Chapter 167:
Ava drifted in and out of sleep the whole way. She knew she was in his arms, and she knew this wasn't right, but she was too exhausted to protest.
Being held by him was actually quite comfortable.
People always feel vulnerable when they're sick. Nestled against his chest, her eyes grew moist.
She craved for this moment of tenderness while also cursing herself for being so weak, for never being able to feel nothing toward him. He just had that ability to throw her completely off balance.
The car quickly returned to SilkGrove Estates. William carried her out, and James rushed ahead to open the door.
Lily had just returned from bringing food to Sarah. Seeing them, she hurried over.
"What happened to Mrs. Morgan?"
William carried her upstairs while instructing Lily,
"Bring up a glass of warm water first, and make some light porridge. Ava has a fever."
He carried her straight to the master bedroom and laid her on the bed, then loosened his tie.
It was summer, the weather was hot enough to melt you, and he had carried Ava all the way back. The back of his shirt was soaked through.
Lying on the familiar bed, Ava opened her eyes and looked around the bedroom. Nothing had changed since she left. Even the bedding was the same set she had put on before leaving. It hadn't been changed.
She suspected William hadn't been back at all during this time.
William stood with his hands on his hips, catching his breath. Seeing her adjust to a comfortable position on the bed, he asked, "Awake?"
Ava weakly hummed in response.
"If you're awake, take your medicine."
Lily had already brought water and was waiting at the door. With the couple in the room, she didn't dare enter without permission. Only when she heard William mention medicine did she knock and brought the water inside.
William finally had time to look at that huge bag of medicine.
He dumped all the medicine on the bed and examined each box. While reading the instructions, his frown deepened.
"Is this doctor incompetent? Why prescribe two copies of medicine with the same effect? Won't all these interact against each other if you take them all?"
Ava sat up a bit.
"I'll just pick a few to take. It's just a small cold."
She was really afraid of what might happen if he kept investigating.
She remembered which medicines the doctor had prescribed that were safe for pregnant women. She picked out two boxes from the pile.
"I'll just take these two. They look milder, without side effects."
William was somewhat angry.
"This hospital doesn't want to stay in business. For all that money I invested, this is their doctors' level of competency?"
He picked up his phone and started dialing.
Ava's heart jumped. He wasn't going to complain about the doctor, was he? He had invested in an entire building for that hospital. If he complained, that doctor would definitely be in trouble.
"Don't complain about her. I asked her to prescribe extra medicine. Some of it you can't buy at the pharmacy, so I wanted to stock up."
She racked her brain to come up with this clumsy excuse.
William gave her a look.
"Did the fever fry your brain? Who stocks up on this much medicine for no reason? And we have a family doctor. When would we ever not be able to get medicine?"
Ava was stuck.
"I just wanted to be convenient!"
As she spoke, his call connected.
"Dr. Miller, are you busy right now? If not, could you come to SilkGrove Estates?"
Ava's palms grew sweaty. So he was calling Dr. Miller. If Dr. Miller came to examine her, he would definitely reveal her pregnancy.
Then she would probably never escape this triangle.
Ava slouched against the headboard. She couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but she felt terribly anxious, curious about his reaction when he found out about the pregnancy, yet afraid of him knowing.
In just two minutes, an entire hundred-episode drama played out in her mind.
William flipped through the medicine while talking. After hanging up, he picked out a few from the pile.
"Dr. Miller is out of town getting medicinal supplies and can't come. Bear with it for now, take these two medicines first. If it doesn't work, we'll see another doctor."
Ava felt relieved. Thank goodness Dr. Miller wasn't available, or she wouldn't know how to face what comes next.
The two boxes William picked out were the ones Ava was about to take—the ones the doctor had prescribed later that were safe for pregnant women.
He squeezed out a few pills into her palm and handed her the glass of water, like taking care of a child who couldn't manage on their own.
This was crazy. When had he ever been this attentive to anyone?
William watched her swallow the medicine before going to the bathroom to shower and change into clean clothes.
Ava laid down after taking the medicine.
He stared at the small lump under the covers. Such a tiny thing. That little woman seemed easy to bully, but actually she wasn't.
These past two months, he had gotten a real taste of her temper. She was quite stubborn, keeping things she didn't want him to know completely to herself. She had her own mind and wasn't as easy to manipulate as he had thought.
This woman had toughness in her bones—soft on the outside, strong on the inside. That described her perfectly.
Only when she was sick did she not give him such a headache.
Dr. Miller's instructions echoed in his ears:
"Don't bundle up with a fever. Combine medicine with physical cooling. Best to wipe down the body with a towel."
He thought he probably no longer had the right to touch her body. Touch her once, and she would call the police.
Thinking this, he dismissed the idea.
Ava's breathing gradually became steady. He slowly moved to the bedside and brushed aside a strand of hair from her forehead.
"Are you really planning to never have anything to do with me again?"
He muttered quietly, his finger sliding to her raven-like lashes. Thinking of those beautiful eyes looking at him so coldly, his heart ached.
His finger slid to her chin before withdrawing. Going lower than that and she would call the police again.
He pulled back some of the covers. The doctor said not to bundle up—it prevented heat from dissipating.
After doing this, he headed downstairs.
In the kitchen, Lily was busy making nutritious porridge. Seeing him enter, she turned and asked, "Mr. Morgan, how is Mrs. Morgan?"
William glanced at the pot.
"She took medicine and went to sleep. In a bit, go upstairs and help her change into pajamas. If she wakes up and the fever hasn't ease up, wipe her body with a damp towel to cool her down. Keep the porridge warm, and give it to her whenever she wants it."
Lily acknowledged. She had waited for William to bring Ava back. Now she had something to report to Howard.
This was the first time William had given her so many instructions, all about Ava. Delighted, she committed every sentence to memory, reviewing them every few seconds, afraid she would forget.
Ava slept deeply. This sleep left her completely disoriented. In her dreams were her grandmother, Nancy, Steven, even Sarah...
"Mrs. Morgan, you're awake?"