Once Marcus gathered his thoughts, he moved away and instructed the doctor and nurses with a serious expression, “Doctor, please ensure everything is fine.”
I furrowed my brows in confusion because my self-proclaimed fiancé of mine didn’t seem to be pleased with my condition.
He should be glad that I had regained consciousness after the days he spent watching over me, yet his expression suggested otherwise.
The doctor couldn’t be bothered by his harsh reaction. After going through a series of check-ups in the morning, he concluded that he should have kept to himself.
“According to the examination we ran, most of your physical parts have recovered. However, after drowning for such a long time after the accident, you’re going to suffer from transient global amnesia for the time being.”
I was immediately irked by the doctor’s explanation. Halfway through his explanation, my mind went completely blank, and I started playing with a strand of my hair absentmindedly.
Over the few hours of check-ups, I gave my best and tried to recall everything I used to go through with the aid of different equipment. Unfortunately, my effort was to no avail. Overwhelmed by a sense of insecurity, I knew a huge part of my life was gone.
“Can I have a moment with you?” Marcus asked my attending physician for a few minutes outside of his office. Whilst talking about my condition, the two men had serious expressions on their faces. Occasionally, they would look at me through the window, behaving differently than usual.
Suddenly, the nurse, who was about to administer me the prescribed medicine, exclaimed, “Ms. Stovall, I’m so glad you have regained consciousness! Mr. White has been keeping an eye on you over the three years you were unconscious. A lot of us consider Mr. White the perfect man, yet you’re the only one he cares about. You have no idea how envious most of us are.”
When the nurse mentioned Marcus, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red.
Although Marcus and I were slightly older than the nurse, the man was at the prime of his life, especially in the eyes of the relatively young women. He had a well-precedented reputation of being a loyal man, so I knew a lot of people, including the nurses, had a crush on him.
Unsure of the reason behind my emotions, I couldn’t be bothered by the nurse’s remark at all. Instead of being infuriated by the nurse’s response, I responded to her statement with a smile. It felt as though I was genuinely delighted on Marcus’ behalf.
A few minutes later, Marcus entered the ward once more. Although the gentleman seemed like a trustworthy man, I couldn’t shake the lingering sense of doubt I had towards him.
After he dismissed the nurse, he took a seat on the edge of the bed and served me a glass of warm water. It seemed like a routine he had gotten into.
I took the glass over and held it in my hands to keep myself warm. “Are we really engaged?”
I had a feeling that he was a close acquaintance of mine; something essential seemed to be missing between us for us to be engaged. I had a gut feeling that we weren’t actually in such a relationship. He was lying to me.
Something’s wrong… If Marcus is my fiancée, why do I not jealous at all? Not even when the nurses were gushing over him!
Smiling, Marcus asked rhetorically, “Do you think I would lie to you?”
“Y-You…” Upon recalling the fact he had been staying by my side when I was in a coma, I couldn’t bear to confront him. So, I kept my concerns to myself and shook my head. “I think something happened between us. Otherwise, I’m supposed to…”
We were only engaged, yet he had been through thick and thin with me when I needed someone by my side the most. To a certain extent, he could be considered a loyal man. At the very least, I knew he wouldn’t harm me.
Perhaps I don’t feel anything because we’re not that deeply in love with one another anymore. After all, we’re both in our mid-thirties. The passionate kind of love is not for adults like us.
“Indeed, we had all sorts of conflicts when we were young. We were overly naïve back then. We almost lost one another, but the fact that we were able to make it through the challenges in our relationship indicates that God has plans for us. He brought us together again. Perhaps it’s our destiny to start all over again.” Holding my hand, Marcus narrowed his eyes and asked with an affectionate grin on his face, “Will you give me another chance to take care of you for the rest of your life?”
