Web Fic
Chapter 288
Chapter 288
Chapter 288
Because he was the same, it was his first time, too.
His eyes, slightly elongated, sparkled like the sun–kissed surface of the ocean. His cool, crisp voice was like a mountain stream, gently washing over Gwendolyn’s heart.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her gaze cast downward in embarrassment.
Howard’s lips curved into a soft smile. “Jealousy suits you, it’s kind of cute
Grasping the steering wheel, he revved the engine and set off once more. Gwendolyn spent the rest of the journey as quiet as a church mouse too ashamed to utter another word.
How mortifying! Why did she let those words slip in a moment of impulsiveness?
Jealousy without any rhyme or reason.
They pulled up at the hospital entrance
Out of the comer of his eye, Howard noticed a familiar luxury car parked next to them and remarked, “Go ahead with your business; l pop in to visit grandma in a bit.”
“Alright.” Without another word to him, Gwendolyn hurried inside
“Take care, don’t trip, Howard called after her, a teasing note in his voice. She paused, then slowed her pace, a flush of imitation coloring her cheeks
As she walked into the hospital at a mom measured pace, Howard’s smile faded, replaced by a familiar voice nearby.
“Well, well, who do we have here?”
Beside Howard’s car was a sleek Maserati. The window rolled down, revealing a handsome face hidden behind dark sunglasses. It was Nathan.
“Looking good there,” Nathan checked him out through the window, “Found some kind of magic potion for youth, did you?”
Howard gave him a cool glance and countered, “Why haven’t you been putting in overtime at the office?”
Nathan had been leaving work early and now, here he was at the hospital
Howard’s gaze
dropped suggestively to Nathan’s midsection. “What, did you come for a check–up? Something not working?”
“That’s ridiculous! I’m in top form, a master of all trades in the bedroom,” Nathan retorted with a snort, “Unlike you, who might get dumped for lack of skill.”
He looked at Howard with mock pity. “I’ve got a collection of guidebooks and toys if you need them, McCormick,” Howard dismissed the offer with disdain. “Gwendolyn and are happily married; we don’t need those things. You, on the other hand…” The pauser was dripping with scom. “Mocking my single status, are you? I’ve got a whole forest of options, happier than you’ll ever be.” Nathan felt a pang of envy. After years of playing the field, he too longed for a change, but the right woman seemed out of reach
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Oh, how he envied Howard!
Gwendolyn rushed to room 2121, where a crowd had gathered. The Lopez and Hamilton clans were all there, a dozen or so from both young and old, crowded at the door.
They had mixed reactions to Gwendolyn’s arrival. Eve and Magnolia were particularly distraught, silently sobbing behind their hands.
A piercing gaze cut through the crowd like a blade, and Gwendolyn instinctively looked over to find Derrick watching her.
She hesitated for a moment
Upon seeing her, Sandra quickly took her hand and guided her through the throng into the room,
Inside, experts from various departments were gathered, each a leading figure in their field.
Sandra spoke with solemn urgency, “He’s opened his eyes, and the preliminary checks show he’s conscious. He can hear us and respond. The department heads are all waiting for you.”
“Dr. Quigley has arrived.”
“Dr. Quigley, please take a look at the patient!”
The venerable department heads parted to let Gwendolyn through, some thinking she had lucked into a miracle, others convinced of her genuine skill.
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She was, after all, the protégé of the renowned Dr. Enoch.
Gwendolyn approached the bedside of Claude. There he was, lying with a hint of warmth in his gaze, tracking her every move with his
eyes.
She examined his limbs and tested his senses.
Finally, she spoke.