Just as Leonel was about to say something more, Alexis asked, âLeonel, did it hurt?â
She wanted to know if he felt pain when he was left alone on the operating table; when she walked out on him and he was stuck in the hospital because he couldnât move;
If it hurt when he saw her from his wheelchair.
Her voice quivered.
She wanted to touch his injured leg, to feel the scar, to know how much he had suffered.
Leonel tensed up.
He seemed to catch something in her words and shot her a cold Look.
After a moment, he shouted, âNoreen, make sure she gets to the ER!â
Noreen was taken aback by Leonelâs abrupt change of tone.
Before she could say anything, he had already ushered Alexis out of the motorhome, his demeanor much colder.
He signaled to the driver to get back in the car and drove off without another word.
In the breezy night, Alexis stood outside the car, watching as the motorhome disappeared into the distance.
Noreen felt a pang of sympathy and stepped up, saying, âMiss Fowler, Iâm really sorry.
Mr.
Douglas has been acting weird lately.
I think heâs just stressful.
â
Alexis glanced down at her bandaged hand.
The bleeding had stopped.
Tears pooled in her eyes as she whispered, âThereâs no need to get to the ER.
This will do.
â
She flagged down a taxi and hopped in.
Noreen was baffled, unsure what was happening with Leonel and Alexis.
When she reported back to Leonel, she expected a reprimand, but he just nodded quietly, without a word of scolding.
This left Noreen even more puzzled.
Instead of heading back to her parentsâ place, Alexis went to her own apartment.
It was late by the time she got there.
She didnât turn on the lights.
She stood in the dark, still wearing her gown.
She lit a slim cigarette but didnât smoke it; she just let it smolder.
What she learned today weighed heavily on her.
But she was just a regular person.
Sheâd been through too much to dive into love like she used to.