10 FIRST EXAM AND RIVAL

Three days later, Saturday; the noise outside could not compare to the loud thumps of Belle's heart. She felt like her heart was pressed right onto her ears. Her eyes twinkled in joy and this did not escape from Eli's observation when he walked into her room for his visiting time.

"Doc." She greeted him happily the moment she laid her eyes on him. "I can finally walk. I mean, they allowed me to walk."

"That's great! I bet you can only do it for a few hours daily, but that's a great start. I'll walk you to the garden next time."

"Hmph! Who wants to walk with you?!" She exclaimed which was really out of character since she was beaming with happiness a few hours ago. "Let me use your laptop now. I wanted to continue searching for something."

Eli could only shake his head at this woman whose mood swing was worse than a woman having her menstrual period. "Five minutes."

"Got it."

Five minutes later, Belle returned the computer to him and there was this look of disappointment in her eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked while opening his files in front of her. "Do you need more time?" [Just this time since you look sad.] Eli thought and he never realized that he was being considerate to her just because of her expression.

Unexpectedly, Belle did not take on his offer.

"Belle."

"Yes, doc?"

"I heard that you like spicy food. If you pass your exam today, I will buy you something you want to eat as well as the novel that you wanted to read."

Ceres frowned upon hearing his words. He sounded so gentle and caring which she did not expect from a man like him. It was probably the influence of her view of him before when he was a general in her past life. She thought that he'd be the kind of person with a strong personality – the one who forces people to follow them. Yet, the man in front of her was nothing like the one she imagined him to be.

"Belle?"

"Ah? Yeah. Sure. I'd love that. I will do my best to pass the test. It's been a while since I ate something delicious. The ration from the hospital tastes really bland. No wonder many of the patients get irritated when seeing such a food."

Eli just chuckled at her response and kept his opinion to himself. It was probably his imagination but he thought Belle's eyes changed colors for a moment when she talked. "Let's start with Fundamentals of Nursing. This is quite a lot but I have summarized everything and maybe it would help you refresh some forgotten memories."

"Okay. I'll try my best."

"If you have questions, just let me know."

***

"Belle is really lucky." one of the nurses said while writing something on her clipboard. "I want to spend time with Dr. Rivera, too. Why am I not in her shoes?"

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Before you think that way, you should not forget that she went through a life-and-death situation. Do you want to lose the precious memories you have with your friends and family?" said the head nurse, Marga Valle. "She does not even remember Dr. Rivera. What's there to feel great about it when you can't recall why you admired that person."

Everyone turned silent after hearing these words coming from their superior. She was not exactly scolding them but the truth she spoke was really something that they felt guilty about. All they think was the precious fact that Belle gets to spend time with the most sought-after Dr. Eliezer Rivera. They never considered the point that she suffered so much and does not remember anything related to the amazing doctor.

Well, that was what they thought. Only Ceres and Belle knew the truth.

Everyone reflected on their behavior and returned to work, but Dr. Peachy Lopez came to their station. "What's new? Everyone seems talking about something interesting."

"Oh! We're talking about the new menu at the canteen," replied the head nurse before turning around to leave "Make sure that you finish your work girls. I will be inspecting your work later."

"Yes, head nurse."

It wasn't new to Dr. Lopez that some of the nurses don't like her and that includes the head nurse. She didn't care, though. When push comes to shove, she is their superior and she can ask them around like her slaves. "Hmph!"

Marga smirked when she was far from everyone and away from their sights. "So, what if she likes Eli? She does not even remember him and she keeps pushing him away. I'll just be the good miss-head-nurse that Eli can rely on. Surely, he won't be able to escape the clutches of a charming woman, and a reliable one at that. Right now, Belle is useless. She can't even do something as simple as taking a blood sample. Heh!"

She walked gracefully as if she was walking in a fashion show and many male staff couldn't stop themselves from looking at her. Their lustful gazes increase her poise and confidence. "Good work everyone." She said and smiled which made everyone wear their hearts on their sleeves, but she can't be bothered with them.

