The fact that Debbie was Carlos' wife alone was enough to forbid Jared from wanting anything more than friendship from her. Even if he were the bravest man on earth, he wouldn't dare to cross the threshold with Carlos' wife.
Kristina sent a Heart-Eyes emoji, followed by her fantasy. "I want to sleep in Debbie's arms."
Dixon replied right away with a Worried Face emoji, "What about me? What'll happen to me then?"
The others hooted.
Later, two of the doctor's assistants came to the villa to bring some medicine to the doctor. They walked into the room Carlos was being operated in. After that, another wait of two hours was steadily breaking Debbie's resolve. No one had come out of the room yet and Debbie was so anxious to know what was going on inside that she was on the verge of barging in.
About a half more hour later, the door of the room finally opened and the two assistants walked out. "How is my husband? Is he going to be all right?" Debbie dashed towards them as soon as they stepped out of the room.
"Both of the bullets from inside him have been removed. The surgery is almost finished. Dr. Jiang is just performing the finishing work, making sure there are no chances of future trouble," they reassured her.
Debbie was a bit relieved now. "Can I go in there?" she asked.
"A few more minutes, please. Dr. Jiang will be coming out soon."
"Okay, then."
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor came out of the room. He removed his mask, looking exhausted. "The bullets have been removed and we've managed to stop the bleeding. But I think it would be best if you took Mr. Huo to hospital. After all, there is no proper medical apparatus in the villa," he stated.
"I see. Thank you, doctor," Debbie nodded.
Dr. Jiang didn't know exactly who this girl was, but since Carlos had kept her around especially when he was wounded, he assumed that she must be someone special to Carlos. Thinking of that, the doctor replied respectfully, "Don't mention it. Emmett and Tristan will be here in a minute. Please don't hesitate to call me if I'm needed."
"Okay, thanks. Please let me walk you out."
"I'll show myself out. You can go see Mr. Huo now."
"All right. Thanks, doctor."
Emmett and Tristan arrived at the villa very soon. When Debbie saw them, she was shocked to notice that Tristan himself was limping. It looked like his left leg was wounded as well. Debbie was concerned, but Tristan told her not to worry; the wound had already been attended to in the hospital. It was nothing.
He also told her that it happened after he and Carlos had gotten off the plane. They left the airport and went to rescue Megan. Both he and Carlos were wounded. The fear that ensued had triggered Megan's asthma and she was being taken care of in the hospital right now.
With Emmett's and Tristan's help, Debbie moved Carlos from her bedroom to his. Her bedclothes were changed and for safety and hygienic purposes, the old blood-stained ones were destroyed.
It wasn't until the next morning that Carlos finally woke up.
He opened his eyes and the first thing that fell into his eyes was Debbie sleeping beside him. She had barely slept the night before.
Looking at her haggard face, Carlos put his good arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.
When Debbie woke up, Carlos was sitting on the bed perusing some files. She sat up still muddled in her sleep and remarked sleepily, "Oh, hey. You're back."
As soon as she finished the sentence, she sensed that something was wrong with it. Then she remembered Carlos coming back the day before. The bandage on his right arm reminded her that the wound wasn't a dream.
"Did you sleep well? Are you hungry?" He put the files aside and looked at her with tender eyes. She seemed totally awake now.
"It was all real. You got hurt because of Megan," Debbie muttered in a slightly horrified tone. The fact was still too hard for her to process.
Hearing her words, Carlos scooped her cheek with one hand and tried to comfort her, "Deb, you know that—"
"I know, I know," she said resignedly. After getting out of bed, she prattled on. "I'm going downstairs for breakfast. Then we're going to the hospital. Dr. Jiang said your wound needed to be treated in the hospital. Or else it is going to fall prey to inflammation or infection."
Carlos was recovering quickly. Debbie was surprised to see him able to be on his feet already. And he looked like a million bucks.
"I don't need to go to the hospital," he protested.
Debbie turned her head back and threatened, "Fine! Then you can ask Megan to come over and look after you. I don't want to take care of a stubborn patient."
Carlos was left speechless. He recalled how tender and sweet she had been when she had danced on the stage the other day. Sadly, that side of her appeared only briefly.
Debbie got dressed in her bedroom and went downstairs.
In the dining room, Julie was heating up the dishes for Debbie. She had already gotten a call from Carlos asking her to do so before Debbie could get downstairs.
After a simple breakfast, Debbie went back to Carlos' room. "Hey, are you going to the hospital or not?" she asked sullenly.
"If you're worried about me, just call the doctor in. It would be much simpler that way in any case."
"The doctor was here yesterday. He said there was no medical equipment here and you would receive better treatment at the hospital. This is the doctor's advice, not mine. Why are you fighting this?"
Debbie got exasperated and once again, Carlos was left nothing to retort.
Debbie ground her teeth, angry at the man's stubbornness. "If you plan on acting like this, then I'm leaving. I won't come back until your wound is healed."
She had hardly taken one step before Carlos took her wrist and agreed resignedly, "I'll go."
Debbie secretly chuckled and then assumed a serious look again. After prying Carlos' hand away, she said, "I'll go get your clothes."
However, when Debbie opened Carlos' closet, she was stunned at the tidiness and cleanness it was sporting. The clothes and accessories were arranged in such an order as the kind one would witness if they were being displayed in a showcase in a mall.
Since Carlos wanted to keep his injury from the press, Debbie picked out a pair of sweatpants, an extra-thick white sweatshirt, and a white baseball cap for him. She had never seen him dressed like that, so she assumed the press wouldn't be able to recognize him in this outfit. It looked low-key enough.
She put the clothes on the bed and ordered, "There. Get changed."
Carlos shifted his look from her to his right arm and then back to her again, saying, "I'm injured. You'll have to help me dress."
For a moment, Debbie didn't know how to respond. Then she said, "I'll go get help." When Carlos had come back from abroad, some servants had come back to the villa with him.
"Do you really want another woman to see your husband naked?" Carlos called out behind her.
Debbie exhaled helplessly. "Fine! I'll help you change your clothes." Carlos had gotten her there. She really didn't want another woman to see her husband's body.
Fortunately, it was not so much work, except for the teasing part. Carlos didn't behave at all when she was changing his pants.
When she was dressing him in the sweatshirt, she accidentally bumped into his chest and left him a kiss.
"Deb, you naughty girl, you're seducing me." His body instantly went stiff when her soft lips touched his skin. As if out of instincts, he wrapped his left arm around her.
Debbie's face flamed with embarrassment. She felt like it was on fire. She covered her burning face with the back of her hand and said, "It's an accident. You're too tall. I got tripped."
"How about we go to the hospital after?" he whispered in her ear in a tempting voice.
"Eh? After what?"
"After some dessert," he continued, sniffing her hair. "What are you thinking?!"
Realizing what he was implying, Debbie gave him a pinch on the waist. "Quit joking around. Hurry up." Her heart was pounding but she pushed him away. In a fluster, she grabbed his left arm hurriedly and tucked it into the sleeve.
Not giving up, Carlos continued with his seduction. "Honey, only my arm is wounded. My other parts are as good as new. If you don't believe me, why don't you go ahead and examine them yourself? Come, come."
Debbie tried to project an angry tone to cover up her nervousness. "In your dreams, smart ass! Now let's go to the hospital."
