Drake did not let the awkwardness affect him. He quickly recovered with a smile and said, " Dr. Ziegler, I contacted Dr. Richie about this case.
Leonard withdrew his hand. He thought Drake was Felix's friend, which was why he had bothered with the handshake in the first place. Since it was not the case, Leonard walked past Drake without another word. As Leonard approached the patient, Nancy and her relatives quickly stepped aside. After a brief examination, he looked up and asked, "Which one of you is Nancy Yonder?"
Nancy hesitated until Samantha gently pushed her forward. "H-Hello, Dr. Ziegler. I'm Nancy."
Leonard's expression softened considerably. "Don't worry. I've decided to take Mr. Niles' case. We'll move him to a special care unit, run some additional tests, and I'll personally perform the surgery at 6:00 pm." Though somewhat confused, Nancy knew Leonard's prestigious reputation just by seeing her relatives' awestruck expressions. "Thank you, Dr. Ziegler."
The medical team that had arrived with Leonard immediately began their preparations.
Just as Leonard was about to leave, Nancy gathered her courage and asked, "Dr. Ziegler, may I know who helped arrange this?"
Leonard glanced at Felix, who had been standing quietly nearby. "It was Felix. He's the one you should thank.
Felix inwardly groaned, as they had agreed to keep his involvement secret. He did not want to complicate his relationship with Nancy further, but Leonard had misread the situation and revealed everything.
As Leonard walked off, Nancy and her relatives turned to Felix with expressions of both gratitude and shame. Only a short while ago, they had dismissed him with harsh words, yet now, they owed him everything. Drake stood there with a darkening expression. He was frustrated that Felix had overshadowed his perfect opportunity to get closer to Nancy, making his own efforts look foolish.
"Felix, thank you," Nancy said as she approached him.
Felix tried to downplay the situation. "I just happen to know Dr. Ziegler, so I made a call. It's not a big deal, and since everything's arranged, I should get going."
He needed to leave quickly, as Samantha's intense gaze held the unmistakable look of a mother-in-law evaluating a potential son-in-law.
"Cici, is Felix really just a friend?" Samantha asked after Felix left.
Nancy was about to answer casually when she caught Samantha's meaningful look and blushed. "Mom! What are you thinking? Felix and I are just friends!"
Samantha spoke earnestly, "You're not getting any younger. It's time to think about your future. Felix seems like such a gentleman, and after how he helped our family, you have my full approval."
Nancy ran off, pretending to be annoyed. She was well aware of Felix's good qualities, but she could not shake the feeling that there was more to him than met the eye. In fact, she even wondered if she was even worthy. Just as Felix left the hospital, Drake confronted him in the parking lot. "Felix! Are you seriously planning to mess with me?"
Felix had intended to walk away but decided to address the situation. "Nancy and I are just friends. Your pursuit of her is not my business.
"But I'm only explaining this once. If you harass me again, I won't be so nice about it." (1
Felix decided to give Drake one chance. After all, in all his pursuit of Nancy, Drake had not done anything particularly offensive, suggesting he was not completely unreasonable.noveldrama