Chapter 82 Haven't Thought It Through
Levi grabbed the emergency kit and rushed out, with Matilda hurrying after him.
They were heading to a remote ranch family in the northern mountains. Heavy snow blanketed the entire valley, and the wind cut like a knife. Inside a makeshift tent shelter, a young girl lay on a crude bed, her face deathly pale.
Blood had soaked through the large wool blanket beneath her—a horrifying sight!
A young man stood by the entrance, desperation written across his face. When the doctors arrived, he rushed toward Levi and Matilda, practically falling to his knees in the snow. "Doctor, please—you have to save her!"
Matilda and Levi immediately got to work.
The conditions were primitive, but fortunately the girl's family knew her blood type and quickly identified who among them could donate. They found a suitable match fast.
Levi was a jack-of-all-trades doctor. They worked tirelessly until darkness completely fell, finally pulling the girl back from death's edge.
Levi was getting older and was drenched in sweat from exhaustion. Matilda had just survived yesterday's ordeal and hadn't slept well last night. They both went to rest in the van parked outside.
Just as they'd settled into their seats, a group of angry people approached, led by a woman in a heavy leather coat adorned with gaudy silver jewelry.
She grabbed her son standing in the snow and screamed in heavily accented English, "Is that slut dead yet?"
The young man said quietly, "Mom, she almost died."
"Good! She should die! Who does she think she is, wanting to marry into our family? How many head of cattle do we own? How many does her family have? Just because she got some education and got knocked up doesn't mean we want her. Even if she'd had the baby, I would've made sure it didn't survive!"
Matilda heard every word from inside the van. She immediately got out and walked toward the crowd, saying coldly, "This is a medical station. If you want to cause trouble, go somewhere else. Don't disturb the patient's rest."
She and Levi had fought tooth and nail to save this patient—they couldn't let her be stressed into another crisis.
The young man also tried to mediate. "Mom, let's go home. She just barely survived—let her rest."
"I'll leave, but you have to promise you'll never see her again!"
The young man hesitated for two seconds, then said, "I won't see her. Never again."
"Swear it! If you ever look for her again, may you die a miserable death!"
"I swear, if I ever look for her again, may I die miserably, and may she... die miserably too."
Only then was the woman satisfied.
She left two cattle behind and told the girl's family, "These two cows are compensation. Don't ever try to seduce my son again!"
The group came fast and left just as quickly. Soon the area was quiet again.
But the girl's mother kept crying in the corner while her brother sighed nearby.
Matilda couldn't help asking, "Who were those people?"
The girl's brother said, "My sister met her boyfriend at community college. They really loved each other. But his mother looks down on our family because they own a big local ranch with hundreds of cattle, while we only have about ten head. My sister didn't care and wanted to be with him anyway. When they found out she was pregnant, his family forced her to get an abortion. My sister was so angry she bought abortion pills herself, and that's how this happened..."
Seeing that woman's arrogant attitude and thinking of the weak girl on the bed, Matilda couldn't help but think of Wentworth's mother—how that lady had sent her secretary to convince her to leave Wentworth.
If she hadn't agreed back then, would her fate have been like this girl's?
...
By the time they returned to the clinic in town, it was already dark.
The moment she got out of the van, Matilda's phone rang. It was Wentworth. "Want to have dinner together? I'm waiting outside the restaurant."
Matilda hesitated.
Not going would seem distant, but going felt emotionally complicated.
While she was wrestling with the decision, Danny poked his head out from near the restaurant. "Dr. Spencer, come eat with us!"
People had to eat, and since the clinic had no cooking facilities, she usually grabbed dinner at the little restaurant anyway.
She walked over and pushed open the restaurant door. Everyone inside immediately shouted in unison, "Matilda!"
She froze.
Not just Danny—Rick and Mark were there too.
The owner's wife beamed. "I always thought you two were special, but I never imagined you were actually married! You kept that secret well."
Matilda looked at Wentworth—how had he gone public?
Wentworth walked over and pulled out a chair for her. "I wasn't planning to say anything. Danny let it slip."
Danny stayed silent—'You're the one who told me to say it because you were worried people would think Matilda was the other woman.'
Rick and Mark warmly welcomed her, but Matilda felt uncomfortable.
He acknowledged her here, but what about at home? In front of his mother? Would he be this open then?
She thought again of that girl's tragic situation.
Rick grinned. "Dr. Spencer, I heard you mentioned divorce before? What were you thinking? He's Major Gonzaga—whenever he goes anywhere, girls are chasing after him for his number. How could you not like him?"
Matilda just smiled without responding. Wentworth answered for her. "She doesn't dislike me. There were other reasons for bringing up divorce."
Rick said, "Well, you two need to communicate better. You're the most compatible couple I've ever seen."
Wentworth looked at Matilda and smiled. "We will."
The others applauded, but Matilda's feelings were complicated.
She suddenly raised her voice. "Actually, before coming here, our relationship had already ended. Legally we're married, but in reality we're not—otherwise we wouldn't have hidden it from everyone."
Her words made Wentworth's smile freeze and silenced the room.
A flash of disappointment crossed Wentworth's eyes.
He still served her food, saying, "I thought you'd made up your mind."
Matilda said, "Sorry, not yet."
"Then I was presumptuous, announcing it without your permission."
"It's fine. That's just the truth."
Nobody said much for the rest of dinner.
That night, Wentworth ran laps alone at the training ground, then did hundreds of pull-ups.
Danny and Rick watched from a distance—even such an outstanding, devoted man had his vulnerable moments.