Chapter 7: Hodgson is Injured
Nicole's POV
I froze in place, terrified by the scene before me.
Seeing no reaction from me, Hodgson staggered toward me and grabbed my wrist.
His palm was burning hot, like a branding iron.
"Nicole, help me get the bullet out..."
All the blood in my body seemed to freeze instantly.
Hall Manor, a place with extremely tight security, and yet someone dared to attack Hodgson here?
Reason screamed frantically in my mind: Nicole, push Hodgson away! He's a dangerous man, he'll get you killed!
But looking at his pale face from excessive blood loss, my mind uncontrollably recalled the scene from tonight when he force Shier and Wendy to be punished.
He had just helped me, so I should help him too.
I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and pulled my hand free from his grip.
"Hodgson, wait here. I'll be right back."
I whispered him, got up, and opened the door.
The hallway was empty. No one should have seen Hodgson enter my room.
I walked to the room at the end of the hallway and knocked on the door.
"Miss Nicole, how may I help you?" the maid inquired.
"I'm not feeling well. Could you get me a medical kit?"
I pretended to cough, trying to keep my voice low.
"Miss Nicole, are you okay? Do you need me to call the family doctor?" The maid looked at me with concern.
"No need," I waved my hand. "Just get me a first aid kit, please."
After getting the first aid kit, I hurried back to my room, locking the door.
Hodgson was half-lying on the carpet, eyes closed, breathing rapidly.
He looked terrible.
I opened the medical kit. Inside were some common medications, along with disinfectant, gauze, a small surgical scissor, and tweezers.
Thank God, Hodgson could be saved.
I immediately knelt beside him, my voice trembling, "Hodgson, I need to cut open your clothes now."
He didn't answer, just closed his eyes and let out a muffled "Mm" from his throat.
With trembling hands, I cut open his blood-soaked shirt.
The wound was on his left lower abdomen. Not too deep, but bloody and mangled, with a deformed bullet lodged in the muscle.
I sterilized the tweezers with alcohol, then used a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant to wipe the skin around his wound.
His muscles tensed from the pain.
I grew even more nervous, my heartbeat racing wildly.
My God, why didn't he go to a hospital instead of coming to me?!
"This is going to hurt. Bear with it." I held my breath and inserted the tip of the tweezers.
Hodgson suddenly clenched his fists, the veins on his arms bulging prominently.
Cold sweat rolled down his temples, but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
Ten minutes later, I extracted the blood-covered bullet and dropped it into the tray.
Next came cleaning, applying medicine, and bandaging.
After finishing all this, I was completely exhausted, my clothes soaked through.
"Give me the painkillers." Hodgson opened his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of command.
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. I had actually forgotten to give him painkillers first.
After giving him the medicine, I quickly cleaned up everything on the floor, carefully observing Hodgson's complexion while alertly listening for sounds outside.
Half an hour later, I spoke up, "Mr. Hodgson, you should leave now."
After taking the painkillers, Hodgson's color had improved considerably, and his breathing had stabilized.
He frowned and stood up.
"Leave?" He curled his lips into a smile.
"My nephew and your sister should be fooling around in another room right now. He won't be coming back. What are you afraid of?"
Shame made my face flush instantly, "So what? This is my room. Please leave!"
He looked at my flustered state, seeming to find it quite amusing, and laughed softly.
"What's wrong? Are you angry, Nicole?"
His tone carried a hint of mockery as he clicked his tongue.
"Look at yourself, how pitiful, how foolish. You spoke up for Shier, made excuses for him, and yet he turned around and went to bed with another woman."
"Shier is my fiancé. I just didn't want the situation to look too bad," I said coldly.
"Oh? Is that all?"
Hodgson sharp eyes seeming able to see through all my pretenses.
I didn't want to continue tangling with him and turned to get a glass of water.
The instant I turned around, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and yanked hard!
I cried out in alarm, lost my balance, and fell heavily onto the bed.
Hodgson pinned me down, his other hand moving downward.
My nightgown was roughly torn open.
"Hodgson! You maniac! What do you want to do?!"
I cursed at him in shock and anger, struggling to get up. But his hand was like an iron clamp around my waist, making it impossible for me to move.
His gaze fell on my bare skin.
The shocking whip marks were thus nakedly exposed to his view.
These were the "lessons" left by my mother with her riding crop.
The roguishness and playfulness in Hodgson's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by an oppressive intensity.
"Damn it! Nicole, who did this to you?!" he roared.
I bit my lip, refusing to say a word.
He released me and took a tube of ointment from the medical kit.
I asked in confusion, "Hodgson, what are you doing?"
"Damn it! Nicole," he growled, "are you an idiot?"
He squeezed the ointment onto his fingertips, leaned down, and began applying the medicine for me.
When the cool ointment touched my back, I suddenly trembled all over and froze in place.
He frowned, "Did I hurt you?"
"No... no." I frantically looked away, my cheeks burning.
This was the first time anyone had applied medicine for me after I was injured.
An inexplicable sourness surged to the tip of my nose, and my eyes instantly reddened.
I don't know how much time passed. Perhaps Hodgson's application was too gentle, because I actually fell asleep.
The next day, I was awakened by sunlight.
Hodgson was already gone, as if everything last night had been just a dream.
Only the lingering scent of ointment in the air reminded me that Hodgson had been here.
I was still in a daze when the door clicked open from outside.
Shier had returned.
He was still wearing yesterday's clothes, and there was a lipstick mark on his shirt, obviously left by Wendy.
Seeing that I was already awake, a flash of unease crossed his face.
He was about to say something when his gaze suddenly fixed on something.
I followed his line of sight.
Damn it! How could Hodgson have left a men's watch in my room!
Shier's face suddenly turned dark.
He rushed to the bedside, grabbed the watch, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
"Whose watch is this?!"
He stared at me intently, as if he wanted to tear me apart.
"Nicole, you bitch! Did you sleep with another man in our room?!"