Chapter 1

The Young Nurse and the Patient’s (Brother) Dramatic

The scene before Patsasika left her utterly speechless—not because the patient was sitting on the floor rather than the bed, or because of the red blood splattered across the sheets and floor. It was because she couldn’t believe that the man who had just left the room, who claimed so adamantly that this was his "sister," could walk away and leave her in such a state. Worse yet, he did it as though it were perfectly normal, completely unfazed.

...What exactly was this man’s heart made of? Brick, steel, or just plain stone?

The young woman set the medicine tray on the bedside table, knelt down, and reached out to help Mongkutmook back onto the bed. But the patient pushed her hand away, looking up with tear-streaked cheeks.

“Leave me alone.”

Patsasika, with four years of nursing experience, wasn’t fazed by the resistance. She had encountered all sorts of patients, including some far more difficult than this.

“Are you in pain? Let me help you.”

“I said don’t touch me!”

“Your leg’s in a soft cast, but if you stay on the floor like this for too long, it might end up needing a hard cast.”

Mongkutmook’s expression stayed defiant, her hand clutching the hem of her shirt tightly. Yet her expression shifted slightly, her wide eyes flickering as though she were mulling something over.

A hard cast? If her bones broke, and she needed one, that would mean an even longer stay in the hospital.

...No! She couldn’t let that happen! She had to get better quickly. If she stayed longer, P’Matt would only use it as ammunition against her.

“Let me help, alright?” Patsasika asked again, softening her request into a question.

“If you’re going to help, hurry up.”

Hiding a smile, the young nurse looked down. This patient might be difficult, but at least there were ways to handle her. The thought amused her—it was almost like caring for a stubborn child.

“You’re so slow. My leg is killing me.” The small hand hastily wiped a stray tear from her cheek, while her other hand rested gingerly on her injured leg.

With a soft smile and a shake of her head, the listener slowly helped her obstinate patient back onto the bed. It seemed caring for this patient wouldn’t be an easy task.

Later, Patsasika adjusted the blanket up to the patient’s chest. Mongkutmook had finally fallen asleep after much coaxing to eat her meal and take her fever medication. The blood-stained clothes had been replaced, and the new IV was set up on the back of her hand. A housekeeper had also cleaned up the blood-stained bedding and floor.

Her dark, ebony-colored eyes lingered on the younger woman’s face, and she couldn’t help but think of her brother, whose face bore a striking resemblance to hers. Was he worried at all? If she hadn’t come to deliver the medication at lunchtime, Mongkutmook might have stayed in that bloody heap for hours. He was the coldest man Patsasika had ever met.

“What kind of brother does that?”

The nurse picked up the remote to adjust the air conditioner to a comfortable temperature, dimmed the room lights, and stepped out to let her patient rest peacefully. When she returned to the special care unit’s counter, she found an older nurse waiting expectantly.

“She’s quiet now?”

“Yes.”

“Sigh, well, I’ve handled patients with tantrums before, but usually, they’re a bit older—certainly not young women like her.”

“The patient might just be stressed.”

“That may be, but not eating, not taking medicine—that’s hard to handle. And who knows when she’ll get better if she keeps this up.”

Chorlada muttered complaints under her breath, though her tone betrayed the genuine concern of someone older, worried for someone younger—like a parent fretting over a child. It was clear she wasn’t complaining seriously.

The young woman considered her senior’s words. Chorlada wasn’t wrong at all. And judging by the pile of textbooks and study materials stacked on the table beside the bed, it was clear that Mongkutmook wasn’t acting much like a patient. Instead, she was carrying on as if she were perfectly healthy—or perhaps pushing herself even harder than she would under normal circumstances.

“I don’t know much about her case myself, Sor. She just moved to the private room this morning, and the nurses in the general ward whispered that this young lady is incredibly stubborn.”

Chorlada, who’d been on double shifts, had witnessed more than her junior.

“When they wheeled her bed here this morning, she made a fuss the entire way. I was worried she’d fall off the bed! Luckily, her brother managed to calm her down a bit.”

“Her brother?”

“Yes, the handsome one. All the younger nurses were making eyes at him. If they could’ve squealed, I bet they would’ve.”

The beautiful brows furrowed. All she’d noticed was how harsh his face looked—not the slightest hint of handsomeness.

“Oh, and it seems you’re the only one who can calm the patient down.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Ms. Mongkutmook was just tired; she fell asleep right after eating and taking her medicine.”

“Do you think you could take on the role of a private nurse?”

Chorlada started a new line of conversation, unrelated to what Patsasika had just said.

“For which room, P’Chor?”

“For Ms. Mongkutmook. Based on what I’ve seen, Sor, you’d be the best fit.”

“A private nurse? Did her brother request this?”

“No, his assistant just called the department a moment ago, asking to hire a private nurse. They’re worried she might cause another uproar if left alone.”

