Trust in You

Chapter 34 - Madeline

I wake up in the morning with a headache. I touch my forehead and my fingers find the bandage. Ah, I forgot I'm in the hospital. I look around, but there is no Ethan. Where is he?

"Ethan," I call, and there is a noise from the toilet as Ethan emerges quickly with his hair damp, his shirt unbuttoned. What a body!

"You okay?" He comes to me. His eyes worry.

"I'm okay, just a little headache." I smile at him.

"Let me call the doctor," he says and I hold his hand, stopping him. "I'm fine, Ethan. No need to call the doctor." His eyes still suspiciously studying me. "When can we come back to the hotel?" I ask him.

"The doctor says today if you're okay," he answers. Why do I feel he is so distant? Is it just my imagination?

I link our hand. "Can we go to take a walk after the doctor releases me?" I ask sweetly at him.

"Sorry, I need to go back to the office." He pulls his hand and walks to the coffee table, taking his phone. "I'll call Jack to pick us up from here."

"But we haven't seen the doctor yet," I say. He's been acting so weird.

He looks at me a tad bit too long. "You're right. The doctor." And he presses the bell for the nurse.

What the...

***

The doctor releases me from the hospital once he makes sure my wound is fine. We drop Ethan at the office. He has uttered no words to me except, "how's your head?" "Do you need any medicine?" "Dizzy? Want to vomit?" Worse is, he asks me every 5 minutes. He doesn't even make body contact with me (no more touching on my cheek, kissing on my forehead). Worst, he doesn't call me sweetness. He changed it to 'eh'.

"Jack," I call him, leaning forward. Jack is driving me back to the hotel. "Was I the only one who got hit in the head?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did Ethan get hit in the head as well? He's been acting very weird since yesterday in the hospital."

"For the hit no. As for Ethan himself, did you ask him?"

"Not yet. He kept avoiding me. Do I look that bad?"

Jack chuckles. "Later at night, you have enough time to ask him. He can't avoid you."

I smile. "Perfect!"

***

I order dinner for us. Ethan will arrive in any minute by now. I texted him earlier, asking him what he wanted for dinner. Now I'm sitting on the sofa waiting for him in my lacy pajamas. It's his fault I didn't bring any decent clothes since I thought I would have my room.

I put on some pink lipstick because my lips are too pale. I let my hair down because there is still a bandage over my head. Can't wait to discard it tomorrow.

I hear the card key open. I stand up slowly (still cannot do anything too fast, the headache and dizzy is still there), and come to the door with a smile. Ethan opens the door. He looks at me from head to toe. I can see his pupil widen, his eyes darken. I swallow hard.

"You okay?" He asks me, closing the door, his face on the door as if the door was hard to close. Does he know the door has auto lock system?

"I'm good. Do you want to shower first or eat first?"

"You go eat. I'm going to shower first," and he goes to his room without a glance at me. As if I will eat by myself. I sit down and sigh. What is wrong with him?