Chapter 369 - 331: You Need to Be Taken Care Of
Chapter 369: Chapter 331: You Need to Be Taken Care Of
Of the four doctors in the consultation room, one was the team’s military medic. The other three were Jeff, the doctor from the Zone 19 construction site clinic who had previously treated Gu Ning; an ER doctor from Zone 15; and the ER doctor who had diagnosed Gu Ning the previous night.
None of them were particularly skilled in treating females. However, to ensure Gu Ning’s identity remained a secret, Andrew had assigned everyone who had come into contact with her or other team members to the group. This made it easier to manage any potential problems.
Alex gazed out the window as the sky gradually darkened. ’Lanuo should be arriving soon.’
COUGH, COUGH...
The sound of Gu Ning’s coughing came from the next room, and Alex’s heart sank. He was just about to message Lanuo to ask about his ETA when his terminal vibrated.
It was a call from Lanuo.
He answered immediately. "Are you here?"
"Where are you? Get out here, quick," Lanuo said, standing outside the examination room. "They’re blocking me and won’t let me in for anything."
"Hold on, I’m on my way."
Alex stood, gathered the confidentiality agreements, and handed them to a subordinate before leaving the consultation room to meet Lanuo.
*
BEEP—
Gu Ning woke up groggily in the dim, softly lit hospital room.
She had been asleep for a long time, but the persistent fever and coughing had made for a restless slumber.
Her gaze focused on the plain white ceiling for a moment before she turned her head to look at the beeping monitor beside her.
The room was quiet except for the monitor’s beeping. An IV line ran from it to her hand, slowly feeding fluid into her veins.
A head of red hair was resting near her hand, cool strands spilling over her skin.
Gu Ning stared blankly at the little fox for a moment, then weakly lifted a hand to rest it on his head. She opened her mouth to call his name, but the sound caught in her throat, the tickle erupting into a violent coughing fit.
Coughing, Gu Ning pushed herself up, trying to clear the phlegm from her throat.
Barto, who had been dozing lightly, was startled awake. He froze for a second when he saw Gu Ning was conscious, then quickly removed her oxygen mask and began patting her back supportively.
Gu Ning pushed at his hand, trying to hawk up the phlegm. Barto expertly pulled out a tissue and held it to her lips. "Spit it out."
When she was done, Barto helped her drink some of the warm water he kept ready at the bedside.
After drinking most of the glass, Gu Ning felt a little better. She leaned back into the crook of Barto’s arm and looked up at him. "Barto..."
Her voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like her own.
"Don’t talk." Barto placed a translation earpiece in her ear. "Are you hungry? Just nod or shake your head."
Gu Ning touched the translation earpiece and shook her head.
She had no appetite at all. She felt sicker than ever before—her head ached, she had trouble breathing, a dull pain throbbed in her chest, and she had no strength whatsoever.
A sense of panic began to set in.
’Didn’t I just have a fever? These don’t feel like symptoms of a simple fever.’
Barto asked, "Do you need to use the restroom?"
Now that he mentioned it, Gu Ning realized her bladder was painfully full. She nodded quickly.
Barto unhooked the IV bag from its stand. Holding the bag in one hand, he lifted Gu Ning into his arms with the other and carried her to the restroom.
"Can you manage on your own? Do you need help?" Barto asked, setting Gu Ning down on the toilet. He held up the IV bag, looking down at her and considering whether he should help her with her pants.
Gu Ning nodded, giving him a little push. She gestured for him to leave and hand her the IV bag.
Barto turned away. "Just go. I won’t look."
Gu Ning: "..."
"Barto," she called out hoarsely.
"You need someone to look after you; you can’t be left alone," Barto said, his back still to her. "Just pretend I’m a fox."
"I’m not leaving." When he heard no movement behind him, Barto added, "If I had gone with you to the restroom on the train, you wouldn’t have been captured, and you wouldn’t have fallen into the lake and gotten this sick."
Hearing the heavy self-blame in his voice, Gu Ning silently pulled down her pants and sat on the toilet.
A long silence followed, broken only by the sound of water.
’Maybe it’s because I’m sick and don’t have the energy to overthink it,’ Gu Ning thought. ’Or maybe I’m just used to being around Barto.’ Either way, she didn’t feel too embarrassed and just finished up.
Hearing her pull up her pants, Barto immediately turned, flushed the toilet, and then lifted her onto the low stool by the sink. He ran warm water for her to wash her hands.
Gu Ning paused for a moment, then soaked her hands in the perfectly warm water.
Barto waited beside her with a dry towel, not letting her exert herself in the slightest.
If he wasn’t holding the IV bag, he wouldn’t even have let Gu Ning dry her own hands.
Gu Ning slowly finished washing her hands and splashed some water on her face. Taking the towel Barto offered, she began to dry off and asked, "Barto, how is Cook?"
Barto replied, "Seth took him outside to play. Alex went to meet with the doctors. We’re in a small hospital on the edge of the 12th District. Our identities haven’t been exposed, and the rest of the team is staying nearby for now."
He answered all the questions he anticipated she would ask in one go.
With the towel still pressed to her face, she looked at him, only her eyes visible.
Barto paused for a moment before continuing, "The Leopard is gone. As long as he doesn’t show his face in front of you again, we won’t do anything to him."
"Anything else you want to know?"
Gu Ning blinked. "Fe..."
"He’s outside." Barto took the towel and gently dabbed away the last traces of water from her forehead. He then tossed the towel aside and bent to lift her into his arms. "All right. Until you’re better, you’re not to worry about any of this. Your only jobs are to rest, eat, and sleep."
Gu Ning leaned wearily against his shoulder. "My sickness..."
"It’s nothing serious." Barto’s tone softened. "The doctor said you just inhaled some water. You have some mild inflammation in your lungs, but you’ll be fine after a few days in the hospital."
As he spoke, Barto carried Gu Ning back into the hospital room. Just as he was about to place her back on the bed, the door to the room was pushed open behind them.
"How could my medicine not be working? That’s a load of bullshit."
"They can’t even handle a simple sickness in a little Mixed Breed, and they have the gall to..." The voice cut off abruptly.
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Gu Ning looked up from Barto’s shoulder.
Alex’s tall figure stood in the doorway. Beside him was another Beastman of a similar height, though slightly leaner.
This Beastman had messy, long, light-golden hair with a few white streaks. His features were handsome with a touch of refinement, and he wore a black-and-white windbreaker. His overall aura seemed much more scholarly than that of other Beastmen.
His mouth hung open as he stared at her, dumbfounded.
’Is he a doctor from this hospital?’ Gu Ning wondered.
"You’re awake?" Alex said, looking at Gu Ning with a hint of relief in his voice. He started to step forward, but Lanuo, snapping out of his daze, grabbed his arm and whispered, "Did we walk into the wrong room?"
Alex raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.
’This guy’s been sharp since we were kids,’ he thought. ’It’s rare to see him this clueless about something.’
"Who is he?" Barto turned, his gaze sweeping over the messy Border Collie as he frowned at Alex.