Chapter 15: Discharged

The two embraced for a while before Ayla disengaged from the hug. She felt embarrassed when she saw the patch of tears and snort she had left on his shirt. 

"I'm sorry, i-" 

"It's okay. Don't worry. Lie down first." Hayden said as he helped her lie down. He knew she must be feeling so much pain while she sat as it strained the wounds on her body. Even though he was a germaphobe, he didn't mind the snort she had left on his shirt. He had come to a conclusion. He was going to be there for her. From the moment he figured out his feelings for her, he had sworn to himself that he would never allow anyone to ever hurt her again. 

"Do you need the quilt ?" Hayden asked her gently after she lay on bed. It was scorching hot after all.

"No." Ayla shook her head at him. She was feeling hot at that moment already.

"Alright, let me go and check with the doctor about your condition." Hayden said, and Ayla nodded in response. The moment the door closed from outside, Ayla let worry envelope her. From the interior of the ward she was in, she could tell that it was a VIP ward. How was she going to pay all the bills? She couldn't even afford three meals a day. How was she going to fork out such an exorbitant amount of money? She stared at the ceiling and pondered.

"When can she be discharged?" Hayden asked as he stared at Graham, who was reading a medical magazine in his office. 

"She can be discharged today. However, she needs at least two weeks to heal and her wounds to scab." Graham looked up from the magazine and faced Hayden .

"I see. Is there anything else?" Hayden asked again.

"Yes, make sure she takes the medicine and applies ointment as prescribed." Graham instructed in a professional tone. 

"Thank you." Hayden thanked him and left the office.

"Hey, I'm rooting for you!" Before Hayden could get out of the office, his friend Graham said with a cocky grin while pumping his fist in the air.

Hayden just glanced at him before leaving. 

"The doctor said you can be discharged today." The moment Hayden went back to the room, he relayed the message to Ayla, who was looking at him. She bit her lip and said softly;

"But I don't have the money to pay for the bill now.." She felt ashamed after saying this. Why was she explaining this to a stranger? They had just known each other because he was her teacher, what made her think that he would be willing to listen? Ayla thought self mockingly. 

"Don't worry about that." Hayden assured her. Was that what was worrying her? 

"Thank you." Ayla said with a trembling voice. She was touched that a stranger had offered to support her when she was desperate. But was there something she needed to do to pay him back? She decided to wait and see what he had in mind. There was nothing free in the world, after all. 

"So, where do you plan on going after you are discharged?" After a moment of silence, Hayden asked again. The question made Ayla's eyes flash with trepidation, Hayden happened to catch it. 

"I... don't know." She truly did not know. But what she knew was that if she went back to her room, she would probably come out dead for sure. And for the first time, the term "death" scared her. 

"How about you staying at my place? It's not far from the university. " Hayden proposed, which shocked her.

"But why?" Ayla found her voice and asked. Did he want to do something to her? 

"Don't worry, I don't have any impure intentions towards you. I'm just trying to help." I love you, Ayla. Hayden saw her through her doubts and assured her. 

"Okay, then I'll have to thank you." Ayla's words almost came out as a whisper. But Hayden heard them.

As Ayla stood up from the bed and started walking, she instantly sucked in a sharp breath. Her face scrunched up in pain.

"What's wrong, are you okay?" Hayden, who was waiting at the door, was shocked when he heard her hissing in pain. He immediately rushed over to check. 

"I must have torn some of my wounds." Ayla clenched her teeth and answered. She began moving again. 

"Don't move! Do you have a death wish?" Hayden ordered angrily. Wasn't she afraid of dying from excessive pain? 

Ayla's body was really feeling like it was on fire. The pain was basically unbearable, but she tried to hold on. Before she could react, Hayden walked over and gently carried her into his arms. He was very careful. After all, any slight movement was enough to hurt her. 

Ayla wanted to protest, but meeting his cold gaze, she kept mum and shrank into his embrace. 

Hayden carried her to his car and placed her on the seats before he carefully closed the door. 

She wanted to put on the seat belt, but

"Don't. It will only tear on your wounds." Hayden advised. After making sure she was comfortable, he drove off at a slightly slower speed.

The moment they arrived at his place, He walked to the other side of the car and opened the car door before reaching out to carry Ayla. He was shocked to find that she was already asleep. It might have been because of anaesthesia. After carefully carrying her upstairs, he placed her on the bed in the guestroom. He had already texted the housekeeper for instructions before they left the hospital. Hayden stood aside and watched as she frowned in her sleep. It made his heart ache. He could tell that the wounds were painful, but he had no means of making them stop hurting. It only frustrated him. Since he had decided to take her under his roof, he decided to make sure that she lived a happy life. Looking at her yellowish black hair that had been caused by malnutrition, coupled with her bony appearance, he swore to the heavens to change everything on her. He would do away with the scars on her body. But one thing worried her the most, would he be able to heal her wounded and scarred heart? He loved her. However, he didn't know if she would be willing enough to love him back. 

As he was still deep in thought;

"No! Don't!- " he looked over and saw Ayla flailing her arms through the air as though she was fighting with something. Was she having a nightmare?