“Wow, even when he’s that injured he can still torment single people with PDA What a jerk!” he joked, trying to comfort her.
Natalie wiped her tear-filled eyes and gave him a watery smile.
‘I forgot to thank you, Doctor Watson. Thank you so much for saving him.” “You’re welcome.” Frank laughed in his mind. Sebastian invested in the hospital. There was nothing to thank him for. If anything, he should be the one thanking Sebastian.
Natalie had taken a lot of days off from work in a row in order to take care of Sebastian. Since it was the off season, Tiffany approved her leave without asking too many questions.
Frank had gotten a room for her to sleep in, so she stayed in the hospital for several days. The service was great in the private hospital and due to Frank’s excellent skills as a doctor, Sebastian’s condition improved quickly.
After the fourth test, Frank told Natalie it was okay to enter the ward to visit Sebastian.
A nurse put Natalie in an asepsis gown and took her into the ward.
Sebastian was now wearing a hospital gown but he still had gauze wrapped around his body inside.
Standing beside the bed and looking at him, Natalie couldn’t come up with any words. She sobbed instead, biting her lower lip in a bid to hold her tears back.
Sebastian couldn’t bear the sight of her crying. He gave her a gentle smile, and tried to talk about something else.
“Has the cause of the fire been determined? Did anyone tell you?”
Only then did lanet remember that someone from the property management authority had called her this morning to give some details about the fire
She had been so worried about Sebastian’s injury at the time that she soon forgot about it.
“The property management staff called earlier and tald me that they’ve obtained some results from the preliminary investigation,”
Natalie said now. Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall the conversation.
“He said that the electric wiring of the unit below ours was faulty, which eventually caused a short circuit that led to the fire. They still have no idea how the wiring got damaged, though, since the unit has been unoccupied for a long time.” Sebastian stared at her and mulled over this information.
‘It is strange, isn’t it?” he asked after a while
That made Natalie pause
“Yes, I also felt that something wasn’t right about the whole thing. The staff reassured me that the community’s fire safety measures has always been top-notch. Even if it was a short circuit, the alarms should have been triggered as soon as the wires ignited. What’s more, Laney told me that a huge truck was parked in the neighborhood the entire time that night, and the driver was nowhere to be found. It was blocking the way, and that was why the fire engines got delayed with their emergency response.
I wanted to ask the staff about this, too, but he sounded so apologetic and ashamed that I thought it best to let the matter go for now.” She was much calmer as she recounted all that she knew
But Sebastian’s face only grew darker with every word she spoke.
“I don’t think this is an accident at all. It looks deliberate. Arson, pure and simple.”
He pondered for a few seconds before adding, “The property management of our neighborhood has always been strict, whether it involved the tenants or their guests. Plus, you mentioned there’s the truck that night. No sensible driver would park their vehicles in an area allotted for firefighters or emergency responders, yet such a thing happened on this one particular day. It just couldn’t have been a coincidence.”
Natalie pursed her lips, not knowing what to think of the whole incident. She wasn’t the type to think the worst of other people unless there was proof of their misdeeds. The Klein family couldn’t have been behind this terrible affair, or could they?
“Well, let’s leave it to the authorities. You just have to focus on your recovery. We can go over the details later, once you’re all better.” With that, Natalie opened the lunch box she had brought.
“Frank said that you need a proper rest for the next few days.”
She carefully laid out the dishes she had prepared-beef bone soup and some pickled vegetables. At first, Sebastian had no intention of eating at all. He simply didn’t feel like it. However, as the tempting smell of food filled the air, he found that he had a rather healthy appetite.
“Here, drink this soup before it gets cold.” Even as she said it, Natalie ladled a spoonful of the broth herself, blew on it, and brought it to Sebastian’s lips. He slowly obliged.
The warmth of the soup spread in his mouth and glided down his throat before settling at the pit of his stomach. Just like that, the tension in his body loosened up, and he felt unexpectedly cozy in his cold hospital bed.
Before either of them knew it, Sebastian had already finished the whole bowl of soup. He looked at Natalie when he was done, basking in the tender sense of comfort one usually found in one’s family.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt it. Sebastian was suddenly gripped with fear that he might lose it all over again, that his beloved wife might leave him one day.
On a whim, he asked, “What if I make a grave mistake in the future? Will you forgive me and stay?”
Natalie looked confused, but she only filled the bowl with some more soup and got it ready for Sebastian.
She didn’t think anything of his words just now; all she cared about was his health. “Are you even capable of making such a mistake? Here, open your mouth. You have to finish everything I brought.”
As Sebastian’s condition gradually improved, Natalie got back to work. She wanted to be by his side and take care of him, of course, but he needed to stay at the hospital for a considerable length of time, Tiffany had already been magnanimous by allowing her a few days of absence a few weeks back. Natalie couldn’t bring herself to ask for more.
As for Sebastian, he listened to Natalie like a dutiful husband, and concentrated on his recuperation in Frank’s private hospital. Once
Natalie had gone for the day, he made a call to Garrett.
“Look into the fire incident. Launch a full-on investigation and report back ta me as soon as possible.”
“Sebastian, am I your all-around-nanny” Garrett continued whining over the phone.
“I only get paid for one person’s worth of labor, but I put in twice as much time”
“You want a raise? Wail, you don’t need money at all. What you really want is a vacation, don’t you?” How could Sebastian not tell what Garrett was thinking? He was like an open book
Garrett raised his eyebrows and said, “Do you realize how long I’ve been working for you without having a proper vacation?
Years!”
“Fine Once you finished the task I assigned to you, I’ll give you some time off.”
“Now we’re talking,” Garrett replied, obviously pleased with what Sebastian said. But he had to be honest; the fire incident was really weird
“I’ll call you once I find out something.”
For starters, Garrett visited the other residents of the building Sebastian lived in and asked around about the truck. It didn’t take long until he found some clues.
The fire incident happened on the day it stopped snowing in Seacisco. Was it truly just a coincidence? If the fire broke out during a snowy day, it wouldn’t have spread to the rooftop that fast and cause injury to Sebastian.
