His gaze was distant, his face contorted in pain.
Witnessing his condition, my fear escalated.
In a trembling voice, I managed, âYou need to calm down.
Weâll be at the hospital soonâ¦â
Andrew seemed dazed, fixing an unblinking stare on me.
My heart pounded in my chest, yet I remained silent, fearing any words might further upset him.
We sat in tense silence.
Suddenly, Andrew clutched his temple, wincing in pain.
When his gaze met mine again, it had cleared.
Tentatively, I ventured, âAre you feeling any better now?â
Distractedly, Andrew glanced at my hand and then his own before apologizing, âIâm sorry.
Shirley drugged me.
â
âDrugged?â I gasped, staring at him in disbelief.
He hadnât specified the drug, but his erratic behavior suggested it was some kind of aphrodisiac.
Andrew nodded, his voice filled with discomfort.
âThe drug clouded my judgment just now.
I didnât mean to offend you.
Please, donât hold it against me.
â
With that, he moved to sit farther away, leaning against the car window to maintain distance, and turned his head away, avoiding any further eye contact.
Seeing the tremble in Andrewâs back stirred mixed feelings within me.
Andrew had once saved my life and supported me in many ways.
Now, seeing him in this state, I felt both
sympathy and concern for him.
Yet, the fear that he might act unpredictably under the drugâs influence kept me from approaching or speaking further.
All I could do was implore the driver repeatedly to hasten our journey to the hospital.
Debraâs POV:
We finally reached the hospital after my persistent urging.
I helped Andrew find a doctor.
The doctor examined him and administered an injection.
Andrewâs temperature dropped.
His face lost some of its redness, and his eyes looked noticeably calmer.
The doctor then treated Andrewâs arm and facial wounds.
He explained some aftercare instructions and mentioned Andrewâs condition wasnât ideal.
He recommended staying for observation.
Andrewâs brow furrowed at the suggestion.
âCan I not get hospitalized?â
The doctor seemed slightly flustered.
âBut the burns are quite serious.
â
The situation reached a stalemate until I spoke firmly.
âStay in the hospital.
Iâll handle the admission process.
â
Andrew appeared surprised but didnât object, essentially agreeing with my decision.