Hush, My Sweet Darling

Chapter 22: Gravitation

It was a message from the head nurse of the emergency department.

Student Kano, how is your friend? If she's alright, please return to the hospital. There's another trauma call. The team hasn't noticed your absence, but please come back as soon as you can.

Kiko cursed, throwing her hands in the air, and gave Kai a frustrated look.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked.

"I'm on call, and there's another trauma patient coming. That was the head nurse texting me to go back..." Kiko answered. "But, to hell with it. I'll tell them I have an emergency. I'll go get my car."

"Are you serious? Do you want to be a doctor with this kind of attitude? Go back! If I were your resident in charge, I would fail you right here, right now!" Ren said with widened eyes.

"But... Violet—" Kiko hesitated.

"Miss Kano, you've seen your friend. She's no longer in danger, unlike that trauma patient. That patient is your utmost priority now!" Ren urged.

Kiko was still reluctant. She kept switching her gaze back and forth between Violet and Ren, jiggling her feet. "Argh! Okay! Please monitor my friend!" she finally gave in.

"Wait. Show me one of your IDs!" she demanded.

"Really? After all this, you still don't trust us?" Ren looked at her in disbelief, lifting one of his eyebrows. But he still reached out to his pocket and took out his identity card from his wallet to show it to her. "Here, Ren Wu. See, we're not lying—" he said, but in the twinkling of an eye, Kiko already snatched the card from his hand.

"Thanks, Dr. Wu, I'll be holding onto this for now. I just feel better this way. My shift is over in the morning. I'll come back for my friend and return your ID to you. By the way, what's your phone number? I need it to contact you," she said.

Ren's mouth fell open. The woman's sudden maneuver astounded him. Did she just seize hold of his identity card as collateral for her friend's well-being? 

Wow, okay, her devotion to her friend was indeed commendable, but he had never seen a woman as brazen-faced as this one in his whole life. First, she doubted his capability and now she just nabbed his belongings from him right in his face. He twitched his mouth when he saw the impatient look on her face while she demanded, "Hurry, please?"

Oh, the audacity!

"Here's my number." Kai gave Kiko his contact card upon seeing how dumbfounded his brother was. "You can contact me first thing in the morning to find out how she's doing."

Kiko hurriedly took the card from Kai's hand and mumbled a 'thanks,' before turning around to leave, but Lauren stopped her. "Wait, Miss Kano... What about Mrs. Lee? She will definitely contact her daughter if she's not home by midnight. She would contact me as well if she couldn't reach her. What should I say to her?"

"Oh, crap..." Kiko cursed. She fidgeted for a moment, racking her brain for a solution. Then she faced Kai and held out a hand. "Do you have her phone? Give it to me." She typed in a message as soon as Kai handed her Violet's phone and gave it back to him when she finished. "Don't worry, Aunt Marion won't call for now," she assured Lauren.

"Please make sure to look after her well, okay? I'm counting on you! Remember, I have your ID!" she demanded, dashing out of the room.

"Wow! Just wow! What a hooligan! I can't believe she just snatched my ID!" Ren huffed with his hands on his hips as soon as Kiko was out of the room. Lauren gave him an apologetic look, while Kai ignored him and read the message that Kiko sent to Violet's mother.