Take My Breath Away

Blair got out of the hospital bed and dragged her weak body to the bathroom to freshen up.

When she was brushing her teeth, she noticed that her arm wasn't as red and swollen as it was the day before. A new layer of ointment had been applied to the wound, nourishing her skin. It had a slight fragrance to it.

She wondered who had applied the ointment to her wound. Was it Wesley, or a doctor?

When she came out of the bathroom, Wesley had already left. She settled herself back on the bed, and wheeled the cart over that held the bowl of wontons and noodles. She then began eating. She was already half-done by the time Wesley came back with a few pieces of paper and some boxes of medicine in his hands.

She looked at him, asking, "You eaten yet?"

He shifted his gaze to her and nodded, "Mmm hmm."

He quietly waited for her to finish before letting her know how to use the medicine. Staring at his serious profile, Blair said sincerely, "Thank you, Wesley." It was good to be his neighbor. She felt protected, safe with him.

And what if she were his girlfriend? She knew that feeling of security would be even more intense.

Betraying no emotion, Wesley threw her a quick glance. "You're welcome." He handed the medicine to her and turned on his heels without a word.

Breaking out of her reverie, Blair found he was gone. She left the bed again, and jogged out of the ward. It wasn't long before she caught up to him. He was waiting for her in front of the elevator.

The doors opened. When they were about to step inside, they heard a panting voice call out, "Brother, Sister-in-law..."

Blair was pretty sure that wasn't for her, so she continued walking into the elevator. Wesley suddenly grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her out. The elevator doors closed again. She turned to look at him, confused.

He coldly pointed to a young man gasping for air behind them. He was dressed in a blue shirt and a white gown, and obviously was out of breath, rushing to catch them before they boarded the elevator. The young doctor looked a little bit like Wesley, but his complexion was much lighter.

Blair felt like she had seen him somewhere before.

But that wasn't important now. He just called Wesley "Brother" and referred to her as "Sister-in-law!"

Blair looked around. This was a military hospital with heavy security, and almost no one was on this floor. At the moment, only the three of them stood in front of the elevator. 'Who is this guy? And why did he call me that?' Blair wondered, shocked.

She then heard Wesley tell the young man off. "Dude! You okay? How are your eyes? How about your brain? Need a doctor?"

Confused by his words, Niles looked at the unhappy man and rubbed his eyes. "No. What are you talking about?"

"She's not your sister-in-law. So clearly you need an optometrist—or a psychiatrist." As he was done speaking, he pressed the down button again, ready to go downstairs.

Ignoring the bad-tempered man, Niles turned to look at the dazed girl, and greeted her with a big smile, "Hi Blair. I'm Niles Li, Wesley's younger brother. Actually, we met once at my university. You were the excellent English interpreter at the seminar..."

With his reminder, Blair finally remembered who he was. Surprise written all over her face, and she said excitedly, "Oh, it was you! I remember you made a speech as the student representative!"

It turned out that he was Wesley's brother. If she'd known that earlier, she would've been friendlier.

The two greeted each other enthusiastically, as if they were old friends who hadn't been together for a long time.

Nodding vigorously, Niles said, "Yeah, that was me. Hey, your face still looks pale. You should maybe stay another couple days? I guess you've already been discharged." The elevator arrived on their floor again. Niles naturally followed them in.

As Blair walked inside, she replied, "Thanks, but I'm good. What I need now is rest, and I can do that at home."

Wesley had been listening to the two without a word. But his face had darkened considerably as they talked.

They didn't spend long in the elevator. As soon as they walked out of the inpatient department, a rush of hot air blew over their faces. The sun was hung high in the blue sky.

Wesley continued walking forward. Blair was about to follow him but Niles stopped her. "I think my brother's bringing the car around. Just wait here. It's too hot to walk."

Niles was being so considerate. Blair was moved. Too bad Wesley couldn't be like that.

Hearing him, Wesley turned around to look at his brother. He changed his mind and threw his car keys to the young doctor. "You can get the car."

Niles reflexively cupped his hands to catch the car keys.

Shocked, he asked, "Why me?"

"Because I'm older. Just do it."

Niles was speechless. He refused in a low voice, "No way."

Wesley cast him a sharp look, and it was enough to make the young doctor cower in fear. "Okay, okay. Got it. We can't be related..."

Niles complained as he began to walk away. Wesley and Blair silently stood there waiting for him.

Shortly, the car pulled up to the entrance of the inpatient department. Wesley opened the passenger door. Without thinking much, Blair headed to the back door. Wesley stopped her and said, "You take shotgun."

She caught a glimpse of the vacant passenger seat, and obediently, she climbed in.

And she literally climbed, bracing one foot on the running board and holding on to the handle on the side. The vehicle was pretty high up.

Meanwhile, Niles jumped out of the driver's seat and headed inside the building, where the air-conditioner was blowing cool air. He waved goodbye to them from the entrance. "Goodbye, Brother and Sister-in-law!"

That was the second time he called her "Sister-in-law." She shook her head. "Hey, I'm not..." However, Niles had already hurried inside. He didn't want to be around them in case Wesley tried to punch him.

Embarrassed, she looked at the sullen man.

Sulking silently, he sat in the driver's seat and started the car. "Don't mind him. He's an idiot, and has been since we were kids. I'll teach him a lesson next time."

'What? An idiot? An idiot made a speech on behalf of his school?'

Blair was confused. Was he trying to say there was nothing between them?

He skillfully turned the wheel and drove the car away. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I know he was just joking. He's only a kid."

Wesley gave her a sidelong glance. "A kid? You guys aren't that far apart in age. You may be just a few months older."

"A few months or a few years, he's still younger. He's lively and carefree, like a child."

Wesley said nothing, lost in his own thoughts.

When they rounded a corner, his phone suddenly rang. As soon as he tapped on the screen of the in-car phone, a man's voice echoed through the car. "Wesley, we have a priority alert. Need you ASAP."

"Understood!" Wesley's face turned serious. He made a U-turn and was about to head to his platoon.