Chapter 146 Is It Possible That She Doesn't Like You
Alaric's deep eyes stared intently at Cordelia, trying to catch a trace of sadness on her face.
But there was none.
Her expression remained calm as she looked at him leisurely and spoke slowly.
"I'm just speaking from a doctor's perspective, Mr. Hughes. Don't get worked up."
Alaric paused. His words had been like punching cotton—they stirred no reaction at all.
His heart sank, resentment rising within him. He no longer wanted her support, so he pulled his hand back and made his way to the hospital room on his own, leaning against the wall.
Watching him act all sulky like that, Cordelia raised an eyebrow slightly and quietly followed behind him.
Half an hour later, Cordelia got the diagnosis report and prescribed medication for Alaric.
Figuring he probably didn't want to see her right now, she had a nurse go give him his IV.
After administering the IV, the nurse came back to report to Cordelia.
Seeing her cautious demeanor, Cordelia asked, "What's wrong?"
Only then did the nurse say with a pained expression, "When I was trying to insert the needle for Mr. Hughes just now, I couldn't find the vein properly. I had to stick him several times."
A flash of surprise crossed Cordelia's eyes. "Did he yell at you?"
The nurse shook her head.
Alaric hadn't yelled at her, but he'd just looked at her with a cold expression. Those deep eyes showed no emotion, yet somehow gave off an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Her hands had even been shaking while inserting the needle, and she felt like her career was about to end.
"He didn't yell at me, but it felt worse than if he had."
"Dr. Stone, next time something like giving Mr. Hughes an IV comes up, you should do it yourself. I feel like I'm about to lose my job."
Hearing this, Cordelia smiled faintly and said, "It's fine."
Though Alaric was cold and distant, he wouldn't just fire someone over nothing.
"He won't fire you."
The nurse sighed and fell silent.
Seeing how worried she looked, Cordelia patted her shoulder. "Why don't you go handle other things? I'll take care of this."
Only then did the nurse breathe a huge sigh of relief, looking at Cordelia gratefully.
"Dr. Stone, I knew you were the best."
Cordelia smiled slightly and walked toward Alaric's room.
When she reached the door of Alaric's room, he was on the phone discussing business.
Cordelia waited at the door for a while, entering only after he'd finished his call.
She walked over to check the IV bag, then noticed that some blood had backed up on Alaric's hand.
She frowned and reached out to grasp Alaric's wrist.
"Don't move."
Hearing her commanding tone, Alaric actually stayed still.
Cordelia peeled off the tape on his hand and saw that the needle was positioned crookedly. She readjusted it for him.
His hand had indeed been stuck multiple times earlier and was already showing some bruising.
She frowned slightly. No wonder that nurse had looked so nervous.
As Cordelia adjusted the needle position, Alaric flinched from the pain, instinctively pulling his hand back, which caused the needle to come out completely.
Cordelia paused and looked up at Alaric.
Alaric's gaze also fell on Cordelia as he said coldly, "Has Dr. Stone been too busy dating lately? Your medical skills have declined—you can't even handle something this simple?"
Hearing his sarcasm, Cordelia didn't argue back. She just lowered her head to find the vein again.
Janet had come to the hospital today for a follow-up and, hearing that Alaric was also hospitalized, made her way to his room.
Walking to the door of Alaric's room and seeing it open, she stepped inside. Just as she was about to knock, she saw Cordelia standing by Alaric's bedside, holding his wrist.
Alaric sat on the hospital bed, quietly gazing at Cordelia.
The tenderness in his eyes at that moment was almost overflowing.
Janet bit her lip lightly and knocked on the door, interrupting the harmonious atmosphere between them.
"Alaric, I heard you were hospitalized, so I came to check on you. What happened?"
She walked to Alaric's bedside, her expression full of concern.
Cordelia had just found the right vein for Alaric, but when she heard Janet speak, her hand couldn't help but tremble, and she missed the mark.
A flash of embarrassment crossed her eyes as she quietly looked up to check Alaric's expression.
This time Alaric didn't mock her. He just looked at her coldly without saying a word, which somehow seemed even more devastating than if he'd spoken.
Cordelia instantly understood how that nurse had felt earlier.
Seeing that Alaric wasn't answering her but continued staring at Cordelia, Janet felt indignant and took the initiative to talk to Cordelia.
"Dr. Stone, do you need my help?"
Cordelia's eyes darkened slightly.
She didn't like Janet—disliked her to the point where just hearing her voice made her feel sick.
Hearing Janet offer to help, she immediately picked up the needle and held it out.
"Then I'll trouble Ms. Martin."
Janet had only been making polite conversation and hadn't expected Cordelia to actually take her up on it.
Looking at the needle Cordelia was holding out, she naturally didn't dare take it, and her expression became awkward.
"Dr. Stone, are you joking with me? I'm not a doctor—how would I know how to insert a needle?"
Cordelia's gaze moved away from Janet indifferently as she said coolly, "So Ms. Martin was joking with me. I thought Ms. Martin genuinely wanted to help, but it was just talk."
Janet's expression immediately stiffened.
Cordelia had already withdrawn her gaze from her and glanced coldly at Alaric, who was leaning against the bed with an expressionless face. Her tone wasn't as gentle as it had been when only the two of them were present.
"This hand won't work. Give me your other hand."
Her voice carried a commanding tone and sounded quite harsh.
Alaric's previously emotionless expression now showed a flicker of light in his eyes after hearing her words.
He looked at her quietly for several seconds.
Seeing him make no move, Cordelia frowned and repeated, "Give me your hand."
This time Alaric obediently raised his left hand and placed it in Cordelia's.
With a stern face, Cordelia precisely located the vein and inserted the needle expressionlessly, then applied the bandage.
"If you don't want your hand to swell up like a pig's knuckle tomorrow, you'd better not move around."
As she spoke, Cordelia moved the IV stand to Alaric's left side.
After completing this series of actions, she walked out of Alaric's room.
Janet had watched all of this unfold. After Cordelia left, she pressed her lips together and said with dissatisfaction, "Dr. Stone's temper is getting worse and worse."
"What kind of doctor treats a patient so roughly?"
Before she could finish, she heard Alaric's low, indifferent voice from the bed. "Is it possible that it's because she doesn't like you? Doesn't want to see you?"