What was worse, the big tree that was used to fasten the rope was flushed away by the flood and drifted downstream.
"Wesley!" Blair yelled at the top of her lungs. If it weren't for several people dragging her back from the water's edge, she would have jumped into the water to follow him.
"Girl, don't worry. We'll save him." Two rescue workers tried to comfort Blair. Then they ran downstream along the banks while trying to raise other workers on their walkie-talkies.
Blair broke free from those people's grip and ran after the rescue workers barefoot.
Blair had never been in such a pitiful state before. Her hair was dripping wet, plastered to her head, and there were even leaves on her face and shoulders. Her clothes weren't in the best state, either. The harness had done nothing to enhance her appearance. Due to high fever, her face was as red as a tomato. Her lips were blue with cold. Splotches of mud marred her otherwise elegant beauty.
Her sneakers were gone, and she had minor cuts and grazes along her once-smooth feet. She looked much more like a homeless person than a young professional woman.
"Wesley!" Blair cried his name hysterically while running downstream, but Wesley was nowhere to be found.
Her head was splitting thanks to the high fever. Blair staggered. When two men caught up to her to steady her, her eyes dulled and she slumped to the ground.
'Wesley, please be safe!' This was her only wish before she lost consciousness.
By the time Blair woke up again, she was in the military hospital in Y City. She opened her eyes, and the first person she lay eyes on was Miller.
When he saw her open her eyes, Miller immediately pressed the nurse-call button. Soon, a doctor and several nurses hurried in and gave her a thorough check-up.
"How are you feeling now? Are you hurt anywhere?" the doctor asked.
Blair nodded. "I have a headache." She raised her hand and touched the bandage around her forehead.
"When you passed out, you bumped your head on a rock. Don't worry. There doesn't seem to be any lasting damage. An MRI confirmed no bruising or bleeding in your brain. We'll need to run some more tests to be sure. Is anything else hurting?" the doctor asked.
Blair shook her head slowly. They then looked at her pupils and conducted a few quick tests for reaction time and memory. They even gave her cognitive tests like reciting the alphabet backwards. Miller stood by quietly, holding her hand through all of this.
Taking a look at the test results, the doctor told Miller, "Miss Li is expected to recover quickly. We're going to keep her under observation for two days. If everything is fine, she can be discharged. Please take good care of her."
Miller nodded. "Thank you so much, doctor."
The doctor and nurses left the ward. Miller asked Blair, "Are you hungry or thirsty? Want a glass of water?"
"Sure." She didn't know how many hours she had been asleep. She was now both thirsty and hungry.
Miller poured a glass of warm water, put it on the table, rolled up her bed and put the water to her lips. With his help, Blair drank the water slowly.
While she drank, Miller told her, "I didn't expect us to be separated by the flood. We'd been waiting for a long time before we were rescued. I saw your cousin waiting in the rescue site. After a while, they brought you back. You were unconscious then. We rushed you to the hospital. You've been asleep for more than 24 hours. Your uncle and cousin just left. My parents were here too. They made me promise to take good care of you."
Blair finished the water. She still felt thirsty, but she knew she shouldn't drink too much. "I'm hungry. Is there any food?"
Miller thought about it for a moment. "I'll go grab something for you. Wait for me. I'll be right back."
"Thank you."
When Miller was out of sight, Blair struggled to reach her phone while still in bed. She could just reach the counter where it sat. She nearly dropped it, but managed to recover quick enough. It was waterlogged, and she was unable to turn it on. Sighing in defeat, she used the landline in the ward to call Adalson. "Uncle, it's me."
"Blair? You're awake? How are you feeling?" Adalson got the call as soon as he got home.
"I'm fine, Uncle. I just want to ask…" Her voice trailed off as she didn't know how to say it. From the moment she woke up, all she wanted to know was if Wesley was all right. She had to get Miller out of the room so she could make this call.
Adalson immediately got her point. "He's safe. Don't worry. He saved himself and about ten more people. He got some minor injuries and is in the same hospital you're in."
Blair heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Wesley was fine.
"Which ward?" she asked urgently.
After a short pause, Adalson eventually told her the room number.
After ending the call, Blair stared blankly at the translucent IV bottle. Words were printed on it, describing the solution and instructions for its use. She knew Wesley had saved her life.
She hadn't expected him to be anywhere near South Mountain.
The hospital cafeteria was closed at this hour, so Miller found a restaurant nearby. He came back with some takeout—it smelled amazing. Blair ate the food slowly, trying to get her stomach used to food. When she was full, there was still more than half of it left. "My mom says you're too thin. You need to eat more," Miller said.
"All right," Blair murmured. She ate a few more bites, but then she dropped the chopsticks again. She always ate like a bird, and she didn't have any appetite left.
"I'm tired. I need some sleep," Blair said and looked at Miller.
Left with no choice, Miller began to clean up the food containers, putting them back in the bags, and rolled the bed back.
Blair looked at the near-empty IV bottle and said, "You can go home when this is finished. I don't need another. I can take care of myself."
After some consideration, Miller nodded and said, "Alright. Get some sleep. I'll let the nurse know. Then I'll go back home."
"Okay." Blair was exhausted and dozed off soon.
After the nurse removed the needle, Miller left the hospital.
At almost half past midnight, Blair woke up and stared blankly at the clock on the wall. She was dying to go to Wesley's ward to see if he was all right. But she didn't dare to. She was another man's fiancee.
Blair thought for a long while before finally giving up. She decided to wait till Miller was back. She wanted to thank Wesley, but it could wait until she was fully recovered.
She dozed off again at around 1 a.m.
At 2 a.m., a man's figure appeared in Blair's ward quietly.
He squatted at her bedside and stared at her for a long time before reaching out his hand to touch her forehead. The soldier heaved a sigh of relief after confirming her fever was gone.
As far back as he could recall, she was a delicate girl who got ill or injured easily.
She once got burned and had a high fever. She had had heatstroke and passed out. This time, she blacked out and had a high fever once more. 'Had she really taken good care of herself when she was in England?
I hope her fiance will take good care of her now.'
Wesley left her ward quietly.
On the third day, Blair was discharged from the hospital. She coughed sometimes, but there was nothing else wrong.
Miller and Blair hailed a taxi to the housing estate they were living in. As soon as they got home, he gave her a new phone. "Your phone got wet and isn't working. I bought you a new one. Remember to get a new SIM card."
Blair's phone was bought by Wacian two years ago, which cost him nearly a thousand dollars. The phone Miller bought her was with a lesser-known and inferior brand, which was under $100.
Blair didn't turn him down. She took it over and said, "Thank you, Miller. I need to get some rest. Go to work. Really. I'm fine."
Miller left for his company. Blair went to her bedroom and sat on the bed, lost in thought.