She went to Belle's room and saw Eli patiently explaining something to the woman who lost her memories. She was once a cheerful and amazing nurse that almost everyone likes – almost since several nurses and doctors were jealous of her. As for her, she never thought of Belle as her rival. To her, even if Belle was beautiful, she was still an ordinary nurse in her eyes. She got no position to show off.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Eli turned around and saw Marga standing at the door. "Do you need something? My free time is currently occupied."

Marga came in and smiled at Belle as if they were close friends. She didn't really hate Isabelle but she didn't like her either. What they had was just a professional relationship between nurses. "I am on my way to check on a patient and remembered that Belle is staying here. I'm just dropping by to how she's doing. Is she reviewing her job description?"

"Yes. I'm currently helping her. Hopefully, she could get something from this."

"Hmm, I see. That's very kind of you, doc. Anyway, I won't take so much of your time. I have work to do. See you around, Belle."

And off she was. Ceres scoffed lightly which caused Eli to look at her and scratched his head. "I forgot to introduce you to her."

"I don't need to know her," Ceres said indifferently. If she was Belle right now, things would be different but since she was taking over Belle's body, she wouldn't let anyone fool her. That woman, though she said she was checking on Belle, she never really looked at her from the moment she stepped inside. All her attention was on Eli even when she left and bid farewell to her. There was no need for words. She could already tell that she was one of her rivals.

[What Rival are you talking about? The head nurse doesn't like Eli romantically.] Belle corrected in her subconsciousness. [Don't be so quick to judge.]

Ceres rolled her eyes when Eli wasn't looking at her and whispered irritably. "I am a better judge of character between us. Remember, I was once an assassin. I learned to read even the tiniest change in expressions."

"Are you saying something?" Eli asked when he happened to hear her muttering about assassins and expressions. "Do you like to watch action movies that have something to do with assassins?"

The room sank into a deafening silence and Belle retreated to the deepest part of her mind. She left Ceres all alone to deal with the aftermath. [You are smarter than me, right?]

"I never thought you will be interested in that kind of movie."

"What kind of movie do you think I like?"

"Romantic or something melodramatic; like most girls like."

"I'm different," Ceres said without lifting her eyes to look at him. She had her gaze glued on the screen in front of her as if she was really studying hard. "Can I start the exam now? I want to rest after taking it."

Eli wished her luck as he handed the test papers to her. It was just really a short exam because he didn't want to tire her out but most of them were situational which would test her social and professional skills as a nurse. That is if she could remember things and apply them.

Eli just stood at the window and watched Belle answer the questionnaire silently. Other patients who lost their memories would try their best to remember things since they didn't know if those experiences were either good or bad. However, in Belle's case, she refused to remember anything. She refused to become a nurse and she refused his presence at some point - she just didn't have any other choice but to accept him.

He was really confused about why she insisted on forgetting everything. [Is it possible that by remembering her godmother and Neon, she was able to connect her job and her purpose? Are they the reason why she became a nurse and why she wanted to quit as well?]

"I'm done." Belle declared and pushed the laptop and papers away from her. "My eyes are tired. I'll take a nap while you are correcting them."

"Actually, I need to leave now since I have work in five minutes. I'll be back with Neon in the afternoon."

"Fine. Fine. Whatever."

Eli didn't know what got her annoyed this time but he could tell that she was really pissed off with something. "Tell me if I ever offended you in some way."

"Of course, you have been a big help."

"I can hear the sarcasm dripping from your voice."

Instead of saying something as a retort, Ceres pulled the cover over her head and closed her eyes. She didn't want to think or hear anything. For the first time, she wanted to get inside the solitary room where no one can disturb her.

"I'm off now."

No response.

Eli just sighed and left with a heavy heart. He tried his best to cheer her up but, in the end, he was not able to change anything. [Is she having her period? I never considered that one.]