Chapter 25: How’s the Kid?
After some time, Imogen woke up in the dark, greeted by the smell of cleaning products.
Opening her eyes, she realized she was in a hospital room
“Imogen, are you awake? How do you feel?” Troy’s beautiful face came into view.
Imogen inadvertently placed her hands on her stomach.
“Not bad,” she replied, glancing out the window to see it was already dark
Her stomach bled twice.
“Do you want to eat? Shall I ask someone to bring you some food?”
“I’m worried that it will take too long. I’m very hungry already. Could you go to the store and buy me some food?” Imogen looked into his eyes.
Troy, seeing Imogen’s soft and compliant expression, nodded, saying, “Okay, I’ll
it for bed.
you. Stay in the room and call the nurse if you need anything. Don’t get out of go buy Imogen nodded
Once Troy left, Imogen rang the bell, and a nurse quickly arrived. “Do you need anything, or are you not feeling well?”
“Please tell me about my child, nurse…”
“The baby is fine. Based on the examination results, the fetal condition is not entirely stable, and your ankle is twisted. We recommend that you stay in bed and avoid walking for the next few days.”
Relieved with the answer she wanted, Imogen thanked the nurse.
“Thanks. Since you’re pregnant, we didn’t give you any oral medication. We only provided external medicine for your twisted ankle, which you should apply and replace regularly. You can be discharged tomorrow.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Troy returned with food he had bought from the hospital restaurant – meat, vegetables, soup, rice, a pear, and a bottle of milk.
Imogen began eating. “Why don’t you go back? The nurse is here, and you can pick me
up tomorrow. If you have any work tomorrow, call the driver to come over.”
“I’ll stay here with you. Your leg is injured, and it would be inconvenient for you to stay alone. I’ve asked the driver to bring you a change of clothes.”
“Okay,” Imogen replied, feeling her heart warm.
Troy’s phone rang suddenly.
He checked the screen, then left the room, saying, “Hello, Sarah.”
Imogen perked un her cars tryin
cedron but Trou loft before she could hear
anything.
The helper stayed with Imogen in the hospital for the night.
The next morning, after changing her medication, the driver came to take her home.
With the helper’s assistance, Imogen used a crutch to get to the car.
Troy was absent; it was only the driver.
Imogen lowered her head, pouting her lips.
In the car, she dazed out the window at the fast–moving scenery, still eagerly anticipating’s arrival.
Imogen is easily swayed.
Yet, Troy seemed unwilling to spend any time with her.
With her leg injury, Imogen couldn’t go to work, so she had the helper bring her laptop
so she could work from home and handle some daily tasks.
She stayed in her bedroom on the second floor, avoiding the stairs.
The helper ensured she had meals.
While Imogen was working, she heard the door open. Assuming it was the helper with food, she said, “Just leave it on the table, I’ll eat it soon.”
“Let’s eat first and then work. It’s not too late,” Troy said as he entered with food.
“You’re off work now?” Imogen inquired.
“Exactly.”
Imogen closed her laptop, and Troy placed the food on the table beside her bed before sitting down to eat.
After finishing, he came over to help Imogen clean up.
When he returned, he had a bag in hand containing medicines for Imogen. It included both the new prescriptions from the hospital and the ones she took earlier for gastrointestinal issues.
Imogen’s heart sank as she watched Troy take out each pill. She clutched her dress corner tightly.
Troy shook two unlabelled white bottles and asked, “These are the medicines you gave me at the hospital for stomach and bowel treatment. Why are they in these bottles?” Imogen nervously replied, “I changed the packaging myself. It’s not convenient to have separate boxes, and I might have to go on a business trip next week, so I switched to bottles and jars.”
While it was a valid reason, Troy didn’t press further, simply saying, “Your feet might not recover soon. Send someone else if it’s not necessary.”
Imogen breathed a small sigh of relief.
Troy looked at the other medicines in the bag, took out the topical ones, and inquired,
“Yesterday, the doctor only prescribed external medicine. Are there anti–inflammatory drugs or medicines to improve blood flow and prevent blood clots?”
any internal Imogen shook her head, saying, “I’ve been having stomach issues recently, so the doctor advised against those medications as they might cause stomach upset.”
Troy furrowed his eyebrows slightly, feeling something was off, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.
