Chapter One

Dangerous Elysium || Chapter One

Aiden let out a frustrated sigh and clenched his fist. He was walking back and forth in front of Dr. Tim and the assistant nurse. They are facing a lot of problems now because of the malfunction that happened to one of their patients. He did not catch up immediately because he was busy with other patients yesterday.

"You're saying that they filed a lawsuit?"

"Yes and the board members want the official list of the doctors and nurses who happened to be at the OR. They will take care of the intern. They will also take care of how to deal with the patient's family." Aiden turned to look at Dr. Tim, anxiety is also visible on his face.

He sighed deeply. In the meantime, he was assigned by his father to manage their hospital. His father has not been able to return to management after he became ill. He felt that was just part of his father's plan. He wants to send him home to London several times but he prefers life in America. He was freer than this with many people observing his every move. If only he could assign something else; only then did he have to grant its request.

"Why did you let it happen? You know that he's not yet trained enough," he hissed.

The tension around them intensified. No one wants to answer first; which made Aiden's head even hotter. A few lines cracked on his forehead and let out a deep breath. This is what he's worried about; it will be difficult for him to get along with them because apart from wanting serious work and not wanting a single problem, surely the people in his father's hospital have a habit of creating problems.

"We're sorry, Dr. Collin. But we'll try to talk to the family outside," Dr. Tim said after a while. He motioned for the assistant nurse to leave the doctor first.

After shutting the door, Dr. Tim looked at Aiden. "Don't do that infront of them, they may think you are too strict and rude. they will shun you," he said.

A small smile curves on his lips. The doctor was right, he also noticed that since he came here. "I can't help it. You know how strict I am when it comes to the hospital and the patients."

Dr. Tim just chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I'll leave first, gonna talk to the patient's family," He left after saying goodbye.

Aiden lazily sat on his chair. He got a serious headache from what happened after he arrived at the hospital. The thought of being here for about 2 or three months makes him groan.

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. Great, this will be hell for him every day. Aiden shook his head in frustration. He really has no escape. His father's health brought him back to London. He is the only one who his father can count on. His father also forced him to become a doctor because he wanted him to follow in his footsteps.

A loud knock on the door wakes Aiden on his deep thoughts. He was about to speak voluntarily when the door opened and another headache spat out.

"Dude! People's talking about the malfunction that happened, eh?" said Kaegan immediately. Aiden was just about to shoo his friend when Kaegan picked up the food on the side table.

"Tch. What are you doing here? If you ask for help again because you were beaten at the bar, don't do it now," he said firmly.

"Not that. I accompanied Amy for a check-up. My princess has a cough again. Maybe later her throat will swell and she won't be able to talk to me. Then—"

"You and your imagination again, Kaegan . . . You're really an advanced thinker," Aiden interrupted the rest of what he had to say. He smiled after. Amy is Kaegan's little daughter. Even though he is a single Dad, he still gives his daughter the right attention. He raised his daughter alone, he also took his job seriously for her. So he admires his friend.

"Just marry me, dude. I'll make your life easier." He said.

He threw a crippled paper at him. "Fuck you!"

Kaegan smirked. "Your age is about to disappear from the calendar. You should be looking for an inheritance right now," he joked. Aiden just laughed. He has never thought of having a wife and children.

"Soon. After I go to the medical volunteers, am gonna find my future partner there," he said. But they both know that when he is at a medical site he has nothing to do but to focus on the condition of his patients.

Their story was cut short when the secretary called him. He said goodbye to his friend first. He took the lab gown and came out. Aiden grimaced when he saw his schedule. It was full; this gonna be a long, long night again.

He first adjusted his lab gown attire before heading to his station. He noticed the onlookers avoid looking at him. It looks like his scolding earlier with the doctors and nurses involved the malfunction was widespread. He's not only really restrained himself. He is used to running a good hospital in America. He did not want to make a mistake in every decision of the staff.

"PAGING Dr. Collin. Paging Dr. Collin. You need to come to . . ."

"Dr. Collin, please come to operating room 2. Dr. Collin, please come to the operating . . ."

His mind was distracted by the speaker's voice. He also noticed the running nurses and some doctors heading to the said OR. He wasted no minutes. He also ran. When he arrived at the OR he saw in the mirror at the door that the nurses and doctors were already in a commotion; they surrounded a patient.