“Mr. Matt...” Patsasika echoed the name softly.

“Yes, Mr. Matt—Ms. Mook’s brother.”

Chorlada noticed her colleague’s hesitation and felt uneasy. She couldn’t take on the assignment herself due to her own family commitments, and she couldn’t trust any other nurse besides Patsasika to handle the situation. Worse still, those other nurses might end up losing their tempers—unlike her junior, who had proven to be calm and composed when dealing with difficult patients in the past.

“Please, Sor, help me out here.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want the job or that she was picking and choosing… It was the patient’s brother making the decision so difficult.

Boramat sat on the plush sofa, staring at his coffee cup for over half an hour. The young man closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief rest, and then opened them to look out over the vast cityscape beyond the large glass wall. This was the city hailed as the commercial and business center of the South.

His sister had been studying here for years, and in all that time, she had never set foot back in Bangkok…

Mongkutmook had always been a homebody, deeply attached to her family. Initially, she had planned to continue her studies at a university in Bangkok. But everything changed when their parents divorced during her senior year. She changed her plans without consulting anyone, not even him—the very brother she’d always claimed to be close to.

By the time he found out, her test results had already come out. Believing that a new environment might improve his sister’s mental state, he convinced their parents and elder sister to let her make the change.

Little did he know that indulging her then would lead to this mess today…

The new setting and fresh atmosphere had done nothing to heal her fragile heart. Instead, things had deteriorated. Mongkutmook had grown rebellious, stopped listening to anyone, and practically cut the family out of her life. The sweet, affectionate, and cheerful girl had transformed into a moody, self-centered young woman who never smiled and constantly caused so much trouble that he often had to book last-minute flights to deal with her issues nearly every month. There was always some incident:

Getting drunk and making a scene in front of a department store until the police had to detain her to calm her down.

Locking over a hundred fellow students inside a classroom as a prank.

Releasing a hundred suckerfish into the campus pond.

Unleashing cockroaches in the cafeteria, sending everyone in the middle of lunch scattering.

Throwing a New Year’s party for her entire department at the most expensive restaurant, then skipping out on the bill.

There were countless other incidents he’d rather not recall. The only thing consistent about her was her academic performance, and she was even on track to graduate with honors.

“More trouble every day. Where did my sweet Mook go…”

Boramat let out a soft question, his sharp eyes, cold and piercing like a silver blade, sweeping across the penthouse on the top floor of the condominium. He had purchased this place on the very day he learned that Mongkutmook had been accepted into university here. It was his way of ensuring his younger sister would live comfortably, free from any burdens, even while far from home. He’d furnished the master bedroom with her in mind, choosing everything himself, down to the details. It was nearly identical to her childhood bedroom. But he could count on one hand the number of times she’d actually come here…

From her first year, Mongkutmook stubbornly stayed in the dorms, only coming to the condo when he visited. And even then, it was because he forced her to, not out of her own desire.

His younger sister had secretly taken her driving test and bought herself a motorbike to get around instead of using the car he had provided, complete with a driver. Apart from him, she refused to take any money from their family. When their father, mother, or older sister came to visit, she always found some excuse to be unavailable. This hospital visit was no exception. If the person he hired to keep tabs on her movements did not inform him, he might not have known about it even now.

Everything had spiraled out of control as quickly as a wildfire tearing through a dry field. How could Mongkutmook not realize how much she meant to her family? They all loved her deeply and worried about her, but they didn’t want to fuel her fire.

The sharp ring of his cellphone broke through his reverie, snapping the young man out of his thoughts. He picked it up and looked at the screen, seeing the image of the caller made his heart sink. Paramee wouldn’t call unless it was absolutely necessary, except when…

“Matt, have you seen her? How is she? Is she hurt badly? Is she throwing a fit?”

The person on the other end of the line fired off her questions in rapid succession. Boramat could guess that she’d learned about this from one of his subordinates, who likely let it slip.

“Pong again, or was it Gun?”

“It doesn’t matter whether it was Mr. Pong or Mr. Gun who told me. It’s not their fault. Honestly, Matt, you should have told me yourself.”

The young man walked over to the glass wall, focusing his gaze on the sun setting behind the mountains, casting a soft orange glow.

“Some things are better left unsaid, Mee.”

“I have every right to know, Matt. Mook isn’t only your sister—she’s mine too.”

Paramee’s voice was soft and trembling, as if she was on the verge of tears. The listener could sense her disappointment. Paramee and Mongkutmook were many years apart in age, and the eldest sister had looked after the youngest, who was their gap sibling, with a care that was almost motherly.

“I miss Mook, but I don’t think she wants to see me all that much.”

“One day, everything will get better.”

“I’ve been waiting for that day for nearly four years. Matt, is there any way you could bring her back to Bangkok? I hate that we’re so far apart like this.”

