Chapter 407
Meanwhile, Melody had made it back to Central Hospital, carrying some fruit salad.
Seeing that Rodney had just finished his outpatient consultations and was taking a break in his office, Melody handed him two servings of the fruit salad she had already portioned out.
“I made this with some traditional herbs,’ she said. ‘It’s really healthy and tasty. Keep one for yourself and give the other to the director.”
Rodney smiled and said, “Fruit salad sounds great, especially with those herbs. Why don’t you take it to the director yourself? He’d love it for sure.”
Melody shook her head. “I’ve got one more to drop off. Remember the patient from the cocktail party? Which ward is he in? I want to check in on him. It’s pretty rare to see heatstroke that severe, and I’d like to keep track of it.”
Melody had a habit of jotting down details of challenging cases in her notebook.
“Mr. Yager?” Rodney asked.
“Yeah, that’s what everyone calls him,” Melody replied.
Rodney looked a bit uneasy. “If it’s really him, you might want to avoid going.”
“Why?” Melody asked, confused.
Rodney sighed and said, “Mr. Yager’s family isn’t exactly easy to deal with. He’s actually pretty easygoing, but his distant relatives from Silverlake are a different story. They’re always acting high and mighty and making weird comments whenever I check on him. They even think I’m trying to get something out of him, but honestly, I don’t even know much about Mr. Yager’s background.”
Rodney paused and said, “But if you go, they probably won’t give you any trouble. You’re the reason Mr. Yager’s still around, after all.”
Melody considered this and replied, “Then I’ll go. The fruit salad might really help, and I’ll give him the recipe too.”
“Sounds good,” Rodney said. “I’ll come with you to make sure those relatives don’t give you a hard time at the ward.”
“Thank you,” Melody said.
“Don’t mention it,” Rodney replied, admiring Melody. “You’re not familiar yet with this hospital, so I’m glad to help.”
Just then, a nurse rushed over and interrupted them. “Dr. Stanton, we have bad news! The patient in bed five is having trouble breathing, and his oxygen levels have dropped a lot. I’ve given him oxygen, but he’s not getting any better.”
Rodney looked concerned. “Looks like I can’t join you after all, Melody.”
“It’s fine,” Melody said, waving it off. “The patient comes first. Go check on him, and if you need help, have someone find me.”
“Got it,” Rodney replied, nodding. He instructed the nurse to take Melody while he headed to the patient in bed five.
As Melody watched Rodney leave, she shook her head, thinking, ‘When will people start respecting doctors for the hard work we do?’
“Miss Fox, this way please,” the nurse said, then quickly added, “I mean, Dr. Knowles. But, uh, Dr. Knowles, why did you change your name?”
Melody shrugged and said, “I’ve cut ties with my family. Just remember to use the right name from now on.”
The nurse looked apologetic. “I’m sorry for asking. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“No worries,” Melody replied. “Let’s head out.”
She entered Central Hospital under the name “Wilona Knowles.” The main reason for the change was not just to distance herself from the Fox family but to address the situation with Ken.
Owen’s sudden betrayal had led to Ken being moved from the headquarters to Swanson Universal Entertainment, so she needed to approach Owen as Wilona.
Once she dealt with Owen, she could return to being Melody.
The nurse, concerned about saying the wrong thing again, remained quiet and guided her through.
Ten minutes later, the nurse led Melody to the door of a VIP ward.
“This is it,” the nurse said, about to knock, when a man and woman stepped out.
As soon as Melody saw them, her eyes went wide instantly. It was Wendell and Cadence.
Melody had not seen Cadence since the pit bull incident, and though Cadence clearly had lost some weight, she looked lively and fully recovered.
As soon as Melody saw them, Cadence and Wendell noticed her too, and their expressions immediately soured.
Cadence spoke first, her voice cutting. “What are you doing here? How dare you come looking for me now?”
Melody met Cadence’s gaze without flinching and replied calmly, “Miss Hunter, it’s been a while. Have you recovered?”
Cadence’s face darkened, looking like thunderclouds were gathering. “Bitch!” she cursed.
Cadence swung her hand to slap Melody, but Melody caught it easily before it could land.
Cadence tried to pull away, but she was shocked to find that Melody, who looked weaker, was surprisingly strong. Frustrated, she shouted, “Let go of me, you bitch!”
“Let her go!” Wendell, who had hoped to let Cadence get the upper hand, now saw his daughter struggling. He stepped in, ready to punch Melody.
Melody pushed Cadence away and ducked just in time to avoid Wendell’s punch. Quickly grabbing his arm, she used his momentum to pull him forward.
Wendell couldn’t stop himself and was slammed into the wall with a loud crash. He yelled out in pain.
“Dad!” Cadence shouted, furious. She rushed forward, ready to grab Melody by the hair.
Melody delivered a sharp karate chop to Cadence’s arm.
“Ah!” Cadence shrieked in pain.
Melody turned calmly to the dazed nurse and said, “Call security right away. These two are causing trouble, and they might need the police.”
“Okay!” The nurse quickly snapped out of it and went to call for security.
At that moment, a weak voice came from inside the ward, “What’s happening out there?”
Cadence, still in pain, glared at Melody and mouthed, “You’re dead.” She then turned and dashed into the ward. “Mr. Yager, there’s a woman outside who attacked me and my dad!”
Cadence held up her arm, showing Sean the red and swollen marks on her fair skin.