~ 15: A Better Analeptic ~

I was speechless. My face contorted in surprise and awe. I could scarcely believe my eyes at the change in his voice and mien. His sweet, cheerful face gave off a scary aura due to its gauntness by a little makeup. His eyes from close up looked fake, but one wouldn't be able to make out from afar.

He took off the service cap and his shiny black wig, revealing his soft golden hair. His smile resurfaced, and it was as amicable as ever.

"How did you get all that done in under ten minutes?" I asked, still amazed by the outcome.

He laughed and said, "There's a uniform store around the corner. They had a few spare cosmetics that I use regularly, so it didn't take much time to get it done. I didn't tell you that I was a specialist in that field, did I?"

And from there on, his garrulous nature knew no limit until I coughed up some more blood. I hugged my ribs but that only made the ache worse.

Aidan swept me off my feet after putting back on his disguise, carrying me in his arms as though my weight was that of a balloon. I screamed at him to put me down while hacking up the red fluid congesting my lungs every time I tried to get a word out. He only continued to walk, turning a deaf ear to my plea.

"Don't even think of walking with broken ribs and a gash on your arms," he said in a dangerous tone. "You are not going home without having that treated. And I will drop you off at your doorstep if they find you in a critical condition. Until you are completely healed, you are not to step into the institution. I will get you whatever materials you need."

I quietly listened to his blabber as I had nothing better to do. I couldn't speak, and even breathing was becoming more difficult. I shut my eyes tightly and inclined my head to touch it on his shoulder. Afraid of suffering from more injuries, I held on to him as if my life depended on it.

I never had to be dependant on someone unless I was sick. It was always embarrassing to ask someone to take care of me for my own mistakes. And right now, I was cursing myself for stepping in to help him out, where I was injured severely.

'You did right,' said the little voice. 'It's a virtuous deed, even though the result gives one some agony and some happiness.'

Believing that was hard, but I needed to convince my conscience. Thus, I accepted my fate, although I questioned the wisdom behind it.

"How the hell did we get caught in this?!" I heard one of the arrested girls yell at the officer. "There's no evidence to prove our actions."

"Who was the one who applied for an SOS?" asked someone asked. I guessed it to be some important official.

"Me here," Aidan answered and asked me to remove his headgear.

His familiar hair was enough to get gasps from the ladies. Before they could run to him and say, "Aidan, I love you. Marry me!" the officers handcuffed them and tugged them to the van. However, they continued to squeal and relay their affectionate words like mad women.

The paramedics had already arrived with the police force. They swiftly treated the minor wounds on the prisoners before switching their undivided attention to me.

Aidan was pulled aside for the medics to check the severity of my wounds. Their every touch on the bruise brought intense ache. They laid me down on a stretcher and left the area after picking Aidan up.

I didn't know how much time passed as I had fallen asleep during the journey. They had induced a drug on my arm, and I was sleeping peacefully without any worries or afflictions.

The only time I opened my eyes was when I was lying on the bed, facing the pale white ceiling. I tried to move my arm but felt something block it. Turning my head slowly, I saw a tousled yellow head. One of his arms was laid for his head, while the other hand held mine.

I smiled sadly at having troubled him the whole day. With my spare hand, I ruffled his hair softly, waking him up in the process. His drooping eyes were red, either from lack of sleep or from weeping.

"I'm sorry," I breathed. "It shouldn't have ended this way if it weren't for my carelessness."

"The blame is on me," he said. "I shouldn't have pulled you in the first place. Besides, you saved my life. I can't find the words to thank you for it."

"I know a way," I asserted. "Let's call it even, starting from everything we did today. No payment."

"Okay, let's do that," he agreed with a laugh.

The nurses were alerted about my arousal. They checked my health status and tested the injury. It hurt, but with them having bandaged it firmly, the pain was feeble. They finally freed me, saying that I was to visit the doctor every day until my partially fractured ribs were healed. I saw that coming considering how skinny I was.

We took a cab to reach my place. There was an awkward silence between us throughout the journey. I didn't want to talk since I didn't want his identity to be revealed, and I guess Aidan decided to stay quiet for my sake. Aidan had gone back to the store on the way to retrieve his clothes on the way, still keeping his wig and makeup on to avoid any recognition.

We got off one street behind the one where my lodgings were. It was better to walk it down to not leave any traces of my actual housing and Aidan's appearance. This time, we took brightly illuminated streets. With the disguise, it was more comfortable as neither of us had to be edgy.

I listened to his chatter about his acting career, which wasn't very well-known since he had just started it. But of course, he was incredibly remarkable at it, with the way he had played his part so smoothly back in the alley. His incidents at the production studios had me controlling my amusement every few minutes.

"I need a healer to heal my heart," he said in a cool voice. "And you are the only one who can do that?"

'Maybe he is joking around,' I thought. But it seemed somewhat serious because of the manner in which he put it.

"Why? What happened?" I asked, worried.

"It's aching because your bones are broken."

I smacked his arm and flinched at the sudden jolt near my ribs. I had forgotten about my injury in my temper to hit my flirtatious senior.

"If you jest like that again, you will find some broken bones," I said with a glare.

"Command received, ma'am," he said with a salute.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him stifling a laugh. I couldn't be bothered any further either since I laughed too. It kept my temper and health in check. It was better than swallowing a bitter medicine that would cause one to throw up.

He dropped me off a few buildings behind, according to my request, and we bade each other goodbye. I saw him off in a cab before I disappeared into the building.

It was the perfect time for the elevator to stop working. I was cautioned against exercising. Right now, I had no choice but to climb the stairs slowly while gripping the handrails.

I had to stop after every flight or much less as my ribs got strained from breathing heavily. I held my waist to subdue the pain and, once in a while, inclined rather precariously. When it made me giddy, I either sat down or stood close to the wall, where the rails were missing.

I envisioned myself laughing again and again at Aidan's jokes to keep away the blues. My motivation expired rather quickly but got charged as easily whenever his thoughtful words filtered my head.

Exhaustion was creeping in, but I told myself to keep going until I reached the door. I wanted to pass out on the bed without changing. However, that didn't happen as I noticed a peculiarity when I stood outside my room, panting.

The door was strangely ajar, though I had made sure that it was locked. I frantically searched for my keys when the thought of losing them had occurred. But they had been safely in my pocket all the time, even during the fight.

From within, I heard the scrape of a chair, the tug of a box, the creak of a bed, and the huff of a person when a heavy item was moved. There was nothing kept outside the door except for my books, that Aidan ensured was couriered to my doorstep.

What would a thief possibly try to get from a poor girl except for those? I hardly had any valuables and most of them were stowed away in the safe or cupboard.

'Who in the world dared to open that door and get in?' I muttered angrily under my breath. 'And how could they enter this secure place?'