“We’ve tried talking to her, even forcing her, but you know how stubborn our dear little sister has become.”

“Oh...”

“If she won’t listen, maybe we’ll just have to tie her up and carry her onto the plane so you can deal with her back home.”

“No way! What do you think Mook is, Matt?”

Boramat started to smile. Paramee had always been like this—she couldn’t bear to see her sister hurt. It was just her nature.

“She’s just a stubborn, willful little brat.”

“She only acts this way because she feels neglected by Mom and Dad. It’s just part of being a teenager—don’t take it to heart.”

“Do Mom and Dad know she’s in the hospital?”

He hadn’t told them yet, not wanting to escalate things. If they knew, they might go so far as to charter a plane to bring their daughter home.

Their parents’ love and concern for their youngest daughter ran so deep that it was hard for him to fully comprehend. Mongkutmook had always been healthy; aside from this incident, the only time she’d been in the hospital was for a bout of the flu. So, any hospital stay was a matter of global importance in their eyes.

“No, I haven’t dared to tell them. I don’t want to worry them unnecessarily.”

“Good. That’s probably for the best.”

“I was thinking of flying out to stay with her tomorrow.”

“No point. She’d only run farther if I showed up.”

“So what do you want me to do? I’m on edge just sitting here. How about I just go and keep an eye on her from a distance without her knowing?”

“Don’t worry. I had Gun hire a private nurse to look after Mook. Right now, she’s in a bad place. I doubt she’d listen to anyone.”

“A private nurse?! Oh, Matt, you know that hospital might as well brace for chaos. Mook hates nurses more than anything.”

Mongkutmook’s dislike, almost hatred, of a particular nurse had lasted nearly four years now and had grown to include any nurse at all. The family knew the reason all too well.

“Well, we’ll see if the hospital survives as you fear.”

“Don’t make jokes.”

“Mee.”

Boramat said his sister’s name with a serious tone, preparing to broach a subject he’d known for some time but never brought up.

“You went to see him again today, didn’t you? You managed to avoid him for years, so why soften up now?”

“Matt, P’Dit is in serious condition, unconscious. The doctor said he might not wake up, and I’m not heartless enough to refuse to visit him. After all, he was once…”

“Did you forget what he and his mother put you through? Stop thinking about him already.”

He hadn’t forgotten that day… the day when Paramee had come to him, heartbroken and cast out of her former mother-in-law’s home as if she were a disease. And then, as if that weren’t enough, her ex-husband had sent the divorce papers the very next day.

“Sis…”

“It’s getting late, Mee. Go get something to eat. I’ll send you some pictures of Mook so you can rest easier.”

With that, Boramat hung up on his sister immediately. Once Mongkutmook’s situation was settled, his next task would be to sever his sister’s connection to the man named Keeradit once and for all.

“So this is our department’s ‘Nurse of the Month’? I heard your patient was screaming so loud last night that the whole building heard it.”

The newcomer spoke without looking at the seated person, her thin lips curving into a smirk. Her tone sounded casual, but her words were anything but.

“If only P’Chor had assigned me yesterday. Things wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

In truth, she felt a twinge of regret. Besides being good-looking, the patient’s brother—according to the rumors circulating among the nurses—was wealthy too. Whoever got the private nurse position for that room was bound to earn a hefty tip.

“So why did P’Chor assign me instead of you, Lin?”

“Why, you...!”

Palin slammed her expensive handbag and a plastic bag of salad rolls down onto the table with a loud thud, trying to keep her face from showing too much anger.

“Are you trying to start something with me this early?”

“Which part of what I said sounds like I’m starting something?”

Caught off guard, Palin couldn’t think of a comeback without incriminating herself. She knew very well that P’Chor had chosen not to assign her because of repeated complaints from patients or their families about her neglect of duty.

Patsasika shut the patient file and got up, grabbing her canvas tote bag. She was too tired to deal with it.

She and Palin had gone to nursing school together, though they’d never been especially close. The real issues had started when a guy Palin had set her sights on began openly courting Patsasika, despite her lack of interest. And whenever there was an activity, Patsasika was often chosen to represent, which only intensified Palin’s persistent hostility. Once they graduated and started working in the same hospital and department, their relationship deteriorated even further.

“Wait, where do you think you’re going? Are you afraid of me or something?”

“I’m not afraid of you. I just don’t want to argue with someone who loves to pick fights.” Truthfully, dealing with Palin’s moods was more exhausting than handling Mongkutmook.

“Are you calling me a troublemaker?!” The beautiful nurse clenched her fists.

“Mm-hmm.”

Patsasika glanced at her watch.

“Your shift starts at eight sharp. It’s already half-past eight. If you’re late again, P’Chor’s bound to give you a one-on-one lecture. Just because I don’t say anything doesn’t mean others won’t either.”

