Chapter 136 I Am Actually Her Attending Physician
Alexander stood in silence for a long time. Finally took a deep breath. Pushed open the hospital room door.
Caroline heard the sound. Slowly turned her head. The moment she saw him, she tried to struggle upright.
"Don't move." Alexander stepped forward instinctively to stop her.
But she'd already slid clumsily off the bed. Her knees buckled. She dropped to the floor at his feet.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for causing trouble. My stomach will get better soon, I promise. I won't miss the gala. Please don't be angry."
Alexander stood frozen. Stared down at her in shock. His mind went blank.
Then he understood. Her memory had regressed again.
Gone back further this time. Back before the confusion. Before she'd shown him any dependence or affection. Even before she'd hated him for what happened to Daniel.
"…When did you have stomach problems?" He took an unconscious step forward.
Caroline's body flinched violently. She scrambled to explain. "Oh, no—I'm fine! I'm better now! I can go right away! I'll… I'll change clothes…"
She started fumbling with the buttons on her hospital gown.
"Caroline!"
Alexander dropped to a crouch. Grabbed her flailing wrists.
"What are you talking about? What gala? Look around—this is a hospital!"
"No! I won't go to the basement! I'll be good! I'll change right now! Please don't lock me in there! The dogs… the dogs will bite me! I won't go! Please!"
Caroline suddenly thrashed in terror. Tears streamed down her face. She wrenched herself free. Crawled and scrambled to the far corner behind the bed.
She clutched her head. Her voice shook as she repeated over and over. "Not the basement. I'll be good. Don't lock me up. Please…"
Alexander stayed crouched. His hand frozen in midair. Watched her terrified face. His own face went pale.
She remembered.
Remembered what he'd done to her.
"No!" He stood abruptly. Took a sharp step forward. "I'm not putting you in the basement!"
"Ah! Don't come near me! I won't go! Don't touch me!"
Caroline screamed. Her hands flailed wildly in the air. As if a crowd of people were dragging her toward endless darkness.
"Sir! You need to calm down!"
Liam saw Alexander moving toward her again. Rushed forward to pull him back.
"Mrs. Hamilton is extremely unstable right now. You can't get close—it'll only make things worse!"
Alexander didn't seem to hear. His eyes stayed locked on the trembling figure in the corner.
Several seconds passed before he turned his head stiffly. Let Liam half-support, half-drag him out of the room.
They walked down the silent corridor. Alexander kept his head down. Finally spoke, almost to himself. "She remembered… what I used to do to her."
He pulled at the corner of his mouth. Forced out a cold laugh.
"Maybe that's for the best… At least she remembers she's guilty. A guilty person doesn't deserve to live comfortably, right?"
He seemed to be asking Liam. Or maybe asking himself.
But before the words fully settled, the carefully constructed coldness on his face shattered.
Rage surged through him. He raised his fist. Slammed it into the wall.
"Goddamn it!"
"Sir!" Liam's heart nearly stopped. He rushed to pull Alexander back.
Alexander shook off Liam's hand. Spun around and roared. "Get the doctors! Neurology! Neuroscience! Psychiatry! All of them!"
"Yes! Right away!" Liam didn't dare delay. Turned and ran.
Soon the conference room filled with the hospital's top specialists.
But everyone had a different opinion.
The neurologist pointed at the latest CT scan. "The hematoma has clearly shifted. It's pressing on the hippocampus and surrounding areas. That causes memory disruption, confabulation, possibly dissociation or post-traumatic stress disorder."
The neuroscience specialist added. "The impact itself could have caused a concussion and temporary neurological dysfunction. The patient's fear, avoidance, and behavioral regression are consistent with trauma response."
But the psychiatrist frowned deeply. "Such specific, targeted fear responses, and the inconsistent timeline of regression… This doesn't look like purely organic pathology. It looks more like suppressed traumatic memories being triggered."
The debate went on. No one could convince anyone else.
Alexander's expression grew darker with each passing minute. Liam watched from the side, his heart in his throat.
Finally, one of the psychiatrists spoke up. "Mr. Hamilton, we believe Mrs. Hamilton's condition may not be related to the brain hematoma at all. The test results show it only affected her memory. Her current state looks more like a psychiatric disorder. If Mrs. Hamilton has a prior medical history, and we could review her records, we might be able to better determine the cause."
"Sir." Liam suddenly remembered something.
"Mrs. Hamilton hasn't been working recently. Her psychology practice has been managed by Lina. She might know something."
Alexander closed his eyes. Took a deep breath.
"Bring her here."
Lina arrived at the hospital quickly. Met with Alexander alone in a consultation room.
He didn't waste time. Asked directly. "Lina, does Caroline have any history of psychiatric illness? Or has she received treatment?"
Lina raised an eyebrow. Her tone was cold. "Mr. Hamilton, you're being polite to me today. That's new."
Alexander's brow furrowed. Irritation flared.
Liam quickly intervened. "Mrs. Hamilton's condition is very unstable right now. Her memory is severely compromised. Her behavior is abnormal. We urgently need to understand her medical history to find the right treatment. You don't want her to stay sick like this, do you?"
Lina was silent for several seconds. Her eyes suddenly reddened.
"I knew… this day would come."
She opened her briefcase. Pulled out a thick stack of files. Set them on the table in front of Alexander.
Seeing how thick the stack was, Liam couldn't help holding his breath. Immediately looked at Alexander.
Alexander's gaze fell on the files. His heart sank inexplicably.
Lina looked down. "I met Caroline five years ago. She's actually an exceptionally talented psychologist. Full of empathy and patience with all her patients. But in the beginning… I was her attending physician."