Take My Breath Away

Adalson sensed that something was wrong between the couple. He gathered that she and Wesley were in the middle of a fight. Blair sounded quite determined not to go home with Wesley, and as her uncle, he couldn't just force her to leave. He said to Wesley, "Let her stay here for a bit longer. I will talk to her."

Wesley had to go home alone that day.

Half a month later, Blair received an unexpected call from Niles. He sounded upset and said with urgency, "Blair…"

"What's wrong, Niles?"

"Wesley and I were in an accident. We are at the hospital now."

"What?! How are you? Where's Wesley? Is he hurt?" Blair asked in a panic. There was a moment of silence before Niles continued.

"I'm fine. Wesley is hurt, but it's nothing serious. I realized something today, Blair…" he said, sobbing slightly. "I thought he despised me, but when the accident took place, he protected me without any hesitation. I was so moved."

This was the third time Blair had heard Niles cry ever since they had met. The last time he cried was also because Wesley had been injured.

"Despise you? Where did you get that idea? He is your brother, and he loves you. Of course, he would protect you. How is he now? Which hospital is he in?"

"There are a few cuts in his arms. The doctor has stitched him up. He is having an intravenous infusion at the military hospital now."

They talked for a while and after hanging up, Blair wondered whether she should call Wesley first or just go to the hospital. Before she could make a decision, her phone rang again. It was Wesley.

"Hello?" she answered immediately.

"Talbot is gravely injured," Wesley said. 'Temporarily.'

Blair's heart thumped wildly in her chest. "Was he in the car with you?"

"Yeah. It looks his days are numbered." 'As to how many years he has left, I'm not sure.'

Inside the ward, Talbot stared at Wesley with a stunned face. He silently listened to his chief's blatant lies. Clearly, Wesley wanted Blair's sympathy. Then, shouldn't it have been Talbot who had made the phone call? To tell Blair that Wesley had been admitted in the hospital and was dying?

If he wanted to make Blair feel sorry for him and visit him at the hospital, that should have been the story. But why was Wesley doing this the other way around? It was not Talbot whom Blair loved.

But Blair was soft-hearted, and Wesley took advantage of this. She was already worried sick. "Does Talbot—"

"There's no one to take care of me here. Even Mom didn't turn up," Wesley interrupted her. He had earlier told Cecelia not to come, because if she did, then Blair wouldn't bother, considering that he was already being taken care of by his mother. Cecelia was always supportive of Wesley and Blair being together, so she refrained from visiting.

"I heard that you were just mildly bruised," Blair said.

"I'm on an IV, and I haven't had lunch yet. Niles is being examined." He was telling the truth.

But Blair was doubtful. Normally, Wesley wouldn't sound so needy.

"I'm miserable without you,"

he went on.

Blair's jaw dropped to the floor. Wesley was a tough guy. She couldn't believe that he just said that. Talbot sat on the sofa cross-legged, eating sunflower seeds as he listened to his chief pretend to be pathetic.

"Ask Megan to take care of you. You had been so thoughtful and caring while she was sick. Time for her to show some gratitude." Blair's tone was dripping with sarcasm and jealousy.

She had her reasons to be mad, of course. As a senior colonel, Wesley had personally taken care of Megan, who wasn't even his wife.

And he had gotten into a fight with Blair because of her.

"I sent her away. It's you whom I miss."

"I'm not coming. There are tons of women who can't wait to look after you. Ask someone else."

"Hang on!" Wesley said hastily when he sensed that she was about to hang up.

Blair was quiet at the other end.

"I don't care about them. None of them is my wife. You are. I want you. Sweetie, Talbot is dying. He wants to see you too. Won't you fulfill his final wish?"

Blair felt her heart break for Talbot. 'Is he really…' "Fine. I'll come and visit Talbot."

"You don't want to see me?"

"No, I don't."

It was not until then that Wesley realized that he should have let Talbot make the phone call with him lying in bed as the dying patient. Blair rushed to the hospital at once.

A nurse told her that Talbot was in Ward 302.

She ran to the ward and pushed the door open. The next thing she knew, someone hugged her from behind. "Babe, you are finally here."

Blair turned around and gasped. "Aren't you injured? Isn't this Talbot's ward?"

"He was miraculously cured and has already left. My cuts have been dressed."

Wesley's arms were bandaged in gauze. There were stains of the yellow sterilizing fluid on his arms.

Blair knew at that moment that she had been tricked. "Where did Talbot go? You said he was gravely injured."

"He went home in a wheelchair with Bowman's help. He needs to rest and recuperate."

Blair sighed and wrenched free from his arms.

"You! Go and sit!" she said, pointing to the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to talk to the doctor about your condition."

"No need. I can be discharged right away."

"Then, why did you make me come here?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"Because it's easier for me to take you home from here," he said with a grin. He couldn't play rough at the Ji Residence. But he could do whatever he wanted in the hospital. He could fling her on his shoulder and carry her into his car any minute.

Blair clenched her teeth. "Sit down!" she demanded.

Wesley sat down on the bed, nice and straight.

Blair made her way towards the door. His eyes followed her and he was about to get up. She turned around abruptly and said, "Sit! I'm going to the doctor's office. I'll be right back!"

"Okay," he smiled. "If you don't come back, I'll find you and take you home, no matter where you hide."

Looking at his pouting face, Blair had a feeling that Wesley was clinging on to her like a child now.

In the attending physician's office

Blair inquired about Wesley's condition to the doctor. He told her that there was nothing serious about his injury. "But the patient refuses to take his medicine. I'm not certain what will happen once he is discharged from the hospital," the doctor remarked.

"You didn't prescribe any medication for him?"

"He refuses to take any. He looks fine on the outside, but his body is full of injuries. It took a lot of work just to convince him to be put on a drip." The doctor sounded pretty frustrated with his stubborn patient.

Blair let out a sigh. "Please prescribe the medicine. I'll handle it."

With the doctor's prescription, Blair claimed the medicine from the pharmacy downstairs.

When she was back at the door of Wesley's ward, she looked at the medicine in her hand. Suddenly, she wasn't as sure as she had been in the doctor's office. Would Wesley listen to her?

Well, he had to! She decided not to humor him this time.

She stormed into the ward. Wesley was waiting for her. "Why did you refuse to take your medication?"

Wesley was confused by her anger. "These are just minor injuries. What's all the fuss about?"

"Take it." She put the medicine on the table near his bed. The air she was bearing told him that there would be a huge fight between them if he refused to obey her.

Wesley fiddled with the medicine in his hand. With a small smile, he said, "This is really unnecessary." Besides, he had already had the infusion.

Blair grew furious. "Are you gonna take it or not?"

The look on her face told him that she meant business. "Yes, ma'am."

Under Blair's supervision, Wesley took the pill.

That afternoon, Megan came to the hospital. Blair put on a long face as soon as she walked into the ward. The sight of the girl made her feel as if she had swallowed a bug.

As always, Megan assumed her best masquerade, acting weak, helpless, and innocent. She pretended to be concerned about Wesley's injury and asked him how he felt. Blair was fed up with her act and felt like puking. She stood up and said to the phony girl with a smile, "Megan, are you hungry?"

Megan was perplexed. So was Wesley.

Blair never liked her. In case she was pulling some trick on her, Megan shook her head. "No, I'm not."