Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

Zed heard Jean let out a scream in the kitchen following a crackling sound. He didn't know what had happened, but a bad feeling overcame him. He immediately put down the magazine he was reading and rushed to the kitchen.

Zed saw Jean laying on the floor with fragments of bowls and plates scattered everywhere in the kitchen.

It was not difficult for Zed to guess what had happened to Jean. Jean's hands were badly cut by those sharp fragments when she slipped. The cuts kept bleeding, resulting a rather gory scene. Zed was startled. He felt his heart ached when he saw those wounds. How she fell down? Was she hurt badly?

Zed came to seconds later. He quickly carried Jean out of the kitchen. After placing her on the sofa. He went to fetch the first aid kit. He squatted in front of Jean and tended to her cuts.

But the cuts were too deep, the bleeding didn't stop. So Zed simply disinfect them and bandage them carefully before driving Jean to the hospital.

Jean leaned her head against the car window, holding her hands tightly in attempt to relieve her pain. Tears were welling in her eyes as the sharp pain continued to assault her.

Zed sped. Luckily, it was already nine o'clock and there were fewer cars on the road. Zed drove to the nearest hospital and carried Jean in.

The doctor examined the cuts carefully. He then looked up to Zed, "The cuts are pretty severe, she'll need stitches."

"What? Stitches?" Jean was shocked. Her face, paled for losing too much blood, became even whiter after hearing what the doctor said.

Zed looked down to see Jean's worried face. He frowned and asked the doctor, "Will you be applying anesthetic?"

"We only have general anesthetic now, local anesthesia will be stocked up tomorrow. This young lady has lost so much blood and the cuts are serious. If they are not treated now, they will be infected. If she lost any more blood she'll go into shock and anemia." The doctor explained patiently.

"No..." Jean clenched her teeth in pain. She would rather bare with the pain than having stitches done without anesthetic. Having to feel the needle going in and out, hole by hole, was just too much! She couldn't handle it, she turned to Zed and shook her head frantically. Watching her face grew paler, Zed's heart was held by an unknown force and it pained him.

Zed thought of taking Jean to another hospital but it would worsen her condition, more so when it's already so late into the night. There was no other choice. Zed asked the doctor to proceed.

"Do it."

"No, I don't want it. It's going to be so painful without anesthetic!" Jean was on the verge of crying. She looked at Zed with tears in her eyes. She was like a child at the moment, crying and begging Zed for mercy.

Zed didn't want to see her suffer too but he had no other choice. He could only kneel down and gently rubbed her head to comfort her, "It will be all right. I'll be here. If you can not bear the pain, you can pinch or bite my hand."

Jean was shocked. It was unbelievable to see Zed became this gentle. She thought she misheard him. She stared at him dumbfounded.

She snapped out of her daze when the doctor cleaned her wounds and the nurse wheeled the tray over. She was scared to death as tears kept falling down. Holding Zed's hands firmly, Jean trembled with fears. "Don't be afraid, be brave!" He gently touched her hairs and hugged her.

Zed's hug was warm. The light and fresh scent brought by his hug helped Jean to calm down. She closed her eyes. The feeling of being protected was nice and Jean loved it. She loved being treated gently by Zed.

Feeling the needle pierced her skin again and again, Jean pinched Zed's hand as hard as she could, even pressing her fingertips into Zed's flesh several times. When she could not bear the pain, she just bit Zed to distract herself. Thankfully it didn't take long because the doctor was skillful.

It wasn't a long procedure but to Jean, it was the longest moment of her life. Sweat oozed from her forehead and nose. The doctor finished up by giving her a shot of pain-killer and arranged a ward for her. She had to be hooked up to an IV for a night. She looked terrible and weak having to endure all that. She had never experienced this much pain in her life.

Jean was sent to her ward after the shot. Lying on the bed, she recalled Zed's action during her operation. Zed held her tightly and not once did he loosen his embrace of her. Even when she bit him, Zed said nothing.

Zed was talking to the doctor outside. Jean looked at the ceiling feeling a tinge of warmth in her heart.

The nurse left after she hung the intravenous drip bags and gave her some advice. Zed entered the ward, not looking too good himself.

Jean was confused. She was the injured one so why did Zed turn pale too?

"Are you all right? It seemed that I've bitten you a little too hard." Jean pressed her lips, feeling guilty.

"I am okay. I am not as weak as you." Zed had returned to his old self. Jean was about to give him a few good words to praise him but that change of attitude was too instant.

"Anyhow, thank you." She looked at the clock and said, "It's late now and you should go home and rest. I'll go back on my own tomorrow morning."

"You plan to work tomorrow?" Zed felt perplexed and asked.

"Yeah, It's neither a weekend nor a holiday tomorrow. If I don't go to work, my salary will be deducted."

"I think you should resign."

"Why would I do that?" Puzzled. She asked.

He glanced at her and said nonchalantly, "Because you will be a burden to others. Look at you, ending up in the hospital by just doing the dishes. You think you can do other things well?"

The painkiller was working. Jean was feeling better but what Zed said made her angry. Being such a tall and strong man, he spared no one his care and love.

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "What a heartless person!"

Zed seemed to hear Jean's words and asked, "What did you say?"

"I wasn't talking about you. I was just remembering a heartless friend of mine. I went to his house to help out but I got injured. He didn't comfort me, instead, he blamed me for my carelessness. Don't you think that this kind of people are ungrateful and insensitive? Such a waste of my good will." Even a fool could tell that the insensitive person described by Jean was Zed. An unnoticeable smile crept onto Zed's lips, but only for a moment and he was back to his usual stern face.

Everything that had happened in the operating room seemed unreal.

"What do you want?" asked Zed.

Jean was surprised to hear him say that. She was in a trance for a while but soon focused on Zed's broad back. She wore a big smile and said in a rather exciting tone, "Does that mean you can..."

"Except those photos!" He raised his head and said it unfeelingly.

Jean was happy at first but Zed's reply made her depressed instantly.

Jean turned over. She did not want to talk to Zed anymore. What a jerk. Even in such time, he refused to let her have it her way. There was nothing she could do, he was the boss after all.

There's no way she could threaten him with a knife on the throat right?

Jean drifted off unknowingly. By the time she opened her eyes, it was already morning. She could feel the swollen area of her hand under the bandage. The pain have subsided, it didn't hurt as much as last night but she could feel a burning sensation around it.

When Jean was about to get up from the bed, she noticed that Zed was sitting on the small sofa with one of his hand supporting his head. His eyes were closed tightly. It seemed like he was in a deep sleep. Apparently he was tending to Jean for the whole night. That must have been why he was so tired. 0000