17. Unforeseen Reunion

In the stillness of her hospital room, a gentle rapping of the door heralded the arrival of the nurse, who entered with a tray laden with unexpectedly delicious delicacies. Her movements were swift and gentle, ensuring minimal disturbance for Selina.

Selina looked at the display of a well-balanced meal of eggs, bacon, broccoli and quinoa. The aroma from her lunch was enough to rouse Selina's appetite, which had been suppressed by the stress and medication.

Another nurse, "Miss Anderson," briefly interrupted the peace while Selina was eating her lunch.

"Yes?" Selina looked at the nurse quizzically.

"An unexpected situation has prevented Dr. Hawke from attending your scheduled appointment following lunch. Do not fret; he will drop by to see you after he settles the problem."

"Alright, it is fine. He can take his time," said Selina.

The news of the delayed appointment was disappointing but quickly overshadowed by Selina's pragmatic acceptance.

'I knew it.' She thought to herself.

'He might think that I want to run away after all. I need to calm down and relax.' Selina suspected that Dr. Hawke was detaining her for longer due to her alcoholic tendencies. She was afraid that he might report her to undergo intervention, which she didn't have the intention to do.

Selina had several questions to ask, and she was attempting to negotiate her way out of detention. She desperately wanted to get to the bottom of this and go home.

The nurse sensed Selina's disappointing undertone, gave a soft smile and was about to excuse herself.

Before the nurse left, Selina then sought to reclaim some sense of normalcy and asked,

"Is it possible for me to take a walk after I finish my lunch? I have been living up here for quite some time, and I would like to breathe fresh air outside." Her innocent request displayed her yearning for a respite from her current reality.

The nurse looked at her with sympathy and decided, "Of course, your conditions seemed pretty stable. I will remove the IV tubes and feel free to walk around the hospital."

The nurse then assessed Selina's condition and granted her the freedom to roam around without the encumbrance of the IV tube. With a slight grin on her face, Selina stretched herself, evidently pleased with her modest win of independence.

"May I suggest the garden outside the hospital? Our hospital patrons developed a beautiful sanctuary for our patients to enjoy. The variety of flowers is exquisite." The nurse suggested.

"I could not wait to check it out." Selina remarked with enthusiasm.

The nurse left the room, and Selina proceeded to do some more light stretches before she headed out to the garden as suggested. 'It has been a while since she visited a garden,' she thought.

Just before she reached the entrance of the garden, Selina saw three nurses rushing through the hallway in the opposite direction.

Selina was curious to see what all the fuss was about. Additionally, a nurse casually brought up Dr. Hawke's name. Selina wandered off in the direction of the nurses, away from the garden, out of curiosity.

As they hurried into the corridor, the nurses wheeled in a patient. Selina stared at the wounded patient from afar, and she felt that the patient was familiar, but she couldn't quite place her finger on exactly who it was. She saw that the patient's face was brutally damaged and unrecognizable.

After that, she saw a familiar friendship bracelet on the patient's wrist. She immediately recognized the patient and screamed, "Ally!"

Selina's spontaneous expression of shock marked a poignant moment of despair and concern. As she was about to dash towards Ally's location, a powerful hand seized her arm.

"Dr. Hawke!" Selina yelled in surprise.

"Why are you here?" Dr. Hawke wasn't pleased to see Selina roam freely in the ER.

"I saw her! Ally is here! You told me she wasn't here." Selina replied as if she had caught Dr. Hawke's lie.

"Selina, this patient just entered and we do not know who she is yet. Please do not obstruct the healthcare workers and their jobs. Come," Dr. Hawke answered while attempting to pull her away from the unconscious Ally. The last thing he needed was for Selina to reunite with Ally.

"I know that patient. It is definitely Ally; that bracelet on her wrist was a gift from me. Let me see her." Selina insisted on being in close proximity to her friend. She has a lot of unanswered questions from Dr. Hawke, and as of now, he is not giving her a good impression, as if he was hiding something from her.

"Selina, the patient situation is dire; that is why they are admitted here, through the ER. Please go back to your room and rest. I will ask the nurse to insert the IV again." Dr. Hawke was trying to convince Selina to recuperate.

"I do not want the tubes anymore. The nurse said my condition is stable; I asked her because I initially wanted to take a walk in the garden, and she removed them." The last thing Selina needed was to be tied down at the hospital.

"Perhaps you have satisfied your urges to walk considering that you ran over here to the triage, but this is not a place for outsiders, so please return to your room." Dr. Hawke sternly insisted on Selina's return.

"I am not a child! She is my friend, and I want to be there for her!" Selina raised her slightly trembling voice. Her eyes were almost close to tears. She just wanted to see her friend. Why is Dr. Hawke trying to prevent them from meeting?

A look of grim determination and verging fury crossed Dr. Hawke's face. Hearing Selina's adamant insistence on staying at the triage made his interactions with Ally Ludwick and Raymond Shaw more restricted.

He didn't want Selina to know what happened to Ally just yet. Her emotions and physical conditions were just stable. He didn't want her to be anguished and depressed.

While Albert was rushing to the ER, he saw Selina wandering around the hospital before reaching the emergency room. He was furious to see her misusing her new found freedom and meddling into places that she was not suppose to.

Albert's instructions to the nurses in charge of Selina were clear: not to let her wander off unsupervised. It was clear that these nurses did not understand his intentions. He needed someone trustworthy to guard her.

"Rest assured, the patient will be fine. Please go back to your room and I will see you later, after I finish my obligations here. Be a good girl and go back," Dr. Hawke tried to coax her back to her room gently.

"Will you really see me later? The nurse earlier told me that you are delaying our appointment; I was worried that you would detain me here longer than I should." revealed an anxious Selina.

"I was paged for an emergency that led me to this current patient. I was equally surprised to see you here. I will explain it to you later, so if you would please, let me assess her condition, and I will see you later." Dr. Hawke repeated it patiently once more.

"You promise?" Selina doe-like eyes looked straight into Albert's bright blue's.

"Yes. I will see you later today, I promise." Albert took Selina's hand and grabbed it upright, then he raised his pinky-finger to hook them onto Selina's pinky to seal the deal.

"Alright." Selina abruptly removed her hands away from Albert's and blushed.

"You don't have to pinky promise. I believe you will come." She said softly as she retreated herself away from the emergency department as she walked backwards, staring at the patient that she believed to be Ally, wheeled into the ER.

Albert followed the Ally into the ER, he glanced back one more time to see Selina's back facing him as she walked down the corridor away from the ER.

As Selina turned down the corridor, she saw another man sitting on the bench against the wall not far from her. His face looked terribly disturbed and tormented. Unaware of her actions, she started to walk toward the man before the nurse in charge called her as she stopped.

"Miss Anderson, I have been looking all over for you. You have been out for hours. Come, it is time for you to return." The nurse rushed towards her to guide her away from the ER to her room.

The man who initially had his face down, looking on the ground, held up to see who was in front of him. His eyes widened, recognizing the crimson girl from the bar and he abruptly stood up, mouthing her name in a whisper, "Selina."

Selina was surprised when she heard her name coming out of his lips, but she was led away to her room before she could satisfy her insatiable curiosity.