The woman with silky long hair was staring at the ceiling with a clenched jaw, infuriated at herself for being shot.
It was pissing her off, hating the fact she failed her job.
'How could it happen? Did I fail? Did he trick me? Who could do this?'
"Good Afternoon, Miss Zariah. I am your doctor Nathaniel Alroy, pleased to meet you,"
Breaking her thoughts, she turned to see her doctor, "Hmm?"
Her whole being stopped.
She was staggered when her eyes fell on the familiar emerald-eyed man, greeting her like it was their first meeting.
Her black eyes widened, mouth gaping when her eyes met his lively, muscular, desirable form, increasing her heartbeats.
"What...?"
Shivers traveled to her core, failing to lift her hopeless eyes from him while he came closer, picking the file nurses left on the desk in the corner.
"How are you feeling now? You should be careful next time."
He continued bewitchingly, halting her functioning to forget her work, her world and focus entirely on him.
"Thankfully the bullet didn't graze any vital spots, you will be fine in a week."
He chuckled and the cheeriness in his resonance. The smile, the one she had never seen on his face before gleamed.
He looked so... tranquilized, so happy and it brought tears to her eyes.
"Na- Nathaniel..."
She couldn't help but to whimper his name weakly, as if her life depended on it.
"Yes, what is it, Miss Zariah?"
To which he continued to smile, stopping before her to check her wound properly but she held his wrist.
He paused, the fake smile gradually faded.
Replaced with a dire expression, he lifted his eyes to hers. Her throat dried, lips shaking.
"Don't... make me a stranger,"
She pleaded with him. She refused to let go of that warmth, gripping his wrist with her leftover strength.
Seeing him revived her soul she lost, it gave her life.
He saved her life... again.
Sighing, he yanked his wrist away coldly, piercing her heart by his demeanor, perplexing her as he placed his one hand beside her head.
Her breaths stopped when he leaned down dangerously closer to face to the point their breaths mixed. She gulped, gripping the sheets.
Oh, how intense one close hand felt.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Whispering, his finger traced down to her hair.
Briefly, she found solace but it couldn't last long when he abruptly gave a fistful of her hair a harsh yank.
Her heart skipped a beat, fearing him. With an unknown glare, he growled furiously in a low tone.
"After the fucking stunt you pulled, Zariah?"
His question left her baffled. Lips parted, dying for proximity but certainly not like this. His glare was something she least desired right now.
He was growling, emitting a strange his of disappointment and fury.
It induced a sting to her body, causing her to shake her head in denial due to powerlessness.
"What- what did I do?"
She let out a fragile murmur, bringing her one hand gradually to hold his hand beside her head.
But, his grip tightened, causing her to wince when their faces were a few centimeters apart as he scowled.
"Exactly. Nothing,"
"Nathaniel, please-"
The way his fingers raked around her locks, keeping her caged so closely. Lips almost near, one hand beside, other in her hair.
Everything was burning her.
But, she had no idea what she did to make him this disapproved.
"I hold a position and respect here, try not to smear that. We don't welcome criminals. Get well and don't come here again," He hissed, warning her in a serious tone.
Her lips started quivering, a tear rolled down in the corner. That was not how she imagined their reunion. That was horrible on her terms.
It hurt her immensely to be unaware of what she did now. Forcing to lift her hands, she was about to hold his hand and call his name as lovingly as possible.
Maybe her call would melt his anger?
Drowning in the city of his world, she was about to use her uttermost affection.
Which was unfortunately left hanging as a flaming dream when Matt and Andy entered, outraged to find him so close to her.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing to our boss?!"
Matt snarled, already enraged at Nathaniel for how he talked to him before and took this as a chance to teach him a lesson.
Her breaths hitched, ruining her perfect chance to fulfill her want.
Forming her lips in a thin line, she turned her head away from being disheartened.
"Get away from her!"
Yelling, they both grabbed Nathaniel by his collar, ripping him apart from her, causing his fingers to leave those silky locks.
"How dare you hold her like this? What were you doing huh? Take advantage of her condition?" Andy hissed, pushing him by his shoulder.
