Chapter 3. Mario Is a Doctor

For a while, Mario allowed a nurse to accompany Rachel, ensuring she was taken care of, fed, and assisted when using the bathroom. He wanted Rachel to feel comfortable and return home soon. Mario was worried about Rachel’s well-being.

From the beginning, Mario had been informed about his marriage to Rachel and had consulted Lea about Rachel’s likes and dislikes. Therefore, Mario made an effort to do his best.

After two days in the hospital, Rachel was finally discharged and allowed to go home.

Mario acted as Rachel’s doctor, visiting while she was sleeping so as not to disturb her. Rachel remained indifferent towards Mario’s presence, but he was happy just to be beside her.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

“I guess I’m fine now that I can go home,” Rachel replied, then entered the house.

Mr. Hans welcomed Rachel and Mario. “Rachel, are you alright?” he asked.

“Where have you been? Why didn’t you visit me while I was in the hospital? I thought I would get even sicker if I continued with this annoying marriage,” Rachel curtly replied. She then entered her room, noticing that her mother’s photo frame had been replaced with a new one. It was at that moment that Rachel realized the frame had broken when she fell and became unconscious.

Mario followed Rachel into the room.

“What are you doing here?” Rachel glared at Mario.

“Dad asked me to check on you,” Mario replied, even though he knew it was unlikely to put Rachel at ease.

“I don’t want to share a room with you. Find another room over there!” Rachel dismissed him.

“I won’t sleep beside you, but we can at least sleep in the same room. You can have the bed, and I’ll sleep on the sofa,” Mario answered, pointing to the sofa in the room.

“No. Absolutely not. I don’t want to sleep in the same room with a stranger,” Rachel refused, pushing Mario out of the room.

But Mario grabbed Rachel’s hand and hugged her. Rachel quickly released herself from Mario’s embrace. “You’re a pervert. The door is still open. How about we sleep in separate rooms? You make me uncomfortable,” Rachel scolded.

“Come closer. I want to hug you, Rachel,” Mario said.

“That’s just your excuse. That’s why I’m not comfortable with you!” Rachel snapped.

Mario, caught up in the moment, wanted to be closer to Rachel, especially since she was so beautiful, stirring his desires. He closed the door and carried Rachel onto the bed.

Mario held Rachel’s hand, their faces just centimeters apart. Their breaths seemed to synchronize.

“Rachel, I won’t touch you if you’re not ready. But please allow me to sleep in the same room. I promise I won’t be inappropriate. But if you push me away like before, I’ll still hold on to you,” Mario explained.

Rachel’s breath seemed to stop as Mario spoke. She felt scared. Until now, she had been in a relationship with Michael, but they had only kissed on the cheek and had never shared a room. Michael wanted to wait until marriage to take their relationship to the next level. Unfortunately, they never had the chance to get married.

“Y-yes. Now please let me go!” Rachel asked, still closing her eyes. She was afraid that Mario might try to take advantage of her.

Mario slowly released his grip on Rachel, then sat on the edge of the bed. He noticed Rachel sitting up, hugging her knees. Mario felt sorry for Rachel. “Rachel, I love you. I hope you can believe me!” he said.

Rachel still seemed scared and remained silent, unwilling to respond to Mario’s words.

“Rachel, ever since I first saw you, I fell in love with you,” Mario continued.

“How is that possible? Weren’t you here the first time to introduce yourself as Lea’s boyfriend?” Rachel asked curiously.

“Yes, you’ll find out in due time. For now, please calm down. I’m going back to the hospital since I still have my practice schedule. I hope tonight you won’t lock the bedroom door so I can sleep in this room, too,” Mario pleaded, getting up and preparing to go back to the hospital.

***

At night, Mario returned home from the hospital at exactly 10 PM. He went straight to the room, hoping that Rachel had followed through with their conversation earlier that afternoon. As he opened the door, he realized it was unlocked and that he could enter right away.

He saw that Rachel was already asleep. He gazed at her beautiful face without touching her, grateful that she was slowly starting to accept him as her husband.

Suddenly, Rachel’s eyes opened, and she was surprised to see Mario’s face right in front of hers. “Huh, how long have you been there?”

“Maybe about five minutes,” Mario answered, maintaining his position.

“Why were you there?” Rachel asked.

“I just wanted to see my wife’s beautiful face up close. Thank you for not locking the bedroom door,” Mario said.

“You’re here so late. Did you just come home, or did you stop by somewhere?” Rachel asked playfully.

Mario sensed that Rachel was paying attention to him. “Yes, I just got home because of the afternoon shift. This week, I’ll be working the afternoon shift and coming home at 10 pm. Is that okay with you?”

“Why would I mind? That’s your job,” Rachel said and then covered herself with the blanket.

Mario quickly took a shower, despite the late hour, as he didn’t want to bring any germs or bacteria from the hospital into the house, especially for Rachel’s sake.

After coming out of the bathroom, he heard Rachel suddenly scream.

“Why are you screaming?” Mario asked casually.

“Why aren’t you wearing clothes? Aren’t you ashamed to be seen by me?” Rachel replied, covering her face with the blanket.

Mario smiled. Rachel had seen him naked. “Why be shy? You’re my wife.”

“But still… Put on your clothes immediately!” Rachel ordered, feeling flustered.

“Okay, I’ll put on my clothes,” Mario said.