What was worse, the big tree that was used to fasten the rope was flushed away by the flood and drifted downstream.
"Wesley!" Blair yelled at the top of her lungs. If it weren't for several people dragging her back from the water's edge, she would have jumped into the water to follow him.
"Girl, don't worry. We'll save him." Two rescue workers tried to comfort Blair. Then they ran downstream along the banks while trying to raise other workers on their walkie-talkies.
Blair broke free from those people's grip and ran after the rescue workers barefoot.
Blair had never been in such a pitiful state before. Her hair was dripping wet, plastered to her head, and there were even leaves on her face and shoulders. Her clothes weren't in the best state, either. The harness had done nothing to enhance her appearance. Due to high fever, her face was as red as a tomato. Her lips were blue with cold. Splotches of mud marred her otherwise elegant beauty.
Her sneakers were gone, and she had minor cuts and grazes along her once-smooth feet. She looked much more like a homeless person than a young professional woman.
"Wesley!" Blair cried his name hysterically while running downstream, but Wesley was nowhere to be found.
Her head was splitting thanks to the high fever. Blair staggered. When two men caught up to her to steady her, her eyes dulled and she slumped to the ground.
'Wesley, please be safe!' This was her only wish before she lost consciousness.
By the time Blair woke up again, she was in the military hospital in Y City. She opened her eyes, and the first person she lay eyes on was Miller.
When he saw her open her eyes, Miller immediately pressed the nurse-call button. Soon, a doctor and several nurses hurried in and gave her a thorough check-up.
"How are you feeling now? Are you hurt anywhere?" the doctor asked.
Blair nodded. "I have a headache." She raised her hand and touched the bandage around her forehead.
"When you passed out, you bumped your head on a rock. Don't worry. There doesn't seem to be any lasting damage. An MRI confirmed no bruising or bleeding in your brain. We'll need to run some more tests to be sure. Is anything else hurting?" the doctor asked.
Blair shook her head slowly. They then looked at her pupils and conducted a few quick tests for reaction time and memory. They even gave her cognitive tests like reciting the alphabet backwards. Miller stood by quietly, holding her hand through all of this.
Taking a look at the test results, the doctor told Miller, "Miss Li is expected to recover quickly. We're going to keep her under observation for two days. If everything is fine, she can be discharged. Please take good care of her."
Miller nodded. "Thank you so much, doctor."
The doctor and nurses left the ward. Miller asked Blair, "Are you hungry or thirsty? Want a glass of water?"
"Sure." She didn't know how many hours she had been asleep. She was now both thirsty and hungry.
Miller poured a glass of warm water, put it on the table, rolled up her bed and put the water to her lips. With his help, Blair drank the water slowly.
While she drank, Miller told her, "I didn't expect us to be separated by the flood. We'd been waiting for a long time before we were rescued. I saw your cousin waiting in the rescue site. After a while, they brought you back. You were unconscious then. We rushed you to the hospital. You've been asleep for more than 24 hours. Your uncle and cousin just left. My parents were here too. They made me promise to take good care of you."
Blair finished the water. She still felt thirsty, but she knew she shouldn't drink too much. "I'm hungry. Is there any food?"
Miller thought about it for a moment. "I'll go grab something for you. Wait for me. I'll be right back."
"Thank you."
When Miller was out of sight, Blair struggled to reach her phone while still in bed. She could just reach the counter where it sat. She nearly dropped it, but managed to recover quick enough. It was waterlogged, and she was unable to turn it on. Sighing in defeat, she used the landline in the ward to call Adalson. "Uncle, it's me."
"Blair? You're awake? How are you feeling?" Adalson got the call as soon as he got home.
"I'm fine, Uncle. I just want to ask..." Her voice trailed off as she didn't know how to say it. From the moment she woke up, all she wanted to know was if Wesley was all right. She had to get Miller out of the room so she could make this call.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: True Love Waits