In reality, there wasn’t much to hand over at work. Currently, there were no patients coming for consultations. So, what exactly was there to hand over? The main thing was to explain clearly to Dr. Ethan Montgomery, the department head, about her abrupt transfer without prior notice. And just like that, Lily Bennett was inexplicably reassigned to the emergency department. Since she wasn’t a specialist in surgery, she could only start as a resident in this new department. From being the head doctor of urology to a resident in emergency, it was hard not to feel out of place—let alone slightly disheartened.
The director seemed to feel somewhat apologetic about transferring her without consent, so he compensated by significantly increasing her salary. The duties of an emergency resident weren’t overly complicated. They mainly involved assisting attending doctors, printing prescriptions, debriding wounds, changing bandages, conducting basic health check-ups, and other miscellaneous tasks.
After all, a doctor is just an employee. They could be transferred to wherever they were needed, regardless of consent. However, the operating room was much busier than urology. Lily was so swamped that she only had time to eat after her shift. Instinctively, she took out her phone to check. There were no missed calls.
Maxwell Thornton must have received the phone she sent back, and surely, he had also received the letter she wrote. If he didn’t respond, did that mean he agreed? Agreed that their relationship had ended after that night?
Wouldn’t that be wonderful? But why did Lily feel so hollow, as if nothing could fill the void inside her? Her emotions were a tangled mess. Thinking about that man made her eyes turn red. She bit her lip, trying to stay strong, but the more she thought about it, the more panicked she felt. Desperately, she tried to compose herself and not think about him.
Lily forced herself to push aside her wandering thoughts. She took off her white coat, preparing to leave. Unexpectedly, William Edsel was waiting at the office door for her.
After what happened previously, Lily felt a little embarrassed when she saw him standing there. But she couldn’t pretend nothing had happened.
Lily steadied her emotions, approached him, and asked, “Dr. Edsel, is there something you need?”
Her distant tone made William frown. His long legs carried him closer to her. He spoke calmly, “The doctor in charge of the duty room is off today. I’ve been so busy all afternoon that I forgot to change my bandages. Lily, can you help me?”
Lily glanced at his injured arm. Since his injury was caused while saving her, she felt too guilty to refuse. She couldn’t help but agree to change his bandages. She retrieved some iodine and gauze, pulled up a chair for him to sit on, and then sat across from him.
As Lily tended to his wound, William watched her movements and commented with a faint smile, “I didn’t expect you to be this skilled. You’re good at everything, even fighting.”
Lily raised her eyebrows and looked at him. Was that a compliment or sarcasm? Without responding, she continued her work.
Seeing her confused expression, William realized he might have misspoken and quickly clarified, “What I meant was, it’s impressive that you could single-handedly take down those kidnappers. You’re amazing.”
“I’m just an ordinary woman who learned some self-defense. Not only to protect myself but also to protect those around me.”
“In the future, you can protect me too.”
Hearing this, Lily’s hands froze for a moment. William’s beautiful eyes and warm smile were fixed on her.
Lily’s face flushed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to speak frankly, “Actually, I didn’t learn self-defense just for myself. I did it to protect my son.”
William was stunned. He stared at her face, the room falling into a frozen silence until Lily finished bandaging his wound.
She stood up and said, “It’s done.”
William finally snapped out of it, his voice filled with disbelief as he looked at her. “If I remember correctly, your records state that you’re unmarried.”
“Yes, you don’t need to be married to have a child. I had an illegitimate child,” Lily replied bluntly, her tone indifferent.
William was momentarily speechless, his face full of shock.
Lily smiled faintly. “I got pregnant at sixteen and gave birth to my son at seventeen. He’s seven years old now. So, Dr. Edsel, please stop joking about liking me or pursuing me.”
Looking at her faint smile, William’s heart swelled with admiration for her. When Lily spoke about her child, there was no trace of shame. It seemed she was thinking about her son, her lips curling into a subtle smile. Her eyes sparkled as if lost in warm memories.
By the time Lily finished tidying up the medical tools, William finally came back to his senses. He looked at her and asked, “Where is the child’s father?”
“I don’t know,” Lily replied calmly.
William seemed unconvinced. He withdrew his hand, checked his watch, and said, “Let’s go. It’s late. I’ll take you home.”
Lily wanted to cut off any hope William might have. Naturally, her first reaction was to refuse. “That’s not necessary. I can take the bus. I don’t want to trouble you any further.”
“Don’t make me drag you,” William said in a tone that sounded both helpless and exasperated, though his words were gentle.
Lily Bennett didn’t want to soften her heart, but she hadn’t expected William Edsel to reach out and hold her hand at that moment. The hand pulling her back was the injured one. Staring at the hand she had just bandaged, Lily froze. She couldn’t pull her own hand away for fear of hurting him. After all, he had injured it while saving her. But Lily couldn’t remain calm; outside, there were many colleagues, and the sight of the two of them holding hands would inevitably lead to misunderstandings.
Lily hurriedly said, “Dr. Edsel, please let go of me. I can walk on my own!”
William reluctantly released her hand. The two of them walked one after the other toward the parking lot. William drove with one hand, his eyes occasionally glancing at the person sitting beside him. Of course, he didn’t believe Lily already had a child; it seemed more likely she had said so to reject him.
Although Lily couldn’t bear the stifling atmosphere in the car, she didn’t speak to break the silence.
Finally, they arrived safely at her home. Once again, Lily turned to William and said, “Dr. Edsel, I really do have a son. It’s not just an excuse to avoid or reject your feelings.”
William suddenly nodded, his gaze shifting to a spot not far away. He said, “I understand.”