Fati was shocked by the weight of Jaguar's body as he suddenly collapsed against her fragile frame. She struggled with all her might not to fall with him. His head rested on her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around him, trying to support his body, which was burning with fever. She felt his lips brush against her neck; his breath was like hot embers, searing both her skin and her emotions. She heard him murmur something weak and warm, catching only his unconscious words:
- Why... did you leave?
Fati reached a point where she could no longer bear his weight.
- Jaguar! Don't pass out... stay with me for a moment!
She cried. She quickly pulled out her phone and called the nursing staff. Within moments, they arrived with a wheelchair and helped her place him in it. Leaving the papers scattered on the table, she rushed after him toward the emergency room, her heart racing with fear.
Fati stood frozen, watching the medical staff race against time to lower his burning fever and place IVs in his veins. She had never seen him this weak; he was always like a furnace, burning anyone near him when he was angry. Now, he was fragile, seeking anything to cool his boiling blood. She noticed his veins, more visible than ever; he seemed to have lost a lot of weight over the years, as if his grandfather's illness had broken both his pride and his body.
"Where are his guards?" she wondered. "Why is he always alone whenever I see him?" As these questions swirled in her mind, she heard a nurse ask urgently,
- Where is his family? Find them now
Panic seized Fati's heart. Was he in such danger that they needed his family? She raised her hand hesitantly, like a shy student, and said in a low but firm voice,
- I am his family.
A shiver ran through her as she realized, at that moment, she truly was the only one left for him in this world. She added clearly
- I am... his wife.
The nurse looked surprised, as she had assumed the doctor was unmarried.
- His temperature is 39.9°C,
She said seriously.
- That is extremely high.
The on-call doctor checked the blood test results with disbelief.
- He has a severe deficiency in almost every essential nutrient,
He said, looking at Fati.
- Doesn't this man eat?
Fati stood there, stunned and unable to find an answer.
- I... I was away traveling recently,
She stammered.
- I didn't realize he wasn't eating properly.
The doctor explained the low numbers in the report and concluded,
- He needs to see a nutritionist as soon as he wakes up.
- I will make sure he visits the clinic,
Fati replied softly.
As she walked away, she heard the nurse whisper to her colleague,
- How can a billionaire suffer from malnutrition? I guess money doesn't always buy a full stomach.
Jaguar woke up to find himself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. He wondered how he had gotten there. He tried to remember... he was in his wife's office, waiting to give her the information she wanted. He had waited for her at home for a long time, and when she didn't show up, he went to her workplace only to find she was stuck in surgery. His head was throbbing with a headache, and his body was in pain, but what happened after that?
He looked around and saw Fati lying on the sofa next to his bed. She was wearing her lab coat as a blanket, her face turned away, and her hair cascading down the side of the sofa like a waterfall. He stood up, dragging the IV pole with him, and stood over her. She was hugging a pillow tightly; it seemed she loved to embrace something while sleeping. He smiled at the thought, wishing he were in the place of that pillow, just as she had held him last night. He leaned down and covered her with his own blanket to keep her warm.
At that moment, Fati turned her head and slowly opened her eyes. At first, she didn't realize where she was, but suddenly her eyes widened in shock. She grabbed his hand, which was still holding the edge of the blanket, as if checking his temperature, and asked anxiously,
- Are you okay?
Fati adjusted her seat anxiously, placing her other hand on her own forehead to compare temperatures.
- You still have a fever,
she said worriedly.
- I'll call the nurse to bring your medicine
She tried to stand, but he placed a hand on her shoulder, gently forcing her back down.
- I took it a while ago,
he lied smoothly.
- Just rest.
Fati checked her watch; it was nearly 8:00 AM.
- I'm late! I need to check on yesterday's patient before heading to the clinic.
Jaguar looked at her reproachfully.
- How many hours did you sleep, Fati? It looks like you only closed your eyes at dawn. You're going to exhaust yourself.
She gave him a knowing smile, thinking of his disastrous medical report, and replied softly,
- Look who's talking about self-exhaustion!
She reached the door and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped.
- Jaguar... when they bring your breakfast, let me know so I can come and eat with you, okay? She was about to close the door but peeked back in with a mysterious smile.
- And how about we have dinner together tonight?
She left him in a state of total confusion. Was this her way of thanking him for the information about the servants, or was the ice finally starting to melt?
Jaguar sat on his bed, his legs barely supporting him. He wondered at the sudden strength he had gathered while she was there, and how his weakness returned the moment she stepped out. He fell back into a deep sleep, only waking when the nurse came to change his IV.
- Why is your blanket on the sofa?
She asked while tucking him in.
- I threw it there when I felt hot,
He lied smoothly.
- Strange, you should be feeling cold,
The nurse replied, checking his temperature.
- Anyway, it's 38.4 now. Still high, but much better than last night. You really gave your wife a scare
She placed the medicine in his palm and handed him water.
- Take this in front of me, please.
Jaguar didn't care about the medicine as much as the word ringing in his ears:
"Wife!"
He smiled to himself; the fact that she told them she was his wife meant that, deep down, she still accepted this bond.
- Have you had breakfast?
The nurse asked. He noticed the tray that had been brought while he was asleep.
- Not yet,
He said.
He reached for his phone to call her, then remembered bitterly that he didn't have her number. He looked at the nurse as she was about to leave and said with a patient's gravity:
- Could you please tell my wife... that I need her?
A few minutes passed like hours before the door burst open and Fati rushed into the room. Her face was flushed from fear and running. As soon as she reached his bed, she hurriedly raised her hand to touch his forehead, gasping,
- Are you okay? Did your fever go up again?
Jaguar wrapped his fingers around her hand, slowly pulling it away from his forehead while locking his mysterious gaze onto hers.
- No,
He said in a calm tone she had never heard before,
- But I missed you.
The moment he spoke, he pulled her by the hand he was still holding, spinning her so she fell directly into his lap on the bed. He whispered against her shocked face,
- Shall we have breakfast together now?