Chapter 375: Chapter 375
"Why couldn’t you have waited a little longer?"
Aliya’s words lingered in Ian’s mind as he headed out of the room and along the hospital’s corridors. It was his phone that brought him out of his reverence, and his mother’s question was not even surprising. Ian had somehow expected that call, but what he had not expected were the voices of opinion that had been directed at him.
In a way, he was happy, but there was another emotion that Ian could not pinpoint. Ian was happy that his family was on Shelby’s side, unanimously, but he knew that they did not have to worry about anything, for he was on his wife’s side as well. This whole situation with Aliya was turning out to be a little more delicate than he had thought.
Ian sighed and then continued walking towards his destination, the doctor’s office.
In that room, Shelby placed her phone on her lap and then raised her brilliant blue eyes to meet that of the doctor. The man sucked in his breath ruggedly. His heart thumped vigorously in his chest and he felt himself start to get lightheaded.
He found out that he had to use all of his mental capacity to keep using normal words with this woman in front of him.
However, one thing was for sure! He never wanted to be on the other side of that phone that she had just hung up on. The words she had spoken seemed harmless enough, but it the slightly cool, or for lack of better way, the chilling way that she had delivered those words. He shivered slightly.
Shelby paid no heed to him and, closing her eyes briefly, sent some commands to Murray after hanging up the call with Angela for him to check on the Wendover mansion.
She had no mental capacity to talk to Clara or anything relating to her. Shelby re-opened her eyes, composed and turned to the doctor,
"Thanks for discussing this with me."
She stood up and stretched out her hand to greet him just as the door pushed open from outside, and Ian’s towering figure stepped into the office, making the original spacious place shrink in size.
She looked at her husband and wondered what he could be thinking. They had both locked themselves out of each other’s minds at some point that evening. She wondered what they were afraid of finding.
The office only had one source of light: a long thin pole at one corner of the place that cast long shadows in the office because of the time of day.
Shelby did not have to turn to know who had entered the office. It was instinct.
She stepped away from her chair and walked right past Ian for the door.
"Wait, I-" he whispered, and she stilled her movements,
"Just the man I was waiting for...."
The doctor’s words stopped what Ian had been about to say to Shelby. Ian turned slightly so that he was looking straight at the doctor,
"There are a few things that I would like to speak with you about, Mr Thornston..... alone?"
Ian lifted the side of his lips in a smirk. He reached for Shelby’s hands and intertwined his in hers. Ian guided Shelby back to the same seat that she had just vacated. Shelby let herself be led without a word.
"Mr Thornston, I think-"
"You are not paid to think about anything but the patient’s wellbeing. Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
Ian asked, cutting off the doctor’s words. He did not want an unknown person to dictate how and when he interacted with his wife.
’I have nothing to hide, my Elvin!’ He used his mind-link to communicate this to her and then waited for the doctor to begin.
Currey, who had remained quite throughout this finally stepped forward to close the door that Ian had left opened and then went back to his position at the back of the room.
The doctor hesitated a bit and casted a way glance at Shelby. It didn’t take long before she understood why he did that.
"I, - I’m going to be very honest with you, Mr Thronston," the doctor began, still casting that same wary look at both Ian and Shelby. He then removed his glasses and leaned forward on the table that separated him and the couple. His tone is calm but carried an undeniable weight and a little strain.
Our Jane Doe, as we have called her for the past two years has – I mean, we never expected her to make any recovery, and we also have no idea of anything about her till today. It’s funny that-"
"Go straight to the point!"
"Ah yes, I’m so-rry-" The doctor responded and started stuttering. In the presence of such a powerful figure, he could start to feel out of place, even in his own office,
"The patient’s mental state is... fragile. She’s disoriented and emotionally vulnerable and could potentially regress if faced with anything too stressful or unfamiliar. In such a case, it’s crucial to minimize triggers and maintain a sense of safety and familiarity for her."
