Chapter 162 Medical Research Society
"Alright, I'll talk then. What are you doing in Majestic City?"
"Training."
"Which hospital? Can you be more specific?"
"No, I can't." She kept her tone polite.
"You're no fun. Let me tell about myself then—I'm investing in a medical research institute in Majestic City. Seems right up your alley, professionally speaking."
"Sort of."
"Maybe we could collaborate."
"I'm just a small-time doctor. Not much I can collaborate on."
Nason asked her a few more questions. She gave short, dismissive answers, and he couldn't very well just talk about himself the whole time. Seeing she genuinely had no interest in him, he finally said, "Guess the movie's more entertaining. Go ahead and watch it."
She didn't hesitate to hit play again.
Nason fell silent.
...
Matilda watched her movie while Nason listened to music, right up until the captain announced they were preparing to land and asked everyone to stow their tray tables and return their seats to the upright position. They hadn't spoken during that entire time.
When the plane descended, the lights went off and there was some turbulence. In that instant, the oppressive feeling in Matilda's chest returned. She clutched her chest, breathing heavily.
Nason noticed immediately. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
But he reached over and patted her back gently. "You're afraid of flying, aren't you? Don't worry. Once we land, you'll feel better."
His words were surprisingly warm. The pressure in Matilda's chest eased slightly.
Business class passengers deplaned first. The flight attendants helped with their luggage. It was already past midnight. Nason caught up with Matilda. "It's pretty late. Want me to give you a ride? I've got a car waiting outside."
"Thanks, but I'll just grab a cab," Matilda said.
Nason looked puzzled. "Why are you so stingy with yourself? Doesn't Wentworth give you money?"
Matilda smiled. "Old habits. Once you're used to being frugal, it's hard to be wasteful."
"But what about your safety? If Wentworth were here, would he really be okay with you taking a cab alone to a hotel at this hour?"
"You know what I like most about Wentworth? He respects me. Forget taking a cab to a hotel at midnight—if I wanted to go to the border alone, as long as that's what I wanted, he wouldn't object. Goodbye, Mr. Everly. Thanks for your concern. And for the business class seat."
With that, Matilda pulled her suitcase toward the exit.
Nason stood there watching her go. She was dressed casually, but her loose shirt couldn't hide her graceful figure. She had perfect proportions—her waist especially. She wasn't particularly tall, but she had long legs, and when she walked, there was a certain elegance about her, as if she were wearing an evening gown instead of casual clothes.
He mulled over her words. Wentworth respects her.
After thinking for a moment, he scoffed. "Guys like Wentworth are all about mind games. Acting all proper on the surface when they're actually scheming bastards."
...
At TrustCare Hospital in Majestic City, this private hospital had an excellent reputation, top specialists, and drew patients from all over, especially for complex cases. Later, the board of directors decided to do some public good by switching to a public hospital model. People could book appointments, and they introduced a health insurance system.
Some people treated it like a public hospital and still complained about the costs, so the board met again and decided to tier doctors by qualification. Patients could choose the tier that fit their budget, with different levels of service for each. So the hospital also hired some general practitioners and partnered with other hospitals for training and exchange programs.
Matilda was here for training. She was assigned to the pain management department, shadowing a senior doctor for a while before potentially being allowed to do independent consultations.
This was truly one of Majestic City's top hospitals. From day one, Matilda realized how much she still had to learn. The treatment protocols here were advanced, the case load was heavy, and many cases were unlike anything she'd encountered before.
So after arriving, to keep up with the pace, she worked hard every day—shadowing the senior doctor, carefully documenting cases, and writing detailed summaries.
One day, the senior doctor sent her to the inpatient ward to retrieve some files. She hurried over. On her way out, she bumped into a family member rushing to catch an elevator. The collision scattered her papers all over the floor. She quickly crouched down to pick them up.
Just then, Amelia walked past.
Of course, Amelia didn't recognize her. She only saw a doctor in a mask crouched on the floor gathering papers. The figure looked vaguely familiar, but women of that age all had similar builds.
Amelia was rushing upstairs to check on Wentworth. His condition had improved slightly today, so she'd gone back to the hotel to shower and nap, leaving Juliana at the hospital to care for him.
She took the elevator up to the ward. Inside, Juliana was giving Wentworth water. Wentworth was propped against the bed rail while Juliana fed him with a small spoon, one spoonful at a time.
Initially he couldn't eat solid food and could only receive IV nutrition, but these past couple of days he'd been able to take some liquids. This morning he'd even had a little milk.
Watching Juliana patiently feed Wentworth, Amelia felt deeply moved. If only Juliana were her daughter-in-law.
She walked over to Juliana's side. Even though she knew Wentworth couldn't hear, she still lowered her voice. "Juliana, you've worked so hard."
"Mom, it's nothing. What matters is that Wentworth recovers quickly."
Amelia took Wentworth's hand and looked at Juliana. These past days, she'd been having Juliana hold Wentworth's hand, and Juliana hadn't objected. Clearly Juliana had feelings for Wentworth. Especially since Juliana sometimes blushed when touching Wentworth, but she never refused the contact.
So Amelia truly regretted not bringing Juliana back to meet Wentworth sooner. Then Matilda would never have gotten there first.
...
Because of her training, Matilda spent her days in a state of intense focus. She actually liked this state—it kept her from feeling that oppressive sensation.
However, when she wasn't on call at the inpatient ward and her shift ended, she had to return to the dormitory. She hadn't bothered renting a place outside—too much hassle to find something, and she didn't want to deal with commuting. So she stayed in the hospital dormitory.
Everything about this hospital was great except the lodging—you had to pay for it yourself. She'd opted to pay for a single room.
Back in the dorm, she still felt the tightness in her chest. She couldn't explain why. Maybe tomorrow she should find time to get a breast exam at the hospital. Chest tightness in women was often related to breast issues.
...
The next morning, the senior doctor supervising her asked her to attend a meeting in his place. His name was Dr. Clark. He was sixty-five, retired but brought back as a consultant, with extensive experience.
Years ago, he'd joined Majestic City's Traditional Chinese Medicine Association and held some kind of director position. The association was meeting today, but he had patients and couldn't get away, so he sent Matilda instead.
"Dr. Clark, are you sure it's okay for me to go?" Matilda asked.
Dr. Clark chuckled. "It's just a meeting. Don't stress. Just go, eat, drink, relax."
So Matilda went in Dr. Clark's place.
...
The association had funding, so they held the exchange meeting at an upscale café. There were men and women of various ages, including some fairly young people.
Matilda was somewhere in the middle age-wise. When she arrived, she told the receptionist she was there in place of Dr. Clark. The receptionist called out, "We've got a beautiful lady here! She's Dr. Clark's student."
Matilda quickly corrected her. "Not really a student. I'm just training under him temporarily." Teacher-student relationships were formal. She couldn't just claim that status casually.
But either way, a woman who looked like her was bound to be welcomed. Several people immediately gathered around to chat with her.
That's how socializing worked. When an attractive woman showed up, lots of people were initially interested. But people had different vibes. When some realized they didn't click with her, they'd drift away. Eventually, only those with compatible energy stayed.
A woman around Matilda's age said, "The main topic of this meeting is discussing the integrative medicine research institute. Someone wants to bring together all the alternative medicine practitioners in Majestic City and see if we can form a unified academic approach."