It was past midnight when Brianna finally sobered up from the drugs. Scott asked a female doctor to come and check on Brianna. The doctor cleaned up all the tiny pieces of rusty metal on her wounds, stitched the deep cuts, and bandaged the minor ones.
When Brianna woke up from a long and deep sleep, she opened her eyes a bit and quickly closed them, finding it hard to adjust to the bright light. It must be midday now. She thought. She tried to stretch her body, but the sharp and sudden pain all over her body shocked her. She then opened her eyes wide open and saw that she was sleeping in Scott's arms. He was cuddling her tight, fast asleep.
It took a while to sink in as she slowly recalled what had happened yesterday, from being kidnapped and Scott coming to rescue her to the wild and crazy experience in bed last night.
Gently, she put her arm around him and kissed his lips softly. Startled, Scott awoke, cuddled her tighter, and looked at her with a content smile.
Brianna blushed and looked away. He felt her forehead gently. "You still have a fever. The medicine didn't seem to help. You will probably need an injection."
"Injection?" Brianna shook her head. She was scared of needles ever since she was little.
"Don't worry. I will ask the nurse to be gentle. It will be quick, and you won't feel a thing. And you needed that most to fully recover," Scott spoke softly. He was being unusually gentle, and Brianna had noticed it since he saved her.
Brianna gazed at him, startled by his sudden gentleness, and nodded.
Scott called the doctor and explained.
"The doctor will be here in twenty minutes. Go back to sleep if you'd like." He said with a smile.
Brianna nodded. Her head was actually aching terribly. Before long, she was wandering in her dreamland again.
She heard the doctor speaking in her half-asleep, half-awake state. Suddenly she tensed up and tried to hide away in Scott's cuddle. "Hush. It won't hurt at all. Relax." Scott stroked her hair gently.
Since her father died in the car accident, the company went bankrupt, and her mother got sick, Brianna had to depend on herself, and she had hardly felt loved or cared for since then.
This was probably the first time she had to admit to being weak and be taken care of, and how would she have expected that it was the cold and distant Scott Anderson that was making her feel loved. She relaxed, and the doctor injected the needle in. Scott held her hand. She looked at him gratefully, seeing the tenderness in his eyes and smile.
"Most of the wounds and cuts should heal well soon. It's the one from the gunshot last time that got infected, which has possibly caused the fever. The injection should help. I will come back and check on her tomorrow morning." The doctor explained.
Scott nodded, and the chief maid ushered the doctor out.
Scott sat up on the bed, stroking Brianna's hair. He seemed to be deep in thought.
Brianna looked up at him a few times, wondering what he was thinking about. "I know I'm very good-looking, but you see me every day, shouldn't you give your eyes a little break?" Scott pinched her cheeks gently as he teased.
"I wasn't looking..." Brianna quickly looked away, blushing.
Scott kept his eyes on her quietly, then said, "Brianna, if you promise to be with me forever, you have my permission to be taken good care of."
"Huh?" Brianna found his wording rather strange. "To be taken care of by whom? By you? You give me permission to be taken care of by you?"
"Right," Scott said matter-of-factly.
"Hmmm. I don't quite understand, but Sol Keaton is the girl that occupies your heart."
Scott said nothing, and it left some doubt in Brianna's mind.
Brianna went on, "Scott, I know what I want, in terms of love and marriage. It doesn't matter how much I love you or want to be with you, I will not stay because you have to choose between her and me, and I know you will choose her. For now, I will just enjoy and cherish the days while I'm with you."
Scott looked upset, but he made no comments.
The chief maid knocked at the door and came in with some fresh juice, tuna sandwiches, and assorted fruits.
"Would you like a sandwich?" Scott asked.
"I'm not hungry."
"You didn't eat anything yesterday, and you must have felt exhausted after last night. Come, eat a bit." Scott sliced a small piece and handed it towards her mouth.
Brianna stared at him in disbelief. He's being so gentle to me! He came to save me yesterday, and now he's even feeding me!
"Come on, babe." He said again.
Did he call me babe? Brianna opened her mouth and took a bite, still gazing at Scott, finding it difficult to believe. Then she thought perhaps this was how he treated Sol Keaton with tenderness and love. A mixed feeling of gratitude and jealousy filled Brianna's heart.
This is only temporary. Brianna told herself. His tenderness is only temporary. She didn't want herself to have false expectations as she was scared of getting hurt worse when she had to leave him one day.
When Brianna had finished the sandwich and downed the juice, Scott seemed to feel better. "Alright, get some more sleep. I will come back to check on you later." He got out of bed and patted her head gently.
When Scott reached the door, Brianna said, "Scott."
Scott turned around, "Yes?"
She heaved a sigh and went on, "It seems like since I married you, I've got myself in all sorts of trouble, like those crazily jealous women that want to be with you, and those nasty men that want money or power..."
"I'm too charming," Scott said with a cheeky smile. "Why? Do you regret having married me now?"
"No, I don't," Brianna said briefly.
Scott watched her doubtfully. "Are you sure?"