Then, she held the other bottle of ginkgo medicine as she strode to the garage and got into the car toward the hospital.
In the hospital, Frank was sitting on the bed watching an esports competition. He seemed to be in good spirits.
“Frank, the medicine is ready.” She threw the small bottle of medicine at him without a single hint of warning.
“It’s such a tiny bottle. Is that enough?”
Looking at the silver ceramic bottle, Frank was filled with doubt as he looked at the teeny silver ceramic bottle.
It’s only the length of my finger. I can probably use it once.
“Open it, and you’ll see.”
Elspeth didn’t bother to explain and only told him to see for himself.
Frank opened up the bottle as a pleasant fragrance swept over his face. It was light but fragrant with the unique smell of ginkgo.
Inside the bottle was some sort of paste, and he tried pressing on it with his fingers. It felt warm to the touch as if it was freshly made.
Frank was a little curious and asked uncertainly, “Do I spread this on my back?”
Elspeth replied in a deadpan tone, “You can swallow it too. I’ll prepare the equipment for a gastric lavage for you.”
He realized that she was mocking him when he heard that and was a little annoyed as he huffed in reply, “Then, who’s going to help me put it on?”
“Why are you looking at me? It won’t be me.”
They were of a different gender. So, it would be weird. Besides, he had a temper on him, and she wasn’t foolish enough to be a willing subject to his ‘tender’ mercies.
Suddenly, a thought popped into her mind as she smiled. “You could ask Spencer to help you. It could help you both to become closer.”
Frank was so mad that his ears went red and rejected her hotly, “Over my dead body.”
The nurse by the side couldn’t hold it back any longer. Her eyes were sparkling with admiration as she suggested, “Mr. Joneson, I could help you. I love putting on medicine for people.”
When he stared at the chubby lady in front of him who was so eager yet shy, he turned his head and looked at Elspeth with a solemn face.
“Call Spencer now!”
Elspeth pressed her lips together, afraid she would laugh and hurt the nurse’s feelings.
If she laughed, it would definitely cancel out all the good deeds she had done.
Suddenly, Frank told her that he was thirsty and specified he wanted coffee from a particular place. She knew that this was payback for being mean to him earlier, so she didn’t refuse him and drove to get it.
She also knew that he wanted her to leave since he was shy and didn’t want a girl watching him as someone slathered the paste over his injury.
Spencer had clearly rushed over, considering his timely appearance. To his immense amusement, Frank only needed him because Frank couldn’t spread the paste himself. So, he gave Frank a light punch as he chortled, “What? Am I the Joneson Family’s nanny now, Mr. Joneson?”
Frank was still rather shocked by the nurse earlier. So, he wasn’t in a good mood and coldly ordered, “Stop fooling around and get to work.”
Spencer lifted his shirt and lightly spread the paste onto his back.
Without Elspeth there, he was a little distracted, causing his hand to slip and accidentally press on Frank’s wound.
“Argh! Careful. It hurts! Are you doing that on purpose?”
Spencer immediately came back to his senses as he shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
When Frank’s grimace had smoothened out, he continued to wonder, “Elspeth is such a two-faced woman. Why would anyone still want someone like her?”
Spencer used some strength and once again pressed on Frank’s wound.
Frank let out a howl this time, “What are you doing, Spencer?”
“Oh.” Spencer was emotionless as his fingers turned gentle. “My hand slipped.”
It was Frank’s fault for prodding right at his sore spot anyway.
Frank kept hissing from the pain. That shut him up, and he stopped commenting about Elspeth.
After a while, she returned with coffee and saw that Spencer was done applying the paste. So, she asked how Frank felt.
He closed his eyes as he focused on his injury. He felt that his back was cool due to the paste, but his wound still stung and itched too. “The pain is still there, but it’s acceptable.”
“If it hurts, that means the medicine is working. I added a medicinal herb for you. Even though it would hurt a little, it could get rid of that temper of yours and reduce your chances of experiencing any inflammation.” Elspeth smiled once she saw that Frank’s injury was healing just as she knew it would. “The wound on your back would be partially healed within a few days. Remember to avoid coming in contact with water.”
Spencer, who was standing by the side, saw that she was planning to leave and asked hesitantly. “Elspeth, we talked about the sickness of that friend of mine. Do you have time now?”
Only then did she recall his request. “Oh, you’re talking about that person with heliophobia?”
“Yes. I told her that I would look for someone to help treat her. She was delighted.” Spencer tried to make his request as discreet as possible, hoping that she would take a look at his friend.
Elspeth nodded. “Sure. No problem. We can go now.”
A glint of joy shone in Spencer’s eyes. “Great. I’ll send you there.”
Then, they bid Frank goodbye, left the hospital, and got in Spencer’s car to a colonial-style home in the suburbs.
The whole house screamed fancy, and Elspeth felt rather oppressed as she laid her gaze on the heavily ornamental wooden furniture.
Soon, a middle-aged couple greeted them as they entered the living room.
“You should be Miss Lynwood. Spencer mentioned you. You’re as young and beautiful as I expected!” The man of the couple looked at Elspeth’s face as a glimmer of darkness flashed across his eyes.
“Thank you, Mr. Fowler. Where’s the patient?”
Elspeth was a little peeved at his strange gaze and wanted to leave the moment she was done with her diagnosis.
“Allow me.”
The woman led Elspeth and Spencer to exit the living room toward the backyard and entered a small courtyard that was sealed tightly.
Elspeth couldn’t help but frown at the darkness as she entered the room.
“We have no choice. Tina’s afraid of the light.” The woman noticed Elspeth’s discomfort and smiled apologetically.
On the other hand, Spencer seemed fine, as he could move around freely.
The three entered the room at the very back. As Elspeth noticed the girl’s silhouette curled up on the bed, her mind was miles away as she slowly stepped forward.
The girl heard the door creak and looked up but shrank back timidly when she was met with an unfamiliar face.
“Don’t be scared, Tina. This is Elspeth. I’ve told you about her before.” Spencer patiently comforted her while giving Elspeth a look.
Elspeth immediately got his hint and smiled. “Hi, Miss Fowler. I’m here to help. But first, may I give you a checkup?”
Tina shook her head. “I’m fine. You don’t need to check me.”
Elspeth wasn’t fazed by her rejection and tried to persuade her, “It doesn’t matter. No matter what, it doesn’t hurt to decide later what you want to do after I’ve taken a look at you.”
Then, she looked at Mrs. Fowler and Spencer, who were standing behind her, and requested for them to leave. “Could you both leave the room for a minute? I’ll call out for you if I need some help.”
Spencer nodded and walked out with a hesitant Mrs. Fowler.
Once both of them had departed from the room, Elspeth turned back to the girl with a solemn look on her face.
“Tell me the truth, Miss Fowler. What exactly is going on here?”
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