The Bargain Undercover

Slip Away

Eliana sat on the hospital bed in the ward, looking out of the window blankly.

It was quiet around, but her thoughts were running wildly in her head, screaming what if she could never dance again.

After she was sent to the hospital and went through the CT test, the doctor met with her in the inspection room, showing her the results and explaining her condition with terminologies that she couldn't completely understand.

But she could tell that her injury was serious.

"Your left ankle has fractures that may not heal properly without surgery, so I recommend surgical treatment." The doctor's conclusion was clear enough. Eliana watched as his lips parted and closed, feeling unreal as if he was talking about another patient other than her.

"How long does it take to recover? I have shows this winter," Eliana asked with blankness in her eyes, her tone faint as if their conversation was about the weather.

Then, she saw compassion in the doctor's eyes.

His tone was as soft as possible. "I don't think you can recover this winter."

"OK, what about next winter?" Eliana pressed, "I'll still be able to dance in the future, right?"

"It can't be ensured at the moment." The doctor asked, "What kind of dance do you do?"

Eliana told him, "Ballet."

"Oh..." The doctor pursed his lips, picking his words carefully. "Right. Ballet dancers typically need more strength in their ankles, so..."

He stopped there, but Eliana got him. He meant it would be very challenging for her to return to dancing after an ankle fracture.

Silence stretched in the inspection room.

Everything happened so fast, so it still felt unreal. Eliana lowered her eyes and stared at the floor, feeling herself in a different dimension. She suddenly couldn't understand what the doctor was saying. He was speaking English, but she didn't know a single word of it.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said, passing her some tissues.

Eliana was confused at first but soon realized that she was crying. She didn't take the tissues but simply wiped the tears from her face with her hands, begging the doctor, "Please, doctor... I can't quit ballet. My career is all I have..."

The doctor tried to comfort her, "You still have a chance to go back."

Eliana shook her head with determination in her eyes. "No, I HAVE to go back. Doctor, I don't need treatment. Can you just give me some painkillers? I'm going back now."

The doctor told her, "Eliana, without treatment, your bones can't heal properly."

Eliana felt a surge of anger burning inside her. "I don't care. I can endure the pain."

The doctor explained to her patiently, "It's not only about the pain. Without your bones healing properly, you can't even walk, let alone dance."

Eliana's stubborn voice was shaking. "I can figure out a way."

The doctor put his hand on her trembling shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Eliana, look at me. Let's figure out a way together after the surgery, okay? Trust me, I will try my best."

The doctor's hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She gradually returned to her senses as her anger subsided, but a wave of helplessness began to rise. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing, "But I'm so scared..."

"I get it. I get it." The doctor encouraged her, "The good thing is you're young and overall healthy, so you have a higher chance. Let's work together to make it happen, okay?"

Eliana didn't answer right away. The inspection room was filled with her broken sobs. After a while, she put down her hands, her eyes and nose still red. "Yes. Sorry, I was being unreasonable."

"I totally understand." The doctor patted her on the shoulder. "It's too early to give up yet."

Then, Eliana was moved to the ward, waiting for the surgery scheduled for the next day.

The nurse put plaster around her left ankle, placed a crutch by her bed, and requested to contact her family. She thought for a while and asked, "Can I sign for the surgery myself? I'm an adult."

The nurse said, "Sure, you can. But it'd be better to have someone around to help you."

Eliana refused, "It's okay. I can take care of myself."

She could imagine what it would be like if her parents were here. Lora would go crazy to know Eliana might not be able to dance anymore, because her outstanding daughter was her chip to keep Delbert. Delbert might not even show up, and even if he did, Eliana wouldn't be in the mood to deal with his selfish speeches.

She would rather rely on the crutch than her parents.

So, she ended up alone in the ward, staring at the night view outside the window. She couldn't describe the feelings inside her right now. For all these years, she did whatever she could and finally got what she wanted, reaching closer to the top. But all of a sudden, everything slipped away through the gaps in her fingers, and the clear future became blurred again.

If she couldn't go back to dancing... As soon as this thought crossed her mind again, she shook her head to chase it away. The doctor was right. It was too early to give up yet.

Someone knocked on her ward door. She looked over and saw Alex opening the door and peeking in.

"Ellie..." Seeing her still awake, he came over with sorrow in his eyes.

Eliana was shocked. "How did you find out I'm here?"

Alex told her, "I went back home and knocked on the door, but you didn't respond. So I called you, and you didn't pick up. Then, a neighbor came out and told me you were pushed downstairs, broke your ankle, and was sent here."

"Sorry, my phone cracked," Eliana said.

"Was it the stalker who..." Alex sat down beside her bed with guilt all over his face, thinking that he was somewhat responsible for what had happened.

"Likely." Eliana lowered her eyes. "I talked to the police. They are investigating it, but I could tell they felt it'd be hard to find him."

Alex sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, Ellie. It's all my fault. I promised to protect you, but I just left you alone and..."

He rubbed his forehead in pain and couldn't continue.

"Hey, don't blame yourself. You've already helped a lot." Eliana smiled to make him feel better. Neither of them could go back in time and change it, and she clearly knew that she shouldn't shift the blame to Alex who wasn't responsible for her injury.

"No, I didn't help. I failed to protect you." Alex was still blaming himself. "Ellie, I know I messed it up, but if there's still anything I can do for you, just tell me. I promise, I've never thought..."

He couldn't continue and lowered his head again. "I'm so, so sorry."

Eliana patted his hand to comfort him. "You reminded me. Since my phone cracked, can you help me tell Director Lane that I have to quit this winter season? My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, and I don't think I can recover that fast."

"Sure, I'm texting him now." Alex took out his phone right away, typing while asking, "How long do you need before you come back?"

Eliana parted her lips but didn't know what to say.

She didn't have the answer to this question.

Sensing her hesitance, Alex looked at her. "Ellie?"

Eliana responded honestly, "I don't know."

Alex paused for a while. "What did the doctor say?"

Eliana tried her best to control the shakiness in her voice. "He said I might not be able to dance anymore."

Then, the ward fell into dreadful silence.

Alex stared at Eliana with his eyes widened, not knowing what to say. Eliana wasn't able to bear his gaze and looked away. The bare shock and disbelief he showed would only make her feel worse.

Alex also seemed to realize that he shouldn't be looking at her like that, shifting his gaze and clearing his throat. "Well... I'm sure you can come back soon."

Eliana nodded. "Thank you."

Alex stood up and said with his eyes looking at the floor, "It's late. I have to leave. Good luck with your surgery tomorrow."

Without waiting for her response, he turned around and fled the ward.

Eliana was surprised to see him run away as if escaping something after saying those official words. It seemed he couldn't accept the fact that her injury was fatal to her career, feeling that he was partly responsible for it.

Eliana couldn't accept it either. A couple of hours ago, her left ankle was still strong and healthy, waiting to impress the audience in the winter season. But now, it was wrapped in plaster, waiting for its fate.

Tears blurred her vision. Alone in the quiet ward, she cried, feeling the pain in her left ankle intensify.

Her surgery was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Ideally, she should get a good night's rest to conserve her energy, but she had lost track of time and didn't feel sleepy at all.

At this time, someone knocked gently on her ward door two times.

She wiped her tears away with her hands.

"Come in." Her voice was a bit hoarse from crying.

The door opened.

And then, Eliana looked over with her swelling eyes.