Chapter 33 Chapter 0033
•CASSANDRA•
"Well, I guess I will see you later,' Dante said as he looked at me. I smiled, looking behind him and realizing my team was already waiting.
"Yes, I will see you later."
"Yeah, I have an important case to attend to," he trailed off again. "I'll probably be there for a long time since we are trying to find a way about how to approach the surgery."
"My team is also waiting for me there," I replied as I gestured behind him.
His cheeks flushed as he looked behind. "Oh, yes, that's right. I see. Oh well, don't let me keep you, Cass. I'll see you later."
"Good luck on your surgery," I answered as I winked at him before walking away.
I blushed when I heard him swear under his breath, scolding himself for hesitating to kiss me just as he had intended.
I walked away because I wanted to push his buttons a little, and make him to be a little braver next time he wanted the entire hospital to know we kissed.
"Dr. Frost," one of the interns said when I approached them. "We wanted to inform you that Dr. Collins has joined Dr. Hart's team."
Oh, that wasn't surprising at all. I knew Amelia would do anything to prove a point. It even made me wonder if she wasn't the one who had spread all those lies about me on the internet.
The person who wrote those articles and posts sounded like she had heard everything from Amelia.
She wanted them to know the mistake I made in surgery, and that I wasn't the doctor everyone praised me to be.
She wanted them to think I was a witch.
"Thank you for informing me, Dr. Beaumont," I answered as I smiled at her before turning my attention to the other two doctors. "I hope we are all ready for the day. We must move as fast as we can and if you meet any difficulties, please don't hesitate to call me."
"Yes, Dr. Frost." They all nodded in unison. I smiled and led the way to the emergency wing. Patients were already flooded, and some had unbelievable cases.
Luckily, the interns in my team were already ahead in most things, and could think independently without consulting most times.
They made me happy whenever they completed their tasks without trying to compete with the other teams about how many patients they have helped.
When the interns left, I walked inside a ward room and found an old woman there. She was suffering from an unknown condition that kept her up at night and made her eat strange things.
She looked sweet and she smiled at me when I walked in.
"Thank the heavens you've arrived, Dr. Frost," she murmured as I leaned toward her bed. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Well, I've heard a lot about you too, Grace," I answered as I looked at her after glancing at her name on the clipboard on the table.
I pulled a stool closer to Grace’s bed and reviewed her chart more carefully. Her vitals were stable now, but the notes from the night staff were unsettling.
Insomnia that lasted days. Pica-like cravings. Sudden spikes in adrenaline without cause. Nothing conventional explained it.
“Tell me what you’ve been feeling, Grace,” I said gently. "Do you experience the symptoms listed here daily?"
She clasped her thin hands over the blanket. “It’s like something keeps nudging me awake,” she whispered. “Not a voice. Just a feeling. And then I get hungry. Hungry for things that aren’t food.”
“What kinds of things?” I asked, thinking maybe it could be her iron, but it didn't explain her insomnia and not showing any sighs of tiredness.
She hesitated, then smiled sheepishly. “Chalk, ash, and dirt from my garden.”
That confirmed it.
I stood and moved closer, placing my fingers lightly against her wrist, pretending to check her pulse while I focused inward.
The room seemed to dim at the edges, the familiar warmth blooming beneath my skin. I hated how natural it felt and how easily I slipped into it.
“Grace,” I murmured, meeting her eyes. "This may feel strange, but I need you to take deep breaths with me. I think I may know what might be the problem."
She nodded and started inhaling and exhaling. It was the only way for me to distract her so she wouldn't know I was already healing her.
I guided the energy carefully, quietly sealing the fracture in her aura that had been draining her vitality and confusing her instincts.
It didn't take long for her to get back to normal, and I leaned back with a smile on my face.
Grace gasped softly.
"Oh," she breathed. "I feel tired. Properly tired."
“That’s a good sign,” I said, getting up from the chair. “You’ll sleep tonight. And when you wake up, the cravings should be gone.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “You really are everything they say.”
I smiled, walking to the door. “Get some rest. I’ll have the nurses check on you later.”
I had just taken a step into the hallway when her voice stopped me.
“Dr. Frost.”
I froze.
“Yes?” I asked, forcing my tone to remain calm as I turned back.
Grace was watching me with an intensity that hadn’t been there before. Her smile was still there, but a little strange.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The question hit harder than it should have. My heartbeat skipped, and my knees almost knocked against each other.
“I’m your doctor,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. "Dr. Frost. Are you alright?"
She tilted her head. “No,” she said softly. “That’s not what I meant.”
My fingers curled against the doorframe.
“What are you?”
For a brief, terrifying second, the room felt too small, and I felt like my world was ending. I had kept my identity hidden for five years to lose the cover now.
Then Grace laughed.
“Oh, heavens,” she waved her hand dismissively. “Look at your face. I was joking, dear. Old women are allowed to tease brilliant doctors, aren’t they?”
Relief rushed through me so fast it made me dizzy.
She smiled warmly again. “Thank you for healing me. Truly. Whatever you are—doctor or miracle—I’m grateful.”
I nodded, unable to trust my voice, and left the room before she could say anything else.
The moment the door closed behind me, I pressed a hand to my chest.
My heart was racing, pounding so hard it hurt. I leaned against the wall, took a slow breath, then another, and reminded myself I was at work.
'You’re fine, Cassandra,' Lyra murmured. 'She was just an old woman.'