Chapter 22: Healing

Prompted by Hannah, Jack quickly asked, "How is Officer Bishop?"

"Cough!" Zoe, who was nearby and visibly displeased, stepped closer and cleared her throat. Only then did Hannah reluctantly release her arms from around Jack's neck. Zoe glared at Hannah before addressing Jack. "Dr. House, the best chief surgeon at Central Hospital, is operating on her. He said thanks to your emergency first aid, Officer Bishop is not in any life-threatening danger."

Jack's gaze shifted to Tim, who stood with his arms crossed. Concerned, he asked, "Officer Bradford, how is your wife?"

Tim's usually stern face broke into a rare smile, and he nodded. "Isabella's surgery was completed this afternoon. The doctor said there's a high chance she'll regain consciousness." He paused, his expression turning serious. Lucy, who was smiling beside him, nudged him with her elbow, as if encouraging him. Tim seemed to make a difficult decision and continued, "From now on, you can call me Tim. Thank you again for saving my life today. You're the best rookie I've ever seen."

Jack grinned happily. Receiving praise from this guy was no easy feat; the bullet he took was well worth it. He then turned to Lucy, who had also been shot, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Lucy proudly patted her chest. "The doctor said if my cup size was one size smaller, I might have had a fracture. Now, aside from some bruising, there's no problem."

Jack's eyes swept over the surrounding women and thought to himself, you're the only B-cup here, what's there to be proud of? He teased, "If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't even have a bruise."

Angela slapped him on the shoulder. "If you weren't injured, I'd join Lucy in beating you up right now."

Everyone laughed and joked around for a while. Maureen, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, appeared out of nowhere and took hold of Jack's wheelchair handles. "Alright, everyone, this handsome young man still needs to undergo a few more tests, so I'll have to take him away for now."

With that, she winked at Zoe and pushed Jack out of the surgical waiting area.

Using the elevator, Maureen wheeled Jack into a doctor's office on the 5th floor, closed the door, and had him lie down on a simple bed.

"I think I've found the problem," she said, picking up a stack of reports from the table and sitting by Jack's bedside.

"Uh, did Zoe notify you?" Jack swallowed hard.

The faint scent of Maureen's perfume had been teasing his senses since earlier. Now, as she sat by the bed, her slightly lifted lab coat allowed him to see the edge of her black stockings and garter belt through the gap, making his already fragile willpower even more muddled.

Maureen hummed softly, seemingly displeased that Jack hadn't informed her first after the incident. "Yes, Zoe called me before you even arrived at the hospital, so I was able to insert the tests I needed during your pre-surgery check-up."

Jack's Adam's apple bobbed as he tried desperately to shift his gaze away from the indentations of the stockings at her thighs. The seductive scent of her perfume seemed to grow stronger in the enclosed space.

"So, what's wrong with me?" he asked with difficulty.

Maureen seemed oblivious to Jack's discomfort, her eyes never leaving the report in her hands. "The blood test results show that your adrenaline levels have remained high since you were brought to the hospital. Your body only slightly reduced adrenaline secretion after leaving the high-pressure environment, but it's still above average levels. Your so-called urge to kill actually stems from this."

"So, it's a problem with my body?"

Maureen shook her head. "Aren't you curious why a leg injury required a full-body MRI? I checked. There's no tumor or abnormality in your brain or adrenal glands. So, I preliminarily determined that this is a subconscious issue. Your brain continually assumes you're in a dangerous environment. Simultaneously, to counteract the side effects of adrenaline, your body constantly maintains high levels of dopamine, endorphins, and testosterone. This also aligns with your ability to stay calm in combat."

"Oh crap, I feel anything but calm right now." Jack felt his sanity teetering on the edge, like a taut steel wire about to snap.

"You fool, this is a gift from God. You're a born warrior. If you lived in ancient times, you'd be the strongest knight and the most sought-after lover by noblewomen."

Maureen snapped the report shut and looked at Jack with eyes gleaming like a dragon discovering a mountain of gold coins.

"I'd rather not have this damned gift. Maureen, can you call Zoe for me?" Jack felt he was about to lose control. Whatever perfume this woman was wearing was too enticing, making him want to bury his face in her chest and take deep breaths.

"Hmph, what do you want? Have Zoe come to my office and do something naughty with you? You hormonally-driven beast, this is my office!" Maureen leaned over, her cleavage visible through her open neckline, her words mocking but her smile alluring.

"Shit." It felt like a heavy hammer struck the almost-breaking steel wire in Jack's mind. He was sure Maureen was doing this on purpose.

"Besides," Maureen's delicate hand pressed against Jack's chest, slowly unbuttoning his hospital gown, "Zoe has her duties. She begged me to take good care of you. Do you have a better way to calm your subconscious?"

"Injured beasts are very dangerous," Jack gritted his teeth.

"It's fine. I already locked the door. You won't hurt anyone." Maureen's voice was more seductive than any character Jack had encountered in his past gaming life.

She picked up a strand of hair that had fallen to her ear, licked her pink lips, and slowly lowered her head.

"I'm a patient, and you're my doctor." The mental wire snapped completely, but Jack still tried to resist.

Maureen rolled her eyes at him playfully. "So be a good boy and don't move. Nurse will take good care of you."

An hour later, a rapid knock sounded at the door.

"Maureen, are you in there?" It was Zoe's voice.

"Just a moment." Maureen, who was lying in Jack's arms, patted the tense man, lazily got up, donned her lab coat, and opened the door to let Zoe in, locking it again after.

Today I received a message saying this book has been selected for the first round of recommendations for new books. Since the entire book is less than 50,000 words, I am both happy and anxious.

Thank you for your support and love. As a new author with a new book, getting exposure this quickly is truly appreciated.

However, I learned about the competitive nature of the new book selection mechanism on Qidian. It seems quite intense, with crucial metrics being follow-up reads, determining whether the book can enter the second and third rounds of recommendations. So please try not to delay reading. It would be quite funny if it dies from being put off.

Thank you again, dear readers. Bowing in gratitude.

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