Holding in her frustration, Palin watched her colleague leave the room. With such a big mark against her record, it wasn’t wise to pick another fight and risk Patsasika reporting her to their head nurse.

The hospital cafeteria was located in the basement of the university hospital building, and Patsasika often had her meals there when on duty. She ordered a simple breakfast of a fried egg sandwich and hot coffee before settling down at a marble bench in a small open-air garden adjacent to the cafeteria. Sunlight filtered down, and the greenery of tall trees mixed with the colors of small flowering plants gave her a bit of a much-needed energy boost.

Being Mongkutmook’s private nurse was anything but easy. Last night, she had thrown everything within reach and screamed at the top of her lungs, just as Palin had heard. She even yanked out her IV line for the second time that day, refusing to let Patsasika stay by her bedside. But in the end, she succumbed to the silence that Patsasika used to defuse the tantrum. When exhaustion hit, Mongkutmook’s resistance finally faded. It was curious how this patient clashed head-on with every nurse yet willingly cooperated with the doctors.

Underneath her stubbornness, Patsasika sensed something deeper. Whether it was her throwing things with a half-hearted aim like a child or daring Patsasika to report her to her brother, it all seemed like a performance meant to grab attention. There was even a moment when Mongkutmook paled after a flower vase she had hurled nearly missed Patsasika’s head and shattered against the wall. But as soon as she collected herself, her defiant attitude returned.

And just this morning, when her friends came to visit, Mongkutmook greeted them normally, showing no trace of the difficult patient she was known to be. The young girl’d even asked to speak with her friends privately for two hours and told Patsasika to go out and grab breakfast.

After finishing her egg sandwich and coffee, Patsasika stood up to throw away her trash. However, her small steps came to a halt when she encountered someone she hadn’t been impressed with since their first meeting yesterday. The man, too, stopped and stood still.

“Hello... Nurse Sor.”

“Hello,” she replied out of courtesy.

“I thought you’d be in the room with Mook.”

From his tone, Patsasika could tell that he wasn’t asking a question; it was more of a reprimand. Recently, her life had been one challenge after another—a difficult patient, her unusual brother, and a co-worker, Palin, who consistently found ways to make her life harder.

“Ms. Mook has friends visiting, so she asked me to step out.”

“Mm.”

The young nurse noted the large bird’s nest fern in his hand, likely bought from a shop in the cafeteria. She’d have to stash it somewhere safe from Mongkutmook’s reach, or it would end up in pieces like the last one.

“Did my sister have a big outburst last night?”

“It was fairly intense.”

The young woman answered, sidestepping the truth somewhat. He had asked, "Did she have a big outburst?" instead of simply "Did she have an outburst?"—which clearly indicated that he already knew the patient’s outburst was inevitable.

“When she got tired, she eventually fell asleep.”

“Impressive.”

“Sorry?”

“I said, you’re impressive.” Boramat couldn’t help but study the woman standing before him. His sister’s private nurse seemed to be a true southerner—high-bridged nose, dark, expressive eyes, honey-colored skin—yet she spoke without a hint of a southern accent.

“I don’t understand.”

“What’s so hard to understand? Getting Mook to fall asleep is an impressive feat.”

“Oh, right. I understand now.” The more she spoke with him, the more she disliked this man. His face radiated no warmth, and his words dripped with arrogance.

“Mm.”

“Wait, there’s something I need to say.” Patsasika said, halting him as the tall figure started to walk away.

His thick brows raised slightly before he asked.

“Go ahead.”

“Yesterday, when you left Mook alone in the room after her IV line had come out, that was unacceptable. If I hadn’t gone in, how long would she have been left like that? You say she’s your sister, but you act as if you don’t care about her at all. I don’t have any siblings, so I don’t know what it’s like to be worried about a sibling. But as a nurse, I can’t agree with what you did yesterday.”

Patsasika spoke fluently, as though she had rehearsed her lines many times. Though she had no idea where she found the nerve.

“Are you done, Nurse Sor?” Boramat asked without the slightest sign of remorse.

“You—!”

“If you’re finished, go back and take care of my sister. Try thinking of her as your own sister, and then maybe you’ll understand why I handled her that way yesterday.”

“But I’m not Ms. Mook’s real sister.”

“I never said you were. I only said, ‘try thinking’ of her that way.”

“What kind of man... Such a sharp tongue. I feel sorry for your wife.”

Patsasika muttered to herself as she turned her face away, though apparently loud enough for the “sharp-tongued man” with an unusually keen sense of hearing to overhear.

“I don’t have a wife, and I have no intention of marrying a nagging nurse.”

“What!”

“Upset?”

Boramat chuckled, continued speaking with a mocking tone.

“Upset because I heard you grumbling, or because I said I’d never marry a nurse? Hmm?”