"Jay!" Amy's voice echoed through the hospital corridor as she rushed to embrace Jayden, who was clad in hospital attire. "I thought they had you!"
"I'm okay, no one caught me," Jayden reassured her as they hugged.
"Where have you been?" Mr. Whip inquired with concern.
"I was admitted to the hospital. An elderly man found me hiding and called an ambulance."
"And you weren't discovered?" Amy asked, wide-eyed.
"My face was covered in blood, so no one recognized me, except..." Jayden trailed off.
"Except who?" Amy and Mr. Whip pressed.
"The same doctor who saw the amplifier," Jayden admitted reluctantly.
"Oh no, what do we do now?" Amy fretted.
"Don't worry, she won't report me," Jayden asserted confidently.
"You really believe that?" Amy questioned skeptically.
"I do," Jayden affirmed. "She reminds me of Xue."
"Xue?" Amy's dislike for Xue was palpable. "If the doctor reminds him of Xue, then she must be an enemy," Amy thought to herself.
"What happened between you and this doctor?" Mr. Whip interjected.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Jayden deflected, retreating to his bed.
As Mr. Whip tended to Jayden's injuries, Jayden couldn't shake the memory of Shirley's smile.
"I still feel Xue, like she's still alive," Jayden confessed softly.
"I saw them kill her, Jay. I saw the blood, the gunshot," Mr. Whip choked back tears. "It's not your fault."
"Her name is Shirley. She's not white like Xue, but she's as beautiful. I messed up, Mr. Whip. I left her alone," Jayden confessed, his voice heavy with regret.
"You had to save yourself, Jay. Just like you had to with Xue," Mr. Whip comforted him.
***
Nurse Kate found Shirley lost in thought.
"What's wrong, Shirley?" Kate asked, concerned.
"I met him," Shirley whispered.
"Who?"
"Jayden, the spy," Shirley revealed, showing Kate the newspaper article.
"The Chinese spy?" Kate gasped. "I know this guy! He's trending. His real name is Ko Chan. He has a lover whom he betrayed by leaving her to die, Yue Xue, a partner girl and a teacher or should I say master. I follow their trends a lot. So, he's that person that you met? You met a renowned criminal Shirley!"
"Please can you keep this a secret?" Shirley pleaded.
"Why? We could be rich," Kate suggested eagerly.
"I can't," Shirley insisted, tears welling in her eyes.
"I understand, Shirley. I'll stand by you," Kate promised, wrapping her in a comforting hug.