Take My Breath Away

Wesley took off his hat and put it next to Blair. He threw a sidelong look at Orion who was limbering up, and said, "Don't worry. I'll make this quick."

Blair was worried.

The ward wasn't large by any sense of the word, but Wesley was certain that it was big enough for him to take Orion down without breaking anything.

"I'll show you one of China's main exports—kung fu." Wesley stretched his knuckles, then held out his right hand toward Orion and curled his fingers, gesturing for him to make the first move.

Orion couldn't stand the provocation. Swinging his fists, he charged towards Wesley and aimed his punches at his face.

Orion blinked his eyes, lying on the floor. "Anyone get the number of that truck?" he joked.

He winced in pain, but made no other sounds. He rolled over and sprang to his feet, eager to continue the fight.

Things didn't go as he expected. Orion came at Wesley once more, hoping for a body blow that would take his rival out. That didn't happen. Instead, Wesley leaned away at an angle as the fist traveled past him. Then, he grabbed Orion's arm, and used his other fist to pummel the man, striking his temple, his jaw, and his ear in quick succession. Then, Wesley switched to kicks, the sole of his foot smashing into Orion's hip. As Orion staggered, Wesley kicked him again in the floating ribs. He crumpled.

While Orion lay groaning on the floor, Wesley calmly sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the bowl of congee. He took a spoonful and put it to Blair's mouth. "Here. It's still warm," he said.

Orion's two bodyguards, who had been waiting for him outside the door, rushed into the ward when they heard the scuffle. They helped him off the floor, and then they both attacked Wesley to avenge the guy who signed their paychecks. Orion wanted to stop them, but every part of his body ached.

In too much pain to finish a sentence, he could only watch as Wesley dispatched his finest bodyguards with an elbow smash and a roundhouse kick to the head. Amazingly, the soldier held the bowl the whole time, and didn't spill a single drop.

Blair's eyes sparkled as she watched. She had always thought he was handsome and cool, but now her admiration for him had reached a new level.

When Wesley was done with them, the two bodyguards limped to their boss, and escorted him out of the ward towards the nurses' station, with each of them holding the places where Wesley had humbled them.

The ward finally quieted down. "You were too hard on Orion. He's not a bad guy," Blair said to Wesley.

He blew on the congee and put it to her mouth. "You feel bad for him?"

Blair swallowed her mouthful congee and thought of something important. "Wesley."

"Yes?"

"Are you going to hit me like that?"

Wesley dropped the spoon into the bowl and looked at her. "What kind of man do you think I am? A violent asshole who hits his girlfriend?"

Blair explained hastily, "No, I'm just asking. If I did something wrong, like lying to you..." She slowed down and said her words very carefully, studying his face. "...would you get angry and beat me up?"

Wesley smiled resignedly. Tenderness was apparent in his eyes. "Give it a try and find out," he said.

Blair shook her head like a rattle. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not that dumb."

That day, the bandages on her hands were removed, and the ones on her feet the next day.

She tried walking. It still hurt a little. But everything else was fine.

Meanwhile, the liver experts Wesley called had arrived at the military hospital.

Blair was texting Joslyn when a group of doctors and nurses walked into the ward. One of the doctors was a foreigner. Blair had a bad feeling about this. "Wesley, what are they doing here?" she asked nervously.

There was something rolling around in the back of Wesley's skull the past few days. Some nagging suspicion that things weren't quite right. Now her reaction made him feel more doubtful. "They're here to examine you." His tone showed no sign of suspicion.

"For what?" Blair's heart was in her mouth. 'Am I about to be busted?'

The look on her face confirmed Wesley's doubts. He knew. "They're here to examine your feet to make sure there won't be any long-term complications." What he didn't tell her was that they would also be checking on her liver.

'Oh, examining my feet. That's a relief.'

She was taken into an exam room. In addition to the usual tests on her feet, areas of numbness, range of motion, etc., the doctors also curiously felt along her abdomen. The lower right quadrant, where the liver was located. But she wasn't sure. "I thought the doctors would only examine my feet," she said to the nurse standing next to her.

The nurse had been instructed what to say. "There are a lot of acupuncture points on a person's foot. And all of the energy meridians do connect up, so one thing might affect another. We're just trying to find out if there are any unforeseen effects."

"No, no, thanks. That's not necessary." Blair was afraid that they would find out the truth.

"All right."

The nurse didn't insist, because the check-up was already over. The equipment was very sophisticated, and the doctors were specialists in their field. In just a few minutes, they already had the results.

When Wesley left the ward, Blair called Cecelia in a fluster. "Aunt Cecelia, I have a bad feeling about this. I think Wesley is about to find out everything."

Cecelia wasn't worried at all. "Relax. I already paid off all the doctors and nurses in the hepatology department of the hospital. They won't help Wesley."

"Really?"

"Yes. Dr. Zaria is my friend. She's on our side."

Hearing this, Blair was relieved. "Okay, then."

After the examination, Wesley saw the foreign doctor off. On his way back, he looked up at the sky. It was getting hot. So was he—hot under the collar.

He lit a cigarette. After a few drags, he went to the nurses' station.

When he was back to the ward, Blair was in a daze. "What did the doctors say? Are my feet all right? When am I going to be discharged?" she asked urgently as soon as she saw him.

The nurse walked into the room behind Wesley. She walked up to Blair and comforted her, "Miss Jing, your feet and your hands are all healed now. But... your liver... Be strong. It's only cancer. You'll beat it."

'What?' Blair was perplexed.

The nurse continued with a sympathetic expression, "Your cancer is curable. You'll be healthy again. You just need to go to another country for the chemo."

Blair's heart skipped a beat. She turned to Wesley nervously. "I...I'm hungry. A snack sounds good about now. Buy me some?"

"Sure," Wesley replied without hesitation.

He turned and left the ward, but he didn't go far.

Once he was out of sight, Blair smiled at the nurse and said, "You scared me. What you said sounded pretty convincing." After the phone call with Cecelia, she was sure the nurse was on her side.

However, the nurse looked at her and said in a compassionate tone, "Miss Jing, I meant it. You really have liver cancer."

"That's impossible! I'm fine. I feel good. Niles told me the symptoms, and I have none. Hahaha!" Blair laughed.

The nurse walked closer to her and grabbed her hand anxiously. "That foreign doctor is one of the foremost liver specialists in the world. He's the best in his country. If he says you have cancer, then you have cancer. Thank God we caught it in the early stages... That's why you don't feel anything yet."

What the nurse said and the anxious look on her face freaked Blair out.