Flash Marriage To The Dangerous Billionaire - Chapter 79: Chapter 79

He muttered with his head down, so Hallie missed his last words. Once she was ready, the hospital van took her to Redwood Village and dropped her off, promising to return at 6 PM.
Wearing her white coat, Hallie had just entered the village when the village chief, Brody Hart, came out to greet her and personally led her straight to a dilapidated shack at the edge of the village.
"Vincent is already in his eighties. At that age, who knows how many days he has left? It's really kind of the hospital to send a doctor to check on him," Brody said.
As Brody explained along the way, Hallie quickly sized up the situation. But when she pushed open the door, a pungent, suffocating stench hit her full force. Even with her mask on, her eyes immediately began to sting.
Brody said apologetically, "Vincent is bedridden. We'd really appreciate your patience, Dr. Levine."
Hearing his words, Hallie peered into the dimly lit room and saw an emaciated old man lying on the bed. Having encountered all sorts of patients at the hospital, Hallie wasn't particularly fazed by this one.
She calmly took out her instruments from her bag and began examining him. At over eighty years old and bedridden for years, Vincent's body had almost completely given out. His organs and functions had already severely deteriorated.
After checking the data, Hallie's expression grew troubled with sympathy. She hesitated, then said softly, "Vincent, about your condition..."
Hallie clutched the medical report, a lump forming in her throat. His body was completely ravaged, far beyond the point of recovery. This reminded Hallie of Phillip's final days.
"Ah, there's nothing we can do then," Brody sighed knowingly.
Seeing the troubled look on Hallie's face, he gently led her out of the dilapidated room. "At Vincent's age, we all know what's coming. Don't take it too hard, Dr. Levine. Since you're already here, why not check on some of the other villagers too?"
Hallie composed herself and said, "Okay."
Brody arranged a small, makeshift cabin for her to use as a temporary clinic. At his announcement, villagers with all sorts of aches and pains swarmed over, forming a long line outside the door.
Hallie smiled reassuringly and said, "You're running a slight fever, but it's nothing serious. Just take some fever meds for now."
"This might be a kidney issue. When you get a chance, go to the hospital for a scan just to be safe," she advised another.
To the next one, she said reassuringly, "You're in great shape. Just go home and rest for a couple of days. If you still don't feel well, then see a doctor again."
The villagers' ailments varied widely—some were seriously ill, while others just came along for the ride, even though they weren't actually sick.
After seeing several obvious fakers in a row, Hallie was left utterly speechless.
Watching these villagers, their faces rosy and full of energy while they moaned about random aches and pains, she couldn't help thinking, 'If this were the hospital, patients like these would've been shown the door long ago. They're just wasting medical resources.'
But Hallie was doing voluntary medical service in Redwood Village. Even though she could easily tell some villagers were faking it, she still had to examine each one carefully. The medical aid protocols required doctors to treat all patients equally, to prevent anyone from accusing them of negligence.
"You're really fine," Hallie said, forcing a polite smile as she finished yet another check-up. "See? All your indicators are normal, and that means you're in great health. That's actually a good thing."
She handed over a note. "Here's the hospital's phone number. If you ever feel unwell in the future, do drop by to get a check-up."
"Hey, Doc!" one of the villagers called, waving her over.
The non-stop consultations dragged on all the way until dinnertime. Finally, as the villagers started heading home for dinner, Hallie got a moment to catch her breath.
She took out an energy bar from her bag and took a few quick bites, then opened her water bottle and sipped slowly.
'I'm exhausted. If I have to see one more patient right now, I'll either die of thirst or starvation,' she thought, practically collapsing inside.
After packing up her medical supplies, Hallie walked to the village entrance to wait for the hospital van to pick her up.
But as night fell and the van still hadn't arrived, she pulled out her phone and called the hospital. "Hi, is the van coming to pick me up or what?" she asked, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice.
The call was picked up by a doctor at the reception desk. After a few minutes, he finally called Hallie back, only to deliver some shocking news.
"Three days? But my notice clearly said it was only one day in Redwood Village. Is there a mistake here?" Hallie asked.
When Hallie heard the volunteer medical assignment would last three days, her temper flared.
She pointed out bluntly, "According to hospital policy, if a medical assignment exceeds two days, a medical van must be provided. And there has to be a team of at least four staff members traveling together.
"You already broke protocol by sending me to Redwood Village alone on such short notice. Now you expect me to work here solo for three whole days with no support? That's a serious breach of regulations."
'Frankly, I could report them for this,' she thought angrily. 'If I hadn't been trying to keep the peace, I wouldn't have even agreed to come out here in the first place. But Dr. Arnold's shamelessness managed to surprise me yet again.'
The doctor at the logistics desk said apologetically, "Dr. Levine, it's not that I don't want to send a hospital van to you. It's just too late now, and all the drivers are already off duty.
"If you absolutely need to be picked up tonight, the only option is to dispatch an ambulance."
With things already at this point, Hallie could only swallow her frustration and ask sharply, "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Well..." the logistics doctor hesitated on the other end of the line. "How about you stay in the village tonight? First thing tomorrow morning, I'll report it and have the hospital send a car to pick you up. Would that work?"
'Looks like that's the only option I have,' Hallie thought resignedly. She looked up at the village as dusk settled in, sighed, and finally nodded. "Fine."
'Spending a night in the village won't kill me,' she told herself. After she explained her situation to Brody, he readily led her to a vacant room for the night.
"Clare's gone to work in the city, so her room's vacant now. Dr. Levine, if you don't mind, you can stay here for tonight," Brody said warmly.
He led her into a young woman's room, where the walls were plastered with celebrity posters.
"Thank you, Brody," Hallie thanked him sincerely, then started tidying up and getting settled. Fortunately, Hallie had packed a sleeping bag. She spread it out on the bed, crawled inside, and tried to get some rest.
But in the middle of the night, she suddenly heard faint noises outside. Sleeping fitfully, Hallie snapped her eyes open in the darkness as she distinctly heard voices whispering outside.
A man said, "That doctor who came today is staying at Clare's place, isn't she?"
Another chuckled, "She's beautiful. When she pressed that stethoscope on my chest, I got a good look at her hands. They looked so soft."
"Later, you hold her down. I'll go first!"
Lewd whispers drifted in through the window. Hallie's face turned grave as her fingers involuntarily clenched into tight fists. It was obvious now that two local thugs were planning to break into her room in the middle of the night.
Hallie scrambled out of her sleeping bag, hastily threw on her clothes and shoes, then rushed to the door. She grabbed the handle and yanked, but it wouldn't budge. The door was locked from the outside.
Hallie's expression darkened as a chill ran down her spine. She thought, 'Those two thugs outside aren't the only ones out to get me.'
Realizing the dangerous situation she was in, Hallie acted fast. She quickly flipped the lock from inside, then pushed a cabinet from the corner against the door.
Then, her gaze darted to the narrow window. She wrapped a towel around a small hammer and smashed through the wooden slats barring the window. With that, the cold night air came rushing into the room.
Just as Hallie stepped onto the windowsill, she heard the sound of someone breaking through the door behind her. A heavy bang echoed as the men outside slammed their weight against the door.
"Damn it," one of the men outside cursed under his breath, "that doctor blocked the door with a fucking cabinet."
Another snarled, "Get in through the window. No way she could've blocked that too."