Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 374: Hate It and Like It

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha blinked her eyes and asked in an extremely hoarse voice, “Dr. Sherwood?”

Alan should have been far away in Emsteldt. Why was he in Rochelle’s apartment?

He walked over with a worried look in his warm expression. “Are you feeling better, Sammy?”

“I’m still a little dizzy,” Samantha said truthfully. “And I’m a little thirsty too. I’d like some water please.”

Alan sat on the edge of the bed and stretched out his hand to help her up from the bed. He put a pillow behind her waist to let her lean comfortably on it, then he picked up the still-warm water from the bedside table and put it to her mouth.

Samantha was very thirsty and drank it without hesitation. She held his hand, lowered her head, and drank about half a cup.

She felt reinvigorated after moisturizing her throat.

Samantha looked at Alan again and said, “Why are you here, Dr. Sherwood?”

She still felt as though she was inside a dream when she laid eyes on him.

Alan put the cup back on the table. “I called you but you never answered, so I called Ms. Tyrell. I found out that you were having a high fever so I booked a flight and rushed over.”

“Do you know that you’ve been burning for two days now? If Ms. Tyrell didn’t notice it in time, your body will suffer the consequences of the high fever.”

“I don’t object to you staying here and doing what you need to do, but the least you should do is take care of your body. You should know what kind of situation your body is in.”

Alan’s tone increased slightly in the last sentence.

Samantha felt guilty and lowered her eyes remorsefully.

Her body had suffered tremendously after she was rescued from her death three years ago, and it became worse when she gave birth to Matthew.

Alan had been carefully helping her to treat her body during the past three years so his anger was justified.

However, the fever came unexpectedly because she was not exposed to the elements nor showed any signs of getting a cold.

The high fever seemed to have come out of nowhere.

She had a rough guess as to what could be the cause. She had been in a very high-strung state recently and received that sudden barrage of information that night. The pressure from various aspects made it difficult for her body to keep up and the illness therefore came.

Samantha apologized weakly. “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

She believed that he was the figure she saw while still in a daze, and it was likely that she had kicked and hit him when she struggled during the fever.

Her guilt increased even more when she thought about it. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

She looked up at and scrutinized Alan. There did not seem to be any bruises on his face, so she figured she had grown out of hitting people while she was asleep.

At least she knew not to smack and slap people.

Had she done that, she would not have known how to face Alan.

There was a flicker of emotions in Alan’s eyes and he clenched his hands while listening to her ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘thank you’.

The distance between them seemed to be only a step away.

However, it was apparent that he was making all the effort to approach her.

Seeing that Alan kept quiet and did not speak, Samantha whispered again, “Dr. Sherwood, I promise there won’t be a next time. I cherish my life a lot too. I really do. I even went to the hospital to get some medication when I felt like I was about to go down with a cold some time ago.”

She wanted to live a good life, watch Matthew grow up, get married, and have children.

Far be it for her to treat her body without care.

Alan still kept quiet.

Samantha bit her lower lip lightly and raised her hand to ask tentatively, “Would you like me to swear again?”

Alan could never get angry when she was obviously trying to coax him.

He sighed softly, “Oh, Sammy...”

For the record, he was not a particularly emotional person, so much so that the majority of his emotions were that of calmness and composure.

As a doctor, being able to keep calm for prolonged periods was truly an amazing gift.

He probably had what it took to be a doctor ever since he was born.

Strangely, his emotions fluctuated varyingly after meeting Samantha. He felt happy, shy, angry, and…unwilling.

He hated that side of him to some extent, but at the same time, he liked it too.

He hated when his emotions were affected by others, but he liked it when Samantha was the one affecting his emotions.

She was a contradiction.

His biggest question was when her heart would be able to be in line with his.

Samantha felt relieved when she saw Alan’s attitude softening noticeably. He was someone whom she was most grateful to and she did not want to see him unhappy at all.

Samantha smiled.

“Are you hungry? I cooked you some porridge. You should have some,” Alan said.

Samantha nodded. “Okay.”

Alan got up, walked out of the room, and quickly walked back with a bowl. He sat down on the edge of the bed again, then picked up the bowl and spoon in a natural manner.

Samantha noticed that he was about to feed her and hurriedly said, “I can eat by myself, Dr. Sherwood.”

Alan’s movements froze briefly. He glanced at her but said nothing. Eventually, he handed her the bowl and spoon and said, “Take it slow. It’s a little hot.”

“Alright.”

Samantha was feeling a little hungry. She ate spoonful after spoonful with relish even though it was just plain, simple porridge.

After eating, Alan gave Samantha her medication and told her to continue resting.

Samantha nodded obediently and laid back on the bed.

Alan said suddenly, “By the way, I need to deal with some work stuff, but I didn’t bring my laptop over. Can I borrow yours?”

“Yes, go ahead. The password is Matt’s birthday.”

Alan nodded, helped her tuck the blanket, and said, “I’ll be working in the living room outside. Just call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Alan walked to the desk, picked up the laptop, then walked out of the room and closed the door gently without shutting it completely.

That way, he could hear her immediately if she called him.

Samantha thought she would not be able to fall asleep, but she slept as soon as she laid down.

She slept peacefully and soundly without any of those chaotic dreams.

Samantha did not know how long she had slept but the sky outside was completely dark when she opened her eyes again. She could vaguely see the stars in the night sky when she looked out the window.

She felt that she had regained a lot of strength after waking up as her limbs were not feeling as sore as before.

Her entire body was sticky and she did not want to continue lying down. After propping her body up, she got out of bed and walked slowly to the bathroom.

She was afraid to take a bath right away, so she wiped her face and body with a hot towel and put on some fresh home clothes. She felt much more comfortable after that.

The living room’s lights were still on when she walked out of the room. Although Alan was nowhere to be seen on the sofa, the laptop was still open on the coffee table.

She then heard voices outside the balcony and glanced sideways to see Alan standing there while talking on the phone.

He was probably discussing work matters, so Samantha did not bother him. She went to the kitchen and poured two cups of warm water before returning to the living room.

She placed one cup for Alan on the coffee table, and she glanced inadvertently at the computer screen when she bent down.

The screen displayed Alan’s private email mailbox.

Samantha did not want to pry into another person’s privacy and subconsciously wanted to withdraw her gaze, but something caught her eye and she froze suddenly as her black pupils started to expand.