Soon the trio saw the lady come back with a box in her hand. When Annie saw her mother walk towards them, she stood up and gave her seat to her mother. Everyone smiled when they saw Annie act so considerate. The lady sat beside Alex and opened the first-aid box in her hand. She took out cotton, dressing, gauzes and disinfectants from the box to attend to the wound.
The lady grabbed a cotton swab and tried to disinfect Alex's wound. When Annie saw the cotton swab inching towards him with a worried face, she took a step forward.
When Alex saw this, he also played along. Alex closed his eyes and made faces, letting out weird voices, acting as if afraid of the stinging pain. Annie, when saw Alex make painful faces, walked up to him and took his big palms in her small hands, trying to make him feel relaxed. Alex smiled and pulled Annie in a big hug and showed her his biceps.
Seeing this, the lady smiled a bit, "You really have a way with the kids, Mr Ruhterford. I have never seen Annie mingle even with a relative so fast, let alone a stranger."
"How do you know my name?" Alex asked in confusion. He didn't remember telling her his name. He looked at Amber for an answer, but the latter shrugged in denial.
"You don't remember me?" The lady asked.
"No, I don't," Alex refused.
"Well, it can be expected, "the lady nodded to herself, "The last time you had a bit of concussion," The lady told Alex.
"Everything you are saying is a bouncer for me," Alex told the lady, hoping for more explanation from her.
"Well, Mr Alex..." The lady was about to explain, but Alex interrupted.
"Just Alex would do," Alex said.
"Fine, Alex it is," the lady said and looked at Alex for some reaction, but he averted his eyes, embarrassed by the way she looked at him, "I was the one who treated your bruises when you were brought to 'The People's Hospital,' by your girlfriend after your brawl with those thugs," the lady said as she made Alex remember the day he went for dinner with Susan.
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"You were my doctor?" Alex asked for confirmation."Yes, I was" the lady nodded.
"I didn't even thank you properly for that time," Alex said.
"What you did today was more than what I did for you. I will remain indebted to you for the rest of my life," The lady said.
"What are you talking about? It was only right for me to do that. No need to fret over something so trivial" Alex tried to sound cool.
Hearing him, the lady smiled. She then turned her attention towards Alex wound but was surprised to find that the bleeding had already stopped. This was a bit odd for her. She has never come across someone with such healing abilities.
"Alex, the bleeding has already stopped," the lady brought everyone's notice to Alex's wound, "Judging by the cut, it should not stop on its own. Have you experienced anything like this before?" The lady asked Alex.
"I don't know. I like to play it safe. I have never had a cut for the last one year or so," Alex said.
"And before that?" The lady asked.
"Let's just say I don't remember getting a deep cut anywhere on my body," Alex told them, but his hand unknowingly reached out to the cut he had on his chest running over his heart.
The lady just nodded, and all of them got into a conversation on something else altogether. Soon the lady was done dressing the wound. She also stuck a band-aid on his face where he had a cut. After she was done, she inspected him from head to toe.
"Are you feeling pain somewhere else?" The lady asked.
"I don't think so" Alex tried to feel but didn't find anything uncomfortable.
"Well, it's good then, but if you feel any kind of discomfort, however small it may be, you should get yourself examined in a hospital," the lady suggested as she packed all the stuff back in her first aid kit.
"I will. Thanks for everything Mrs...?" Alex said, but now only he remembered that he never got her name.
"Call me Claire, and I am not a Mrs anymore," The lady told him.
"Oh..." Alex could not say anything more. He felt that if he said anything more, it would make things only more complicated.
"Now we should get going... Mr Rutherford," Claire said with a smile, emphasising on Mr Rutherford as she grabbed Annie's hand.
"Just call me Ale... Owww... Oww..." Alex winched in pain as he tried to get up when he was about to see the mother and daughter off.
"What happened?" Claire and Amber hurried towards Alex at the same time and supported him. They made him sit back on the bench.
"I felt stinging pain around my ankle when I tried to walk," Alex said.
"Did the car hit you?" Amber asked.
"Yeah... I guess it did... I think when I jumped to avoid the car, it did graze my foot," Alex said as he tried to recall.
"Then why didn't you feel anything before?" Amber asked.
"Maybe the adrenaline is draining now, hehe..." Alex said, trying to brush off the matter.
"Let's get you to the hospital first," Claire said.
"There is no need for that. I think it will get better on its own," Alex told her. He didn't want to go to the hospital again. His trips to the hospitals have gone up unnecessarily.
Before Claire or Amber could try to persuade him, Annie tugged his sleeves and looked at him with pleading eyes.
Looking in her eyes, Alex could not say no to her, "Fine, let's go to the hospital and get all checked up. Happy now?" Alex asked the little girl.
Hearing this, Annie beamed with a smile all over her face and hugged on to Alex.
Claire, after getting his approval, made a quick call, and then with Amber's support, she helped Alex to her car.
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