“I’ll help you change the medicine,” Troy said, moving to Imogen’s bed with a roll of gauze and the ointment he had just taken out. He sat down next to her and lifted her blanket.
“Why don’t you ask the helper to do it?”
“Just call her up?”
Imogen’s lips tightened, but she remained silent.
Troy sensed Imogen wasn’t being entirely truthful this time.
He placed his warm hand on her injured foot, causing her to instinctively want to pull away.
Carefully, he removed the bandages, revealing the swollen ankle joint and the ointment that hadn’t fully absorbed.
Troy used an alcohol–soaked towel to wipe away the excess ointment, revealing the swollen, white, bulging joint that looked like a loaf of bread.
He applied more ointment to Imogen’s ankle, wrapped it in gauze, and secured it with a knot.
“Alright,” he
making Imogen a new blanket.
She managed a small “thank you.”
Troy placed all the medications back in the box, but just as he was about to leave, his phone rang
He checked the screen and frowned slightly before picking up the call. “Hello, Sarah.” Imogen wasn’t sure what was being said on the other end, but Troy’s face turned serious as he replied, “Okay, I know, I’m coming right now.”
Troy left the room quickly without waiting for Imogen to respond.
With a wry smile, Imogen watched him walk away.
Later, the helper brought her food, and Imogen ate it while looking out the window. Her mind couldn’t help but yearn for Troy.
Imogen’s heart was easily swayed, but Troy didn’t seem to want to spend time with her.
With her injured leg, she couldn’t go to work, so she asked the helper to bring her laptop so she could work from home and take care of some tasks. She stayed in her second–floor bedroom to avoid using the stairs.
The helper took care of her meals.
While working, she heard the door open and assumed the helper was bringing her food. She said, “Just leave it on the table; I’ll eat soon.”
However, it was Troy who entered with the food.
“Are you off work now?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Imogen closed her laptop as Troy placed the food on the table by her bed and then sat -down to eat.
Once he finished, he helped Imogen clean up.
Upon returning, he had a bag containing medicines, including the ones prescribed by the hospital and those she had previously taken for gastrointestinal issues. Imogen’s heart sank as she watched Troy take out each pill. She tightened her grip on the corner of her dress.
Troy noticed two unmarked white bottles and asked, “These are the medicines you gave me at the hospital for stomach and bowel treatment. Why are they in these bottles?”
Imogen replied nervously, “I changed the packaging myself. It’s not convenient to have separate boxes, and I might have to go on a business trip next week, so I switched to bottles and jars.”
While it was a reasonable explanation, Troy didn’t push further, simply saying, “Your feet might not recover soon. Ask someone else to get them if not necessary.” Imogen bre
I a small sigh of relief.
Troy glanced at the other medicines in the bag and asked, “Yesterday, the doctor only prescribed external medicine. Are there any internal anti–inflammatory drugs or medicines to improve blood flow and prevent blood clots?”
Imogen shook her head, explaining, “I’ve been having stomach issues recently, so the doctor advised against those medications as they might cause stomach upset.” Troy sensed something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it.
“I’ll help you change the medicine,” he said, moving to Imogen’s bed with a roll of gauze and the ointment he had taken out. He sat down next to her and lifted her blanket.
“Why don’t you ask the helper to do it?”
“Just call her up?” –
Imogen’s lips tightened, but she didn’t say anything.
Troy felt that Imogen’s words were not entirely honest.
He placed his warm hand on her injured foot, making her instinctively want to pull
away.
Carefully, he removed the bandages, revealing the swollen ankle joint and the ointment that hadn’t fully absorbed.
Troy used an alcohol–soaked towel to wipe away the excess ointment, revealing the swollen, white, bulging joint that looked like a loaf of bread.
He applied more ointment to Imogen’s ankle, wrapped it in gauze, and secured it with a knot.
“Alright,” he said, making Imogen a new blanket.
She managed a small “thank you.”
Troy placed all the medicines back in the bag, but as he was about to leave, his phone
rang.
He checked the screen and frowned slightly before answering, “Hello, Sarah.”
Imogen couldn’t hear the conversation, but Troy’s face turned serious as he replied, “Okay, I know, I’m coming right now.”
Troy quickly left the room without waiting for Imogen’s response.