He quickly cleaned his hands and put on his scrubs. The people inside looked at him as he entered. The assisting nurse immediately attended to him and arranged his clothes.

"Condition?" he asked immediately. The three nurses provided space.

"Unstable," replied the attending nurse.

Everyone seems tense. The concern for the patient's condition is obvious on their faces.

"Better stop what you're thinking. Focus!" he said emphatically. They immediately adjusted and took their places.

"Scalpel."

Aiden backed away slightly when he saw the patient's heart condition. Its state is very low. Two things can happen: the patient will die during surgery if they make a mistake or the patient will die if it is not operated on immediately.

"Dr. Collin?" The voice woke him up. He gets his attention back to what he is doing.

How many hours did they spend? After how many hours they spent in the OR, he breathed a sigh of relief when the operation ended properly.

"Dr. Collin, I will finish this." He looked at Dr. Tim and nodded.

Exhausted, he came out of the OR. When he returned to the office, the darkness immediately grabbed his attention from the window. He can only see the streetlights below.

***

"How is your medical?" She saw her friend who's the assigned nurse at the reception area.

Nimueh was left speechless. She did not expect herself to spend the night for her medical result. She was anxious earlier because he had been waiting for a few hours for the doctor to see her. Fortunately, that came before she could make a scene inside the doctor's office.

"The service at this hospital is slow." She bit her lips when she saw her friend, Joena raised her eyebrow. "Just kidding, it was already late when I finished. I was here earlier at noon," she complained.

"Doctors are busy right now. See? Many patients," Joena replied gesturing the patients around

"If I work here, I will speed up the service because I do not want anyone to wait until death," she said with a giggle. Her friend took the ballpen next to her and threw it at her.

She groaned because it hit her head. She backed away when her friend was about to hit her again. She already knew what she would do so she ran backwards. She could see Joena covering her mouth. She felt cold when two hands circled around her waist. She almost shrieked with that.

Nimueh frowned and looked up to the owner of the hands. Her panties literally almost fell off at the sight in front of her. Olala! Why does she seem to be suddenly hungry? This man is yummy! Even though he was wrapped in a lab gown, the man's elegance is still overflowing. Thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, pointed nose. He's like a character in Greek Mythology! It was as if his face was sculpted by a great sculpture. Her mind screamed secretly because of the sudden thought.

But she immediately woke up to her own fantasy when the man pushed her aside. She did not expect it so she grunted with the sudden loss of his touch.

"Does it look like a playground for you to play here?" He looked at her sharply before her friend.

Nimueh frowned at the rudeness visible in his tone. She stood up straight and nodded. She wouldn't let him treat her like this, especially when she's a patient here.

"Tch, in this kind of place? Well it really looks like a playground for me. It doesn't even look like a hospital. See the color of the walls, it looks like patients will get sicker if they confine here," she said and pointed to the walls.

". . .Tch, why did I come here in the first place? Yak! I'm sick in the hospital!" She sighed as he stared at the man who's now ready to throw her outside. Nimueh sometimes can't help but be a tackless woman when she gets annoyed.

"You little . . ." He could not continue to say another word when she stuck out her tongue at him.

Her eyes widened as Joena pushed her away from the man. Joena blocked her from the man's sight. "Oh my gosh, Nimueh! Don't you know who he is?" Her friend's forehead is sweating now.

"Should I recognize him? That man doesn't know the words ''be nice to the patients''" she said calmly but deep inside she's raging with fire.

"He's the son of the owner of this hospital!"

Nimueh choked. The sudden news made her sweat even though the hospital was surrounded with aircon.

"S-Son? Oh my gosh, sissy! What am I going to do?" She whispered not wanting to be heard by the man behind them. Her heart was pounding very fast.

"I'll talk with you later, Nurse Joena," the man said after a while. Nimueh didn't even have the nerves to turn around because for sure she will collapse in any minute.

Before the man could walk away, he said "And you, little tackless, am gonna make sure you'll know about who I am."

Based on her friend's story, the new hospital CEO was known for having a different attitude. So nervousness ate her more not for herself but for Joena. She even answered the man with lack of politeness and criticized his hospital. Then he might even interrogate her friend and find out that they are friends. Joena will be in the bottom line instead. Depressed, she sat on the floor. She scratched her forehead.

"Stand there. I'll take care of it if he calls me to the office. You need to go home, sissy. Don't worry, I can do it." She shook her head on what her friend had said. She knew there was nothing she could do in case she was fired.

