Chapter 203: A Bright Morning and Warm Welcome

The following morning at the hospital, Eric watched as the doctor examined Monica. The other five girls had already left for school after receiving a call requesting their presence on campus. Thanks to the special necklace she was wearing, Monica’s neck had healed remarkably well, and the neck brace was cleared for removal, leaving the doctor visibly puzzled, as her previous condition typically required wearing the support brace for at least four to five weeks, yet here she was, cleared in just over two weeks.

Hearing the news brought Eric immense relief. The cast on Monica’s thigh was also ready to come off, leaving only her arm immobilized since it had taken the brunt of the impact during the accident. Monica turned her head slowly, testing her neck movement, and beamed the moment her eyes met Eric’s.

"Babe... I can turn my head now!" Monica said cheerfully.

"Thank goodness. Now keep facing forward for a second, you’re still being examined," Eric said with a wave of his hand.

"Hehe... okay, okay," Monica replied.

"Everything looks exceptionally good. Alright, I’ll write up the prescription now so you can pick it up at the pharmacy. Your body’s natural healing capacity is truly extraordinary," the doctor said, typing away on his laptop.

"Thank you, Doctor," Monica replied.

Monica then attempted to stand up, but her legs wobbled beneath her. Fortunately, Eric caught her just in time.

"Hey... don’t push yourself just yet. Sit back down in the wheelchair," Eric said, supporting her weight.

"Yeah... sorry. I thought I could walk already... guess not," Monica said, disappointed.

"Recovery takes time. When you’re resting at home, gently move your legs up and down, then side to side, just slow, light movements so your muscles get used to it again. It might still feel a bit strange right now, but that’s completely normal, just residual bone trauma. Don’t rush it; the moment you feel tired, sit right back down. If you want to do physical therapy here, I can set up a schedule for you to start walking exercises," the doctor explained.

"Yes, Doctor, please go ahead and set up the schedule," Eric replied.

"Um... guess that means I can’t go back to school just yet," Monica murmured.

"Not yet, babe. If you rush it now, you might end up delaying your return even longer. Just be patient for a little bit," Eric said, taking her hand.

"Yeah... I really don’t want to be a burden to you. If you’re busy, you can just leave me upstairs, it’s fine," Monica said softly.

"What are you talking about? My office is literally right downstairs. It’s way nicer for you to come down with me anyway. Besides, if anything happens, Caleb would lose his mind or come running upstairs himself. Don’t worry about it so much," Eric replied with a smile, gently patting her head.

"Alright then. Thanks, babe," Monica said, leaning her head against Eric’s arm.

Once the doctor finished issuing the prescription, Eric thanked him and pushed Monica out into the hallway in her wheelchair. As they navigated the corridor toward the elevator,

"Eric! Monica!"

Eric paused and turned Monica’s wheelchair around. Avery, now back to her slim figure and dressed in her nurse’s uniform, came walking toward them.

"Wait, you’re back at work already? What about Abby?" Eric asked.

"Abby’s staying with my mom for now. The pediatric ward here is short-staffed, so I couldn’t take an extended leave... how did the checkup go?" Avery asked, looking between Eric and Monica.

"All good, Avery! Everything went smoothly, clean bill of health," Monica replied, giving a thumbs-up with a smile.

"That’s wonderful news! Are you guys heading to the pharmacy to pick up her meds now?" Avery asked.

"Yeah... we were just heading down to the pharmacy," Eric answered.

"In that case, you guys can just head straight home. I’ll grab the medication for you and send it over via courier so you don’t have to wait around," Avery offered.

"Wait... are you sure that’s alright?" Eric asked, surprised.

"Of course! Go on home. I’ll pull up the patient records and pull the meds myself. Don’t you have that event today? Like that special staff lunch at the office to celebrate the grand opening and yesterday’s big success?" Avery asked.

"Oh, right... wait... did Caleb tell you about that?" Eric asked.

"Yep, he filled me in last night in bed after we put Abby to sleep," Avery answered.

Taking a closer look at Avery’s face, Eric noticed subtle dark circles beneath her eyes, and her complexion looked slightly pale.

"Looks like you two aren’t getting much sleep, huh?" Eric asked.

"Well, that’s just how it goes! We take turns whenever Abby starts crying. But honestly, it’s been wonderful, Caleb and I actually get to laugh and have long heart-to-hearts because of it," Avery replied, her face glowing with happiness despite the visible exhaustion.

"That’s great to hear. But really, are you sure it’s okay for us to just leave?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, Avery, won’t it cause trouble for you?" Monica added.