Ian furrowed his brow, his hands clasping Shelby’s tightly together. It was an unconscious action that he was not even aware of himself.
"Where are you going with this, doctor?" he asked, his voice low and tight.
"As I had previously said, the patient is in a delicate position, emotionally and mentally. Sometimes, patients in her condition latch onto certain ideas or relationships to ground themselves. In her case... well, it seems she’s anchored to you."
The doctor started fidgeting with his glasses as he said the last part of this. He was almost to the point of shivering that even Currey wondered what had given him the guts to sy sauch words.
Ian exhaled sharply, looking away, his jaw tightening. Shelby looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She could see where this was going already, so she was not surprised that Ian even bothered to answer the doctor’s semblance of a question or petition.
Ian raised his intertwined hands with Shelby, as if that could cement the fact that he was indeed married. The simple statement was unneeded but Ian somehow felt that he needed to say this. What happened to that all-powerful and mighty Ian, one might ask?
The doctor nodded sympathetically but didn’t relent.
"Mr Thornston, you should understand that I can only talk from the medical point of view. That aside, I understand, and I’m not suggesting you act inappropriately. But consider this: any rejection or drastic change in her perceived reality could destabilize her."
He stammered a bit and continued, "Indulging her—not in any romantic sense but in creating a safe environment—might be necessary for her recovery. I wanted to let you know this from the onset...."
The doctor turned to look at Shelby at this time. He marvelled at her perfect poise and calm demeanour.
".... And how did you come to this conclusion?"
Both Shelby and Ian asked at the same time.
Ian turned to her and put a little reassuring pressure on their joined hands,
"Are you suggesting that my husband indulge in some fantasy wishes of some woman?
"Is this how you practice your supposed profession, Doctor?"
Ian added, his gaze trained on Shelby, picking up every single action and flickering of emotion. He could see the restrained fury from the old glint in her eyes,
For a moment, Ian’s powerful aura diminished. At that point in time, he was just Ian and not Chairman or His Highness! This was replaced by the weight of the situation.
’How did it come to this? And why am I not putting an end to this shitshow?’ Ian wondered.
"And if I refuse? Ian asked, his voice steady but colder than before.
The doctor hesitated, then spoke with measured precision,
"If you refuse, it’s likely her condition will deteriorate. Emotional regression could lead to severe complications. The consequences could be dire for her overall health and recovery."
Just then, Shelby’s phone buzzed. She removed her hands from Ian’s intertwined ones. She had heard all that she needed to hear. She rose gracefully from the chair, causing all the men in the room to look at her. She turned without looking back at any of them. With her phone tightly clenched in her hands, she walked up to the door.
Shelby rested her hands on the knob for a while and then turned to Ian,
"This is your decision, my dear... but I trust that you’ll remember where your priorities lie...."
Ian’s words stuck in his throat as he stared down at his empty hand. The feeling of her warm ones still lingered there. His throat tightened as his eyes met that of Shelby’s.
Then Shelby opened the door and stepped out.
This was not a ’battle’ Ian knew how to fight for. He was not prepared for something like that, especially when Shelby stepped out without a backward glance.
Currey bowed and stepped out of the room to see Shelby’s lonely and resolute back in the distance. She stood with her back to him, her head bent on her phone and in the closest waiting room.
Currey did not disturb her and stood by the farthest wall, where he could observe without intruding. His gaze hardened, thinking of the rolling sequence of events that day.
’Could it be?....’ Currey stopped his thoughts from venturing anywhere yet. He had a duty to protect till Murray got there, and he could not afford to be negligent.
The doctor continued to watch Ian, but he was still fidgety and overwhelmed, especially when Shelby left the room. A suffocating presence emerged so much that he felt that he was almost out of air!
"Is this a medical or sympathetic observation?" Ian finally asked when the doctor got to the point that he couldn’t take it anymore.
The doctor’s mouth dropped open, no words making their way out.
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