***

He stretched his arms. He is in a trance because he has been involved in signing documents for some time. Aiden looks at the time; It was almost ten o'clock in the evening. He did not realize. The sound of the cell phone tore the silence in his office. It's his father.

"Hello, Dad?" he answered the call. Praying that he won't force him again for staying long here.

"Aiden, son. How are you? I heard about what happened," he said. His father sounded unhappy yet concerned.

"The board members handled it. We're just waiting for the result. Don't worry about it," he answered, assuring his father.

"Thanks God. I just called you because of that. And come to our house, sleep here just for tonight, okay?"

He could not answer because the call had already ended. He has his own house here in London so he hardly visits his father's house anymore. His father was already upset with him so maybe that's why he forced him to go home and made his sickness an excuse so that he would not leave the country again. Aiden could not blame him because since his mother died, he barely came home. Until he worked in America and his father left alone.

He stood in front of the window and looked out. He looked up at the sky and saw a few stars. When he turned his back, the color of his office met his eyes. It's painted with black and white. He frowned when he remembered the woman who had laughed at the hospital's choice of colour. It was the first time someone answered him that way. He could not help but smile. A corner of his lip rose when he saw in his mind the woman's angry face earlier. The woman surely didn't know him and tried to act brave in front of him. He did not expect anyone to do that to him.

He took another half minute before returning home. He is no longer on duty now so he can go home first. He went to the parking area of ​​the car.

***

Nimueh stomped her feet with annoyance. She left the hospital earlier but until now she is still on the road and waiting for a ride. Her phone stated that it's already 8 in the evening. There are taxis passing by but they are always on board. She thought of just walking around so she walked at the sideway hoping that a taxi would come in a minute.

"Miss turned around, don't do anything if you do not want me to pierce your side." She stopped breathing when she felt a cold thing on her side.

She was scared to move a single thing. This was her first time experiencing it. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Her heart was beating rapidly.

"Don't hurt me. I don't have enough fare to come home so don't take my money please," she said trembling. Coldness was spreading fast around her body.

"Give me your bag!" The man violently took her bag. He also did not miss to get the jewelry she was wearing.

She did nothing, she just let the man take everything she has. When he got away, that's the time courage came in her mind. "Hey! Give back my fare to the taxi!"

Her muscle trembled as she backed away when the man turned to her and made a dirty sign. With tears in her eyes, she just looked at the man walking away with his belongings.

"Lord, why did this happen to me?"

She did not know how to get home. She went for a walk in case she can ask someone for help.Her tears continued to flow when she noticed that she had already walked too far and there were almost no people or vehicles in the area. The houses are in a row but neither one seems to have people inside. She felt sorry for herself.

Nimueh froze when she heard the sound she hated the most. She slowly turned around. Behind her was a dog barking and apparently ready to grab her at any time. She closed her eyes firmly and counted to three. She ran fast. She screamed because the dog chased her after. It was too late when she noticed that there was a roadblock so she stumbled and fell on the ground

She screamed as the dog bit the hem of her dress. Her dress was torn. She saw a rock next to her and that was what she threw at the dog to make it go away. It runs away from her. She felt helpless and sobbed continuously.

"That naughty dog! I think it still wants to undress me," she muttered. She cried even more when she noticed her look. The hem of her dress was torn. She could do nothing but tear it apart for good. Half of her thigh was seen because of the lack of dress.

Even though it looked embarrassing, Nimueh still walked. She found a gas station, she immediately went there to ask for help. There were two men there who looked like gasoline boys but that did not grab her attention.

The man in the hospital!

He is in the gas station mini-store. She wanted to ask him for help but the man was busy talking on his cellphone. Maybe later when it's over.

She encouraged herself to talk to him when the man was finished on his call. She followed him. He goes to a parked car. She continued walking. She stops when the man also stops in front. What is his problem and abruptly stop? When the man walked again she walked too to follow. But she did not expect when the man stopped and dealt with her.

"Why are you following me? You can't take me in your clothes style, Miss. You're not beautiful. I don't hit a cheap woman."

Nimueh gasped then frowned at what the man said. She then remembered what happened to her garments when the man looked up and down on her body. She let out a slight scream. She didn't expect herself to be mistaken for a prostitute. Was it her fault she was hold-up and did not know the place she went to? She groaned. She will not follow him if she only knows what to do right now.