Nathaniel merely exhaled, resting his hand in his pockets before giving them a dead look.
"I owe no explanation to those who mean nothing,"
That was it.
"You-"
Losing his mind, Matt decided to go too far and punched Nathaniel's face, causing him to fall on the ground with a trail of blood rolling down his nose.
"Damn doctor!"
Matt used this as a chance as he disliked him but his action made Zariah gasp in disbelief.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing, Matt?!
Zariah, out of habit, furiously looked around and grabbed the first item, a pen, and threw it at him.
Hitting his arm but it was not powerful enough due to her injury so it did no damage.
"How dare you!"
'Still the same huh?'
And her instinctive reactions couldn't go unnoticed by Nathaniel as he thought darkly.
Lifting his green gaze while she was losing her breaths. Gripping the sheets distressfully, hating any idea of his pain.
"Look, Boss, how mighty he was acting. What does he think of himself? That low doctor, how could he?" Matt argued worriedly.
He was surprised because he had never seen her react like that before.
"That man has saved my life. You better watch your actions," She snarled, glaring at him to shut his whining.
"But-"
"Shut the fuck up,"
A malicious smirk flashed for a moment but it was concealed before they could notice.
Rising from the ground, Nathaniel grabbed some tissues and wiped his nose.
She narrowed her eyes worriedly, dying to eradicate the tiniest wound there but couldn't move due to her bandage.
Disappearing all his emotions, he curled his lips in a mysterious smile while pressing the tissue on his nose to stop the bleeding.
"I will visit you later, Miss Zariah. Wish you a speedy recovery."
With this, he left after her first meeting with him was destroyed by her own guards.
The second door closed and Nathaniel left, Zariah's wrath reached its peak as she threw her pillow at Matt again.
"What do you think you were doing!? I'd be dead if it wasn't for him!" She yelled, growing emotional and sensitive in his matter.
If she could move, she would have cut those hands that dared to hurt him.
"We apologize, Boss, but can't you see how he was holding you. I don't think we should trust him. We should get this treatment done and leave." Andy suggested softly, giving her some water to calm down.
"I won't leave until I find out who shot me in the first place." She hissed with determination.
"But, it was dark. We were surrounded and it came from far away. How are we going to know?"
"Do whatever we have to do but I want that person before me." She demanded.
Not going to let someone mock her position as the fourth Ace- Black Reaper.
Currently there were four aces and she was at the lowest but at least, she was among the most powerful ones finally.
Sighing to not mix her personal emotions, she took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"And besides, we cannot leave without the file."
"Yeah, you are right,"
They stood by her side until at night, when they were asleep. She was staring at the ceiling, sinking in her trail of unwanted thoughts.
'I waited for him for ten years before too, didn't I?
Then why was this one year so damn hard to pass? Why did it feel like time had stopped where I left him?
When do I find myself standing where we parted?'
Unable to carry on, she decided to bear the pain in her body and leave her room.
She wanted to apologize to Nathaniel.
"Excuse me,"
She called Keith who was about to start his shift at nighttime.
"Yes- Oh? Aren't you Nathaniel's patient? The one who got shot, right?" He asked.
Scanning her, how beautiful she looked with her hair flowing and beautiful raven eyes, they were no longer dead after all.
Their radiance had always been compelling.
"Mhm, where is he?" She asked innocently.
"I am sorry, Miss, his shift has ended. Plus, you need an appointment to see him if it is beside the survey. He is our top-notch surgeon after all,"
She got intrigued, "What type...?"
"He is a specialized neurosurgeon but due to his versatility, he could perform various others too like orthopedic and critical care,"
Explaining, he held his chin, mumbling to himself, "Sometimes I wonder where he learned all that and when?"
"What?"
"Nothing. You should be resting." Shaking his head, he smiled, waving his hand to gesture to her to be reassured.
"Hmm,"
Gaining nothing, she went back to her room. Pressing herself harder into the bed, gritting her teeth when things didn't go how they were supposed to.
Eyes tearing up, lips quivering. She never thought this meeting could be so painful, not his wrath.
She had enough of it.
'Please, don't be angry anymore, my love,'
