice, Alice turned her head and noticed that Alissa had fallen fast asleep, her gentle breathing filling the silence of the room. Chuckling softly to herself, she murmured,
"I guess I was really scared for nothing," feeling a mix of relief and amusement at her earlier anxiety.
Checking her wristwatch, Alice was startled to see that it was already midnight. Devon was still engaged in whatever discussion he was having with Lance, and the thought of disturbing them made her hesitate. She didn't want to interrupt their reunion, but she also felt that she had given them more than enough time to catch up on things.
With a sigh, Alice stood up from her chair, her mind racing with thoughts of what might be happening behind the closed door. She walked toward the hospital room, her footsteps echoing softly in the quiet corridor. She knocked on the door, but there was no response. A sense of unease washed over her, so she knocked again, her heart beginning to race with worry that something might be wrong. Unable to shake off the feeling, she took a deep breath and opened the door. To her surprise—and shock—the room was completely empty, leaving her feeling a mix of confusion and concern.
Alice who was already tired after her long shift felt like fainting after seeing this,
Where could she possibly start looking for them this late at night ?. She should have known that they were up to no good .
She groaned as she became the most frustrated she had ever been ..