"Not at all, why would it? Besides, the second owner of this hospital is literally pushing your wheelchair right now, so yes, you two head on home," Avery answered with a laugh.

"Hmm... alright then. Thanks a lot, Avery," Eric said with a smile.

"Yeah... thank you so much!" Monica added.

"No need to thank me, we’re family! Now get going before you run out of time to get ready," Avery replied playfully.

"Alright, we’re off. Thanks again!" Eric said.

"Bye, Avery!" Monica said, waving her hand.

"Bye-bye... get well soon!" Avery replied, smiling as she waved back.

Eric turned Monica’s wheelchair around, headed into the elevator, and rode it down to the lobby. After reaching the parking garage and helping Monica into his Maybach, Eric walked around to the driver’s side and got in.

"Alright... let’s head home," Eric said, clicking his seatbelt into place.

Suddenly, "smoooch," Monica planted a kiss on Eric’s cheek. When Eric turned to look at her, she leaned in and kissed his lips. Releasing the kiss,

"You caught me off guard, what was that for?" Eric asked.

"I was just so frustrated, you know? With me being like this, I couldn’t spend proper time with you. All I could do was watch the others take turns going into your room. It was annoying," Monica confessed.

"Oh... is that what was bothering you? Don’t worry, it’s just the two of us at home right now. It’ll be hours before the others get back since they have club activities today," Eric said, putting an arm around Monica.

"Yeah... you’re right! Hurry up and take us home, babe," Monica replied, pulling her seatbelt across and struggling to latch it with only one functional hand.

"You really are something... alright, let’s go," Eric said with a soft chuckle.

Eric started the engine, and they sped off toward the office building. After parking in the basement, Eric helped Monica out and took the elevator up to the third-floor lobby to transfer lifts. As they passed the front desk,

"Excuse me, Mr. Eric," the receptionist called out.

"Yes? What’s up?" Eric asked.

"Well, sir... regarding all these flowers and fruit baskets on my desk... would you like them brought upstairs as well?" the receptionist asked.

Eric turned toward the reception desk and nearly jumped out of his skin. The desk was completely covered in bouquets and floral arrangements. Several elegant, mid-sized flower stands lined the wall near the entrance and the elevator hall, while massive floral arrangements and fruit baskets completely overflowed onto the lounge couches in the waiting area.

Every single one included get-well-soon wishes for Monica, who had performed in a wheelchair the day before. Almost none of them listed a sender’s name, only the name of the florist.

"Oh boy... what do we do with all this, babe?" Monica asked. "If we bring all of this upstairs, where are we even going to put it?"

"Hmm... why don’t you just pick out the ones you like, flowers and fruit, and we can distribute the rest to the staff inside? How does that sound?" Eric suggested.

"Sounds good! I’ll pick out my favorites then," Monica agreed.

Monica began sorting through the mountain of gifts, picking out the bouquets, floral arrangements, and a fruit basket packed mostly with apples. After she picked a few bouquets, one stand arrangement, and her chosen fruit basket, Eric asked the receptionist to distribute the anonymous flowers to anyone in the building who wanted them, all the way up to the top floors. The receptionist looked slightly overwhelmed by the sheer volume.

"Have security help you move them, don’t try carrying them all yourself," Eric added gently.

"Will do, Mr. Eric. I’ll ask security for assistance right away," the receptionist replied.

"Wow... that is a massive pile of flowers! When did these arrive? I didn’t see them when I came in earlier."

"They just arrived a short while ago, Ms. Katie," the receptionist answered.

Eric and Monica turned to see Katie standing behind them, looking over the display. Eric looked back at her.

"Oh, what brought you downstairs?" Eric asked.

"Needed a few signatures from some of the employees down here who missed sign-offs yesterday," Katie answered. She then glanced at Monica, who was holding quite a load of flowers and fruit in her lap. "How was the checkup? All clear?"

"All clear, Katie!" Monica answered cheerfully.

"Great. Hurry up and bring her upstairs, then come back down in a bit, we’ve got our celebration lunch, remember?" Katie asked.

"Got it. Alright, Monica and I are heading up."

Eric and Monica resumed their way toward their private elevator. As soon as they stepped inside, Katie turned back to the receptionist, who had just started clearing flowers off the desk.

"Hey, hey, hold on a second! I want to pick some out too, don’t go moving them all away just yet. Wait till I get back, give me one minute!" Katie blurted out.

"Y... yes, Ms. Katie," the receptionist replied, setting a floral arrangement back down on the desk with a defeated look.

Meanwhile, the moment they reached the top floor, Eric scooped Monica up princess-style and carried her up to the second level, sharing sweet kisses the entire way up.