Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

\"Has he left yet?\"

Three hours after undergoing gastric surgery, Remington Dashiell sat up in his hospital bed, looking up from his paperwork to ask in a deep voice.

Ray glanced at his wristwatch; it was nearing 10 p.m. But he was pretty sure that the two men who had visited Lizetta's room were still hanging around.

\"Mr. Dashiell, you've asked that three times now. The doctor advised you to rest. You did just have surgery, after all...\"

Ray wanted to add that seeing as he was currently a patient, perhaps he could act a bit more normal and not as if he was on some hospital stakeout. But meeting Remington's gaze, he found himself unable to voice those thoughts.

Changing tack, he stood up, saying, \"Shall I go check by Mrs. Dashiell's room again?\"

Remington's voice was cold as ice: \"Visiting hours ended at 8 p.m.\"

\"That's true, but Dr. White has privileges here, being staff and all. And as for Mr. Madden, he did leave quickly after settling Mrs. Bernice Madden in. But he's been coming back every hour on the hour, bringing snacks for her. Perhaps it's because eating right before bed isn't ideal, so he stays to chat for a while...\"

A shadow crossed Remington's face. \"Hospital visiting hours are there so patients can rest. Should privileges allow someone to disregard these rules and disturb patients?\"

His anger flared, and Ray thought it was impressive Mr. Dashiell had managed to hold it in for two hours already. It was almost 10 p.m., surely Mr. Madden and Dr. White couldn't be planning to stay the night? Ray hurriedly stood, \"Of course not! I understand what you mean, Mr. Dashiell!\"

Perhaps Lizetta had been sleeping too much these past few days. Upon waking, though weak and drained, her spirits were high.

After Jerome took Mrs. Madden home, he brought back a nutritious meal for Lizetta. Following Dr. White's advice for small, frequent meals, Lizetta ate in two sittings over two hours.

Jerome insisted on waiting until she

was done, to take the insulated food container back, making it easier to bring meals the next day. He said it was a task Mrs. Madden had strictly assigned to him. Lizetta didn't feel it was right to ask him to leave, but with Jerome sticking around, Dr. White promptly declared he was on night duty at the hospital. As it wasn't busy, he preferred the company to the quiet of his office

and decided to stay as well.

When a nurse knocked and entered, Lizetta had just finished eating, and Yolanda was cleaning up.NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.

"What's up?\" Yolanda asked quietly as the nurse entered. The presence of Hogan and Jerome caught her attention, and both men turned to look.

Dr. White was a known face around

was a

the hospital, a celebrity doctor whose looks and skills had garnered him countless admirers. The other man, said to be the CEO of a major corporation, also had an imposing presence that demanded attention.

The nurse, feeling the weight of their gaze, blushed slightly but managed to say, \"Dr. Wilson's orders were for Ms. Gardenia to ensure she gets enough rest...\"

In truth, the nurse's station had received a complaint from a family on the same floor, claiming that the noise from this room was disturbing their rest. Not daring to outright ask them to leave, she hinted at it instead.

Lizetta, propped up in bed, sighed in

relief upon hearing the nurse. She turned to Jerome and Hogan, \"Thank you both for looking after me, but Yoli's here, and I'll be fine. You should both head back and rest.

And please, don't trouble yourselves to come back tomorrow

Catching Yolanda's eye, who nodded in understanding, she swiftly packed the cleaned dishes into a bag and handed it to Jerome.

\"Mr. Madden, here's your insulated container. I can handle Liz's meals for now; I'm actually free these days.\"