Chapter 38 He Is Just an Ordinary Patient's Family Member
Cordelia had just stepped out of a patient's room when she saw Janet hurrying in.
Raising an eyebrow, she set down her water glass and looked at Janet calmly.
Janet bit her lip and looked at Cordelia. "Dr. Stone, did Alaric's wife come to see you just now?"
Just now?
Cordelia frowned, quickly recalling that Evelyn had left the hospital earlier.
Evelyn must have said something to Janet, causing her to be so eager for answers.
Hannah, leaning against the doorframe of Cordelia's office, chuckled at Janet's question.
Janet's expression stiffened as she turned to face Hannah.
Hannah stifled her laugh. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
If Evelyn was indeed Alaric's wife, Janet would have been in much worse shape by now and wouldn't have the chance to come to Cordelia for answers.
Janet bit her lip harder and shut Cordelia's office door, leaving Hannah outside.
With no gossip to fuel her curiosity, Hannah walked away, planning to ask Cordelia about it later.
Cordelia looked at Janet with a faint expression, sat down in her chair, and sighed.
"Ms. Martin, like I've said before, if you have questions about Alaric's personal life, you should ask him directly."
Janet bit her lip.
Cordelia looked away from her. "Ms. Martin, I'm really busy. If it's not a health issue, please try not to disturb me."
Janet took a deep breath and spoke softly, "I used to think you were Alaric's wife."
Cordelia remained silent.
Janet looked at Cordelia earnestly. "But I just met a woman downstairs who said she recognized me from a photo. So, I thought she might be Alaric's wife."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow and replied coolly, "If you want to know if she's Alaric's wife, why not ask Alaric directly? Or did you already ask, and he wouldn't tell you?"
Janet bit her lip tightly. "I looked through Alaric's phone gallery, but there wasn't a single photo of her."
Cordelia paused, her eyes darkening slightly.
Why would Alaric have any photos of her on his phone?
They had been married for three years, and Alaric always used work as an excuse to avoid taking wedding photos.
Janet's eyes reddened.
"I heard that she comes from a family as prominent as Alaric's. The woman I met seemed very aggressive and hard to deal with. I'm worried she might do something to hurt me, especially since my relationship with Alaric has essentially ruined her marriage."
Her eyes showed a hint of fear as she spoke.
"Heiresses born into elite families are always very cunning and manipulative. Dr. Stone, could you help me? Please tell me if she's really Alaric's wife so I can be prepared."
Cordelia rubbed her temples, wondering what Evelyn had said to Janet to make her so anxious.
"Don't worry."
"She doesn't have time to deal with you."
Evelyn's tactics were all about dominating the business world. Even when Bruce had an affair, Evelyn hadn't bothered with the other woman.
She wouldn't waste her time on Janet.
Janet looked at Cordelia pitifully and cautiously asked, "Can you tell me her identity?"
Cordelia's eyes were cold as she glanced at Janet. "Sorry, I can't disclose that."
Janet's face stiffened.
Cordelia glanced at the closed office door, signaling for Janet to leave.
"If you're not feeling unwell, please leave."
Janet pressed her lips together, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
"You're right, Dr. Stone. We're just in a doctor-patient relationship. It's not appropriate for me to pry into your personal matters. I apologize for being presumptuous."
"Sorry for disturbing your work."
She stood up and slowly left Cordelia's office.
The shock and impact of Evelyn's words had made Janet forget why she had come to the hospital in the first place.
As she entered the elevator, her vision went black, and she fainted.
Cordelia was working on some documents when she heard a commotion outside.
Soon, a nurse hurried over.
"Dr. Stone, Janet just fainted."
Cordelia frowned, stood up, and walked out, instructing, "Contact her family."
The nurse nodded.
Janet had listed Alaric as her emergency contact, so the nurse naturally called him.
Cordelia conducted a full-body examination on her.
She found that Janet's wound had torn and become infected, and she had a high fever.
Cordelia's eyes darkened, her expression serious.
When Janet was discharged, her wound had been healing well. For it to become infected in just one day, it was clear she hadn't taken proper care of herself.
Remembering that Janet had visited a cemetery and attended a dinner the previous day, Cordelia felt a headache coming on.
When Janet woke up, she saw Cordelia examining her.
In a weak voice, she said, "I'm sorry, Dr. Stone, for causing you trouble again."
Cordelia remained calm. "Ms. Martin, you may need to stay in the hospital for a while. Your wound is infected and needs to be cleaned."
She paused, her expression turning serious.
"If you don't take proper care, and the infection spreads internally, it might be difficult for you to conceive in the future."
Janet's face turned pale at this, and she saw Alaric standing at the door of her room. She bit her lip.
"Alaric, why are you here?"
Alaric glanced at Cordelia, who focused on her work.
Hearing Janet's voice, she glanced at him.
Their eyes met, but there was no spark.
"Ms. Martin fainted in the hospital. You were listed as her emergency contact, so we had to call you."
Alaric nodded slightly.
"What happened?"
Janet bit her lip and answered quietly, "The wound got infected."
Alaric frowned and walked into the room.
Cordelia gave a few instructions in a calm voice and then left.
Back in her office, she called over Janet's assigned nurse to prepare the medication.
The nurse left with the prescription and saw Alaric approaching.
His expression was grim, and he seemed to be in a foul mood.
Worried that Alaric might cause trouble for Cordelia, the nurse hesitated and looked at Cordelia with concern.
Noticing the nurse's concern, Cordelia smiled gently. "Go ahead and prepare the medication for Ms. Martin. I'll explain things to Mr. Hughes."
The nurse nodded and left.
Once alone, Cordelia's smile faded, and she adopted a more professional demeanor.
"Ms. Martin's wound is infected and needs cleaning. We also need to conduct further tests to check for other issues. Given her current condition, I recommend she stay in the hospital for another week for observation."
Her tone was natural and professional, treating Alaric as just another patient's family member.