The morning light, scattering through the half-opened blind, illuminated the stuffy hospital room.
Heise opened his eyes, and met a white ceiling. His nose was quickly assaulted by the smell of disinfectant, making his head hurt. Lifting his hand and rubbing his eyes, Heise found that his entire body ached.
Heise: …..
Damn, those medication should come with a warning: Do not mix!
Even though the effects were working as…no, a little bit better than intended…
Suddenly, there was a clicking sounds of a doorknob turning, and a tall figure entered, carrying a slight breeze.
“You’re awake.” A low voice gently calls out.
“H-hey…” Heise replied, his voice barely above whisper. There was nothing wrong with Heise’s voice, but his sore back and chest was rather uncomfortable, so he was too lazy to raise his voice any louder.
Alvy, however, did not know that, and thought that the young man’s body was too weak to talk.
“No need, you don’t have to say anything. It’s alright.”
Heise: ???
Alvy reached out and sweep back the hair sticking to the side of Heise’s face. His eyes ever so gentle, “The doctor thinks that it’s probably just an allergic reaction to the cold medication that you took. With sufficient rest and you’ll be fine.”
“Oh, I see.”
“As a precaution, I’ve already arranged for you to have a toxicology examination today.”
A pair of lazy half-closed eyes suddenly whipped open.
“Wait, what?”
Alvy sat down on the edge of the bed and gazed into those lively eyes, his tone firm and natural, “I want to see if we can figure out what types of medicine is in your system so that we can prevent this from happening again.”
“Ah, is that so…”
Heise’s face shows a rare trace of unease, his eyes turning away from the man, and looked out towards the window.
Seeing Heise avoiding his gaze, Alvy was certain that the young man was putting up a brave front and pretending to be strong. His cold heart softens.
“It’ll be alright. It’ll be over very quickly, and then we can get you home.”
“Uh, yes. Sounds great.” Heise forced out an ugly smile. “Say, I’m feeling a bit thirsty, do you have any water?”
“Here.” Alvy reached over and grab a glass of water that was prepared ahead of time on the bedside table.
However, before Alvy’s arm could extend to the table, a soft jade-like hand was gently placed on top of his. The smooth and silky touch froze the extending hand in midair.
“Um, sorry, but when I’m sick, I usually only drink spring water, K Brand.” Heise’s voice was meek, almost pleading, “Tap water tends to disagree with me. So, if you don’t mind…”
The room went silent, and Heise curved lips struggled to stay in form.
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Seeing the awkward broken smile, Alvy felt somewhat amused, but, in the end, he still stood up anyway. “Alright, I’ll be right back.”
Looking at the broad departing back, Heise’s expression finally somewhat calmed down. He slowly sat up and reached out to grab his phone on the bedside.
Heise had already long seen his phone from the moment Alvy first entered the room. However, due to being ‘weak’ and ‘sickly,’ it would be inappropriate for him to reach for it then. Now that’s Alvy is no longer here, he could finally use it.
Holding the phone, Heise must admit it was excellent foresight to stuff it into his back pants pocket before he ‘fainted,’ otherwise now he would be in a real pickle.
Heise opens up his phone and was about to dial a certain familiar number when he thought of something. He reached out and pressed the big red button on call device at the head of the hospital bed.
Soon a sweet melodious voice rang out from the speaker of the call device, “Hello, this is Ellie. How can I help you?”
“…Uh, hello. I’m the patient in room… Actually, I don’t know what room I’m in. My name is Heise Verdant, and I was admitted last night due to a drug allergic reaction.”
On the other end of the line, there was a strange silence. After a few seconds, the sweet voice returned, “Oh yes, Mr. Verdant, Room 404. Is there something you need?”
“Actually, yes.” Heise fully sat up, his eyes contain no trace of the ‘sick little kitten’ from before. “You see, I’m schedule to have a toxicology exam later today, and to be honest, it’s my first time having this kind of procedure. I was wondering if you could tell me what this procedure entails, and if there’s any precautions to worry about.”
This seemingly innocuous and routine question seemed to have lower the nurse’s doubts as she cheerfully replied, “Of course, Mr. Verdant. Now, let’s see here, our toxicology exam consists of two parts…”
***
The entrance of Hawk Lan Hospital led out to an open square area where patients and visitor could stand and wait. At the end of the square area was a flowing fountain and a big, multi-lane roundabout where, in normal times, there would be rows upon rows of luxuries cars lining up to deliver their sick patients.
