Chapter 116: Are you disappointed
Dr Lancashire smiled stiffly at Natalie’s comment but said nothing. Natalie might be a nurse, but she had far more experience than her as a former matron.
Natalie looked at the students again. "Follow me," she instructed. Marie exchanged a glance with Gareth before following the older woman, leading the rest.
Natalie had the unmistakable air of a woman who had spent years working in emergency medicine and had long since lost the patience to tolerate nonsense. She had previously been a senior nurse in the emergency department until an accident forced her to transfer to a less demanding department.
That did not seem to have made her any gentler. She led them into the storage area and handed each of them a set of hospital scrubs. "Change into these. The boy can use that room while the girls go to my office," she explained. The students stared at her.
Natalie raised one eyebrow. "Did I stutter?" she asked.
"No, ma’am," Gareth answered quickly, and she snorted dismissively at them. She pointed towards a stack of equipment. "Once you are changed, organise those."
Yuki stared at the pile. There were enough supplies to keep them occupied for hours. She glanced at the clock. It was going to be a long afternoon.
By the time they finally finished, Yuki’s back ached and her feet were sore. She had barely changed back into her clothes before grabbing her bag. She had been so busy that she had completely forgotten to inform Maverick about the change in plans. She was supposed to be on campus. Instead, she was standing outside Ravencourt Central Hospital.
Yuki stepped through the main entrance and stopped beneath the wide overhang. The evening sun cast a golden glow over the hospital grounds, and the heat of the day still lingered in the air. She pulled out her phone and dialled Maverick’s number.
The call was still ringing when a dark car slowed beside the pavement. Yuki barely glanced at it. Then the passenger window rolled down.
She stopped.
Kieran’s face appeared behind the glass.
Yuki stared at him. Of course. She had spent the entire day trying to convince herself that she would not see him again outside the hospital. Apparently, the universe had other plans.
Kieran’s eyes moved briefly to the phone in her hand before settling on her face. "Get in," he instructed.
Yuki blinked. She glanced behind her, then back at him. "Excuse me?"
Kieran’s expression remained completely impassive. "Get in, Yuki."
She stared at him. "Why?" she asked.
His jaw tightened slightly. "Do you have a ride back?" he asked.
Yuki frowned. She looked towards the hospital entrance, then back at him. "I am calling Maverick."
"He wouldn’t get here for another 30 minutes," Kieran explained.
That stopped her. Yuki’s eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?" she drawled.
Kieran’s gaze dropped to the phone in her hand. "You can stand here and find out." Yuki’s lips parted. Kieran leaned back against the seat. "Get in."
She stared at him for another moment. This man was unbelievable. He had spent the entire morning acting as though the thought of rejecting her was an insult to his pride. He had spent the afternoon supervising her and reprimanding her classmates for leaving her behind. And now he was sitting outside the hospital ordering her into his car.
Yuki opened her mouth, about to reply. Kieran looked away first and added, "Unless you would rather stand outside the hospital all evening."
That was it. Yuki glared at him. "You are incredibly annoying."
"I have been told."
She stared at him. Kieran looked back at her with that same infuriatingly calm expression. Yuki finally ended the call and shoved her phone into her bag. "Fine."
She opened the car door. Kieran shifted slightly to give her room. Yuki climbed inside, slamming the door harder than necessary. The moment she settled into the seat, the familiar scent of him filled the enclosed space. She looked straight ahead. This was going to be a long ride.
Kieran started the car. For several long minutes, silence filled the vehicle. Yuki had no intention of speaking first, and apparently Kieran had reached the same conclusion. The low hum of the engine and the occasional passing streetlights were the only sounds between them.
Finally, Kieran broke the silence. "How was your first day?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.
Yuki smiled faintly, a touch of dry amusement in her expression. "It was fine," she replied. "Aside from dreading the fact that the house is not the only place I see your face."
Kieran’s hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. "You do not have to say that," he said.
"Then what?" Yuki turned to look at him, her tone sharpening. "Your girlfriend drank poison and jumped yesterday. What would she do if she knew you were my supervisor?" she sneered.
Kieran hissed through his teeth. "Eloise is not as bad as you imagine."
Yuki let out a short, bitter laugh. "It is easier to believe a lie than accept she is not the angel you imagine." The car fell silent for a moment. Then Kieran spoke again, his voice calmer this time.
"Was that why you asked Killian to talk to us about the rejection?" he asked.
Yuki snorted. "Honestly, what is your problem?" she snapped. "You sound disappointed that I decided to reject mates who hate me." Her voice rose slightly. "I understand your hatred for Aevia. She ruined your parents’ marriage, and I look painfully like her. It is like being with the woman who destroyed you."
She took a slow breath, forcing her tone to steady. "It is fine. I understand. I do not ask for much. Let us just be free and hopefully it ends well. I might get a mate who can look at my face without seeing someone else. And the mother of your children will be someone you do not loathe."
Kieran’s jaw clenched visibly. His eyes remained fixed on the road, but his knuckles had turned white against the steering wheel. The silence that followed felt heavier than before. Yuki turned her gaze back to the window, watching the city lights blur past.
She had said what she needed to say. There was nothing left to add.
Yet the quiet in the car pressed against her chest, thick with everything neither of them was willing to voice. Kieran’s breathing had grown slightly uneven. His usual calm composure seemed to be cracking at the edges.