My Handsome Uncle, Please Be Mine!

6.

Instantly, the elevator doors successfully opened.

“Help me!”

Uncle Joe shouted, and Clara was quickly lifted onto the prepared stretcher. The girl was unconscious, her body drenched in sweat. They swiftly took her to the nearest hospital.

“Clara, hold on!”

Uncle Joe, worried, walked alongside the stretcher, almost running. One of his hands wiped Clara’s cheek, hoping she could be saved.

She remained unresponsive.

Later, the girl was brought into the ambulance.

Uncle Joe continued to gaze at Clara’s face. There was a sense of regret for not buying Clara’s ice cream. If Clara survived, he promised to buy her as much ice cream as she wanted.

The watch on his wrist showed half-past seven in the evening.

The man reached for Clara’s hand. The medical personnel on the other side were busy installing an IV and providing respiratory assistance. Though very faint, Clara seemed to be breathing. There was a weak pulse in her wrist.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital.

Clara was admitted to the inpatient room, and Uncle Joe stayed by her side.

Clara’s condition was not too serious. She felt weak due to oxygen deficiency.

Joe instructed his assistant to bring the phone he forgot to bring.

Uncle Joe felt exhausted, but he kept his eyes open, waiting for Clara, who was now sleeping.

Shortly after, Faris arrived with his boss’s phone.

Joe told Faris to go back and informed him that he couldn’t go to work tomorrow.

Joe called the dormitory supervisor, informing him about the unfortunate incident with Clara. After that, he returned to watch over Clara, who was still asleep.

The man observed Clara’s peacefully sleeping face. Worried, suddenly Clara’s expression changed as if having a nightmare. Cold sweat dampened her temples.

“Clara,” Joe called worriedly.

He tried to wake Clara by gently patting her cheek.

The bad dream came again, the terrifying dream that haunted Clara’s sleep. She dreamed of a dark place and kept running, calling out to her parents. The horrific dream always came back.

“Clara,” Uncle Joe called with a louder voice, trying to wake her.

Clara woke up and reflexively hugged Joe tightly.

The man reciprocated Clara’s embrace, patting her back. Comforting the girl.

“Calm down; it’s just a dream,” Joe reassured, suddenly becoming close to Clara. They had never embraced like this before.

“I’m here, Uncle,” Clara whimpered.

She moved even closer and hugged Joe.

“Calm down, I’m here!”

“I’m scared; the terrible dream keeps coming back, Uncle,” the girl complained.

Slowly, Clara released her embrace on Uncle Joe. She laid her head back on the hospital pillow. Wiping away tears that wet her cheeks.

“Don’t cry,” Joe consoled.

His palm wiped away the tears falling on Clara’s cheeks. He empathized with the fear felt by the girl.

Clara nodded, holding back her tears.

“Go back to sleep!” Joe instructed, adjusting the blanket to cover Clara’s chest. For the first time in his life, he felt Clara was so pitiable. An orphan, having nothing, and relying only on him.

Clara complied, falling back asleep. The girl felt peaceful; the hug from the strong arms sitting beside her truly made her comfortable. It managed to erase the fear when the nightmare came.

The man then sat down and also fell asleep, feeling exhausted. He couldn’t bear to leave the girl alone in the hospital.

Clara woke up in the middle of the night. She slowly blinked, scanning the room. It was the presidential suite of the hospital, equipped with one AC, one bed, one bathroom, a refrigerator, waiting chairs, a TV table, a wardrobe, a water dispenser, a sofa, a guest bed, a family room, and a dining table. This was the first time Clara had been in such a luxurious hospital room.

Her gaze shifted to Uncle Joe, who was asleep. Then, she began to recall the incident of being trapped in the elevator. Clara breathed a sigh of relief, not expecting to still be alive.

Clara observed Uncle Joe, feeling delighted as he held her hand. She even smiled to herself in the middle of the night in that quiet room. Whatever that feeling was, Clara was happy because Uncle Joe was still by her side.

As dawn approached, Clara woke up several times, always watching Uncle Joe’s hand. She smiled again when she found him still holding her hand.

At almost six in the morning, Uncle Joe woke up. Clara pretended to keep her eyes closed.

“Clara,”

Uncle Joe called gently, stroking the back of Clara’s hand, and examining her face. He was worried as she hadn’t woken up yet. It couldn’t be due to the effects of the medication.

Joe decided to press the emergency button. Shortly after, a nurse arrived. She checked Clara’s condition and said that she was normal, probably just sleeping.

Clara, who was still pretending to sleep, listened carefully to the conversation between Uncle Joe and the nurse. Eventually, she decided to open her eyes. Yes! There was no avoiding Uncle Joe because he was the only person who would take her out of the hospital.

“Cough,”

Clara pretended to cough, slowly opening her eyes, acting as naturally as possible. She felt embarrassed remembering the last words she uttered before fainting. She accidentally revealed her feelings. Hopefully, Uncle Joe didn’t hear it.

Uncle Joe, who was standing and feeling desperate, turned to find Clara already awake. The man hurriedly sat back beside the girl.

“Clara,”

Uncle Joe called her name with shining eyes and a wide smile. His heart felt relieved. He looked at Clara intently.

“Yes,”

Clara answered while rubbing her throat due to thirst.

Joe took a glass of water from the bedside table and handed it to Clara.

Clara sipped it slowly. With his right hand holding the glass, Joe used his left hand to tidy Clara’s messy hair.

“What do you feel now?” Joe asked.

He placed the nearly empty glass on the table. Then, his eyes focused on Clara once again.

Joe fixed the front part of Clara’s hair, feeling immensely grateful to hear the woman’s voice again.

He had been extremely worried about the bad things that might have happened to Clara.

“I’m better now, Uncle. I want to go to school!” Clara requested.

“No! Today you still need to be under observation. I will call the school so you don’t have to attend today,” the man instructed.

“Okay, Uncle,”

Clara obeyed, lying back down on the hospital bed.

And when a nurse brought her breakfast along with medication, Clara hoped Joe would feed her.

[To be continued…]