Fortunately, at this time, most local resident was off vacationing, and very few people have the need to visits the hospital. Without the noisy and crowding ambience, the natural and peaceful beauty of the hospital’s scenery and environment was finally able to shine through. Located at the top of a scenic hill next to the sea, Hawk Lan was truly the ideal place for resting and recuperating.
Alvy scoffed in disgust.
What beauty? What exquisite sights?
It was all a bunch of cheap illusions used to trick fools into selling themselves.
Alvy walked out of the hospital entrance and stopped at the fountain. He stares at the water for a while before taking out his phone and dialing a number.
The call connected quickly and, before the other side even gets a chance to speak, Alvy simply said, “Find me some K Brand water bottles. Bring it to Hawk Lan in ten minutes.” Once done speaking, he directly hanged up.
It was unknown whether the person on the other end understood or even heard what had just been said. However, Alvy showed no concern, he knew they were used to it.
Had Alvy knew what would happened later, he might have tried to put in more words. His vague wording made the people on the other end of the phone frantic and confused. Their young master had made such an odd request, and at such a short time notice too. Perhaps there was some kind of emergency, especially if he’s at the hospital. If that’s the case, then they need to act quickly.
The problem, however, was with the words: “some bottles.”
A few water bottles could be considered as “some.”
A few truckloads of water bottles could also be considered as “some.”
Since it might be an emergency, the more the better, right?
***
The chipper Nurse Ellie spend a good amount of time making sure that the patient in Room 404 understood all the ins and outs of his upcoming procedures.
After receiving all the relevant information, Heise thanked the nurse and hang up.
Looking at the time, it has been a few minutes since Alvy left, but Heise was not particularly worried.
K Brand Water was a small brand-name that was neither popular nor widely distributed. It’s typically only sold in a few select regions, and only with specific retailers. Not to mention Hawk Lan Hospital, there might not be any carrier in the entire B Province.
It was certain that Alvy would be gone for a while.
Feeling somewhat calmer, Heise picked up his phone and dialed the familiar number. After a few second, the call connects, and an anxious voice rang out loudly in the hospital room.
“Sir, where have you been? I have tried to contact you all night!”
“Have you?” Heise replied nonchalantly, “I was a bit preoccupied last night.”
“Sir, you know that the meeting with H-Corp is coming up next week. We can’t d—"
“I know, so calm down, Fed.” Heise interrupted, his face so a sigh of annoyance. “I will deal with them when I get back. Anyway, that’s not why I’m calling.”
Heise hesitated a bit and looked around the hospital room vigilantly. After a while and finding nothing, he lowered his voice above a whisper.
“It’s about that ‘thing’ you give me. I’ve used it, and I must say, I’m pleased with the results.” Heise seemed to think about something, but then shake his head. “But that’s not the point. The point is that I’m about to take a drug test, and I need to know if it can be detected.”
“Drug test? Why?” On the other side, Frederik seemed a bit confused.
“Nevermind why. Just know that I have to take it, and that it’s comprehensive, including a blood test…” Heise briefly repeated the processes told to him by the nurse.
After finishing his recall, Heise subconsciously asked in his usual manner, “Well?”
The familiar demanding tone both send chills and warmth down Federik’s back. It has been a good while since he’s heard that tone. Strangely, Federik regains his calm and steadfastness.
“Reporting to sir, the experimental drug will completely dissolve into your system in the course of two hours. Since you took it last night, by this time, it is impossible to be detected.”
Although Heise had expected as much, hearing it aloud felt much more real. He let out a long sigh of relief and the creases at the corner of his eyes slowly uncurled. He took a sip of the water on the table before continuing.
“What about all the other medications mixed in? Will they be affected?”
Federik was taken aback, “Other medications?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Uh, no. According to the report sent by the research department, the experimental drug is not reactive to any known medication, and would remain separate when combined.”
“Good, good.” Heise leaned back comfortably before stretching his arms and legs. “That’s all for now. I’ll call you again if I need something.”
“Yes, sir.” Federik was about to hang up the phone when something occurred to him, “Sir, if I may ask, since you have contacted the nurse desk earlier, why didn’t you just cancel the toxicology exam?”
The arms that were in mid-stretch momentary pauses, before continuing like normal. A pair of rose-colored lips curved in a strange, undecipherable manner. The corner of the young man’s eyes squinted into dangerous sharp edges, turning his doe-like gaze into a bloodless blade.
“I could, but why on Earth would I do that?”