Love Unspoken

As soon as Quinn rolled up, she was unsurprisingly scolded by the doctor again.

"So, you just can't quit smoking, huh? The patient doesn't give a damn about his health, and you, as his family, don't seem to either. What kind of caregiver are you?" the doc snapped. Quinn's eyelid twitched. She shot a look at Alexander, who was lounging on the bed, giving her that innocent puppy-dog stare.

Clenching her fists, Quinn snapped at the doc, "I'm not his family."

The doc looked surprised and then asked, "Then who are you to him?"

"A stranger," Quinn shot back.

"Where's his family then?" The doc, sensing something fishy, turned to Alexander. "Where's your family?"

Alexander pulled out a marriage certificate from his pocket and handed it over. "I don't know where she went. Doc, can you help me find her?"

The doc took the certificate, glanced at it, and then looked at Quinn, whose frown was getting deeper by the second.

As expected, after reading the certificate, the doc laid into Quinn again.

He stressed, "Even if you two are having issues, you can't just leave him hanging. If it's really impossible, hire a caregiver."Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Finally, the doc turned to Alexander. "Quit smoking. If you light up again, we're calling the cops."

With that, he handed the marriage certificate back to Alexander and walked out.

Quinn, barely keeping her cool, glared at Alexander. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Alexander carefully tucked the marriage certificate back into his pocket before looking up at Quinn. "No, I just forgot to open the window." Quinn gave him a skeptical look. It wasn't the first time she'd caught him smoking in the ward. Maybe he was telling the truth.

"Aren't you broke? Where'd you get the cash for smokes?" she asked.

"Swiped 'em from the park downstairs," Alexander replied.

"Then where'd you get the marriage certificate?" Quinn asked again.

"I always carry it with me. Is that a problem?" Alexander shot back.

Quinn's forehead veins throbbed. She couldn't come up with a comeback.

Her eyes landed on the pack of cigarettes on the table. To stop him from pulling this stunt again, she stepped forward to snatch them away. But Alexander was quicker and grabbed them first.

Quinn grabbed his hand and glared at him, demanding, "Give me the cigarettes!"

"Will you come see me then?" Alexander asked.

"In your dreams. Let go, or you'll never see me again!" Quinn declared.

Alexander said, "Even if I give them to you, you won't come. At worst, I'll smoke outside next time."

Quinn was momentarily stunned, unsure of how to respond. She was fuming inside and tried to grab the cigarettes from his hand again.

If he smoked again and set off the smoke alarm, the hospital would keep calling her. If she didn't answer, they'd keep at it, and eventually, they'd call the cops, who'd then start calling her.

She really regretted leaving her phone number, especially since Alexander had that marriage certificate. If he got hauled to the police station, she wouldn't be able to dodge getting involved. Thinking of this, Quinn tried even harder to pry his fingers open.

Alexander just wouldn't let go. In the struggle, the pack of cigarettes got crushed.

Compared to Quinn's flushed face, he was way calmer. Quinn used both hands, while he only used one.

He watched Quinn's puffed-up cheeks as she struggled, his eyes flickering.

The next second, Alexander suddenly let go.

Due to inertia, Quinn fell backward. Her eyes widened, and she braced herself for the fall.

But Alexander grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

Caught off guard, Quinn fell straight into his arms, her forehead bumping into his chest, making her feel a bit dizzy.

After a few seconds, she regained her composure and instinctively tried to get up, but Alexander held her tightly. Each attempt to free herself resulted in her falling back into his arms.