Micah sat stiffly on the hospital bed, his fingers curling into the thin sheets as he tried to minimise his presence in front of the third male lead.
After the vomiting fiasco, He didn't want to make his impression on the doctor any worse. His heart drummed against his ribs as his gaze flickered toward the man standing at the foot of his bed, his expression unreadable.
The last thing he wanted was to be remembered by this man, especially considering what he knew about Silas from the novel.
Micah swallowed hard, lowering his eyes and forcing his shoulder to hunch slightly, attempting to shrink under Silas's piercing gaze.
"Excuse me, if you are ready, I'll begin my examination?"
Silas said, his voice was smooth and calm despite the displeasure he felt inwardly.
This patient was not within his usual working hours. It was his father's request that had sent him to work overtime. Silas had been dragged out of bed for this, forced to watch the young man empty his stomach inches away from his shoes.
Silas did not care about the Ramsy Empire, but years of acting as a good son had resulted in showing up here.
Unfortunately, His expectations from last night had not been met with a satisfactory outcome, and he was already in a poor mood.
Now, Seeing the meek young man on the bed, his brow twitched in irritation and his mood darkened further.
The young man before him had a pale face, almost ghostly. His round hazel eyes drooped slightly, while the dark circles beneath them became more visible.
His lips stood out against his skin, a dazzling red from his constant biting. Strands of his soft white dyed hair fell across his bandaged forehead, shading his smooth forehead and glasses. The black frame guarded his long curled eyelashes beautifully. Silas even could see some freckles on the boy's straight nose.
However, the meek aura that the boy exuded repulsed him. The sight of him sparked something akin to irritation as he recalled the unpleasant night.
Micah suddenly felt a shiver run down his back and shrank back.
He could sense Silas' gaze on him, but he didn't dare to look at the doctor directly. He knew too much about this man, about his obsessive-compulsive behaviour, and about how ruthless he could be. Even though the doctor had done nothing after his vomiting, Micah's mind was already screaming at him with warning bells.
At least, he was not alone with him in the room. Otherwise, his paranoia would have consumed him whole. The horrifying detailed descriptions from the novel, the ones about how Silas mistreated the protagonist, were repeated in his mind. He was on the brink of losing his shit on him and starting to curse the man.
A mix of fear and anger flooded Micah's mind.
"Micah? Are you okay?"
Elina called his son's name. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt something was amiss with her son today.
His throwing up was not the scary part; it was the panic and despair in those hazel eyes.
Micah blinked, startled, before lifting his head toward Elina. Concern was written all over her face, her brows slightly furrowed as she studied him.
Forcing a sheepish smile at his mother, Micah quickly nodded.
"Sorry, I was just distracted."
Elina patted her son's shoulder and turned to the doctor.
"I apologise that you had to see my son's embarrassing moment. If you could please examine my son, I would appreciate that."
Silas didn't respond. He slipped on a pair of gloves with ease and stepped forward.
He reached out to title Micah's head, unwrapping the bandages to look at the trauma site, however, Micah flinched, his breath hitching slightly.
Silas paused and stared at the young man, his gaze full of inquiry.
Micah dug his nails into the palm of his hands, forcing himself to sit still.
Noticing the young man didn't move again, Silas ignored the boy's strange reaction and removed the bandage.
The cold elastic touch of gloves brushed against Micah's temple. Micah shuddered. He could feel the man's breathing near his neck.
He clenched his jaw forcefully as he remained frozen in the bed.
"Any dizziness?"
"No."
Micah pushed the reply out of his mouth.
Silas hummed, his voice neutral.
"Any involuntary eye movement? Like it becoming blurry or seeing two objects?"
"No."
"Any headache?"
"A bit."
"Is it painful when I press on it?"
Silas's hand was still on Micah's head.
"Ouch…"
Micah winced.
"Do you still feel nauseous?"
"A little bit."
"Okay. Now remove your glasses and look at my finger."
Silas said as he turned on the flashlight, examining Micah's eye movements and reactions.
Micah was forced to look directly at the man. Every cell in his body screamed, wanting to escape from the room.
"Come down and walk."
Silas commended him.
Micah slowly rose and walked like a puppet, then he stretched His hands as he was instructed.
After a series of coordination, gait and stance examinations, Silas let him sit on the bed again.
Then the doctor wrapped the bandages again and removed his gloves with a snap as he stepped back.
Ensuring everything was normal, he turned to Elina and said.
"The patient doesn't appear to have any complications. However, since he lost consciousness and had vomiting, I still recommended he stay in the hospital for observation for 24 hours. By Tomorrow morning, if he doesn't develop any new signs and symptoms, he can be discharged."
Elina let out a quiet breath of relief and nodded.
"Thank you, doctor. Is there anything specific we should watch out for? Food restriction? Activities?"
Elina asked as she accompanied the doctor to the door.
Silas gave her a brief list of precautions before stepping out of the room.
Micah watched him leave, his body stiff, his mind full of chaotic thoughts.
As Silas walked out, Micah caught a slight scratch on the back of Silas's neck. His pupils trembled, and a wave of nausea attacked him again. He forced down the feeling, but his face turned white.
Aria noticed the change and came close in worry.
"Micah…Do you know the doctor?!"
She whispered to him. She knew his little brother the best. His reaction to the doctor was strange.
"No. What are you talking about? I just remembered I had something to do today, but now I am stuck here."
Micah grumbled in a low voice.
"If you say so…" Aria did not look convinced, but she let it go.
Micah leaned back on the bed, exhausted. His body felt drained as if the brief encounter had sucked his life out of him.
Elina soon returned, busying herself tidying up the room.
"I asked the doctor, it's better if you do not take a full shower today, just wipe down your body. Do you need help? If not me, I can ask a carer to come."
"I just hit my head, I did not lose my legs or arms. I am capable of doing that!"
Micah rolled his eyes and got up from the bed.
Walking into the bathroom, he shut the door behind him. Micah placed his glasses on the sink and then stared at his reflection in the mirror.
His trauma was just blunt, and there was no blood. But the bruise was nasty. The doctor had bandaged it with just some anti-inflammatory cream. Micah peeled the bandage back and grimaced.
The purple-black spot on his temple was really unsightly. He touched the spot and hissed. Turning on the tap, he washed his hands with cold water.
As he continued to splash water on his face, his mind drifted back to Silas.