He saw her thrashing in the bed, scratching frantically at invisible things on her body as tears trickled down her face. Watching her struggle, Alex secretly wondered if the severe head injury had made her lose her mind.
Jin felt a sudden pang of fear from the patient's loud screams. However, he quickly regained his composure, leaning over the bed to gently hold her thrashing body down.
"Calm down, okay? You are safe," he said softly.
Alex immediately shot him a sharp glare, his eyes locking onto the exact placement of Jin's hands on her shoulders.
"Hey, hey there... it's okay. You're fine with us," Jin spoke again, his voice like oil on troubled waters.
Jin gazed directly into her terrified green eyes.
Looking up at the calm, reassuring face of the man above her gave Estadey a sudden, overwhelming sense of safety. Her rapid breathing began to slow down, and her racing pulse gradually returned to normal.
Suddenly, an enchanting urge took over her, making it impossible to look away from his dark grey eyes.
Jin finally turned away to open the medical kit resting on the floor beside him.
He began mixing a blend of soothing herbs in a small wooden cup.
In the background, Alex monitored the two of them in complete silence, standing so still it was as if he wasn't even in the room.
But deep inside, something felt completely wrong. He could feel a dark anger slowly brewing in his chest.
After a few minutes, the medicine was ready.
Jin passed the wooden cup to her. Estadey reached out and slowly took it, her hands still trembling a little, and tried to take a sip.
Jin noticed her struggle. "Let me help hold it for you," he said kindly, guiding the cup so she could easily drink the medicine.
While she drank, Estadey couldn't help but shift her attention away from the cup and back to those enchanting grey eyes.
Jin noticed how curiously the girl stared at him.
The look made him smile, warmly reminding him of his own cousin's curious green eyes.
Alex caught the small smile tugging at Jin's lips, and the anger inside him snapped.
It wasn't just the smile that set him off.
It was the fact that the patient was shamelessly staring at Jin's lips as well.
Stepping forward abruptly, Alex snatched the cup right out of Jin's hands. A sharp gasp escaped Estadey's lips as the sudden movement caused the medicine to spill all over her chest.
"Alex!" Jin called out, shocked. Seeing the pure rage on his friend's face made Jin wonder what could possibly be wrong with him all of a sudden.
Alex ignored him, staring dead into Estadey's eyes.
His intense glare made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. She quickly averted her gaze, looking down at her tightly clasped hands which rested uneasily on her lap.
Jin sprung up from his chair and snatched the cup back, handing it to the frightened girl. "This attitude needs to stop," he said in a low, flat tone.
Alex folded his arms across his chest, his face flushed. "What attitude?" he yelled.
Estadey flinched at the loud, booming voice. "It's fine, sir. Please don't fight each other," she said, trying to offer a nervous, peacemaking smile.
"And who is talking to you, brat?" Alex snapped, turning his anger directly towards her.
Jin saw the harsh way Alex was glaring at the poor girl and sighed internally.
"Okay, enough, Alex. Why are you always so unreasonable, but especially now?" he asked, stepping in to distance Alex from the girl.
"I'm the doctor here, so it's best if you leave," Alex said coldly, physically pushing Jin towards the exit.
"But Alex, this isn't goo—" Jin's sentence was cut short as the heavy wooden door slammed shut right in his face.
Frustrated, Jin banged his fist against the closed door. "Listen, Alex! If you have a problem with me treating your patients, then I'll stop. But lashing out at that girl was completely childish of you!"
When there was no reply, Jin sighed. "Forget it. I'll never meddle in your affairs again, Doctor." He turned and walked away.
Hearing those words, Alex felt a sudden wave of regret. He quickly opened the door and called out to Jin. But Jin didn't stop. He kept walking right through the exit.
Alex stood in the doorway feeling completely dejected, knowing he had just repeated the exact same mistake.
"Why did I treat him like that?" he whispered to himself into the empty hallway. "He's disappointed in me, right?"