Elisa turned around and looked into the distance, touching her belly. “Maybe I saw wrong…”
“What did you see wrong?” Louis walked over and heard Elisa muttering to herself.
“Nothing.” Elisa snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Louis parking the car not far away. “Let’s go home. My mom just texted me asking when we’ll be back.”
Louis reached out to support her, his eyes more vigilant than hers.
“I don’t need assistance right now, I can walk on my own.”
“Still, be careful.”
There were other pregnant women coming to the hospital, their bellies swollen, accompanied by someone. Compared to them, Elisa’s belly was concealed by her loose coat, and it was impossible to tell she was pregnant.
But precisely because it wasn’t obvious, she had to be even more cautious, to avoid being bumped into by someone.
Once in the car, Louis fastened Elisa’s seatbelt.
“What do you want to eat for lunch today? I’ll cook for you.”
“Can we have spicy boneless chicken feet?”
Louis searched online and confirmed they could eat a small amount. “Alright, I’ll tell the chef to buy some chicken feet. I’ll cook for lunch today.”
Elisa nodded happily. It had been a long time since she had eaten something spicy. She had been eating bland food every day, and she had even lost weight. She rubbed her face as she thought about it.
Louis looked at her small gestures and involuntarily raised the corners of his lips. The car drove steadily away.
Neither of them noticed the gaze on them from a window in the hospital building’s corridor.
Does a person know when they will die? It wasn’t clear if others knew about Hamish, but Hamish knew how he had endured each day and had a hunch that one day he wouldn’t make it.
Now, he was like a candle about to be extinguished, swaying back and forth, without needing anyone to blow on it.
When he was diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer in the hospital, the doctor said that with good treatment, he could live for about four to five years. This year marked his fourth year.
Sometimes, he felt like he couldn’t make it through the night, but when he thought about how beautiful the sun would rise the next day, he had to see it no matter what.
Day after day, he persisted slowly.
Chemotherapy was painful, the medication tasted bitter, and coughing up blood was uncomfortable. He would be in pain all night, unable to sleep. He shaved his head, but he had also experienced the panic of losing large chunks of hair.
Tell me, how did Elisa endure those years? How did she silently suffer from stomach cancer without telling anyone?
Hamish’s health had gradually deteriorated. Now, he basically had to be pushed in a wheelchair when going out. Tobias brought him to the hospital for a check-up.
Tobias went to get some paperwork, while Hamish waited in the lobby. Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure walk out of the elevator.
At first, he thought he was seeing things, quietly watching for a long time, even holding his breath before confirming he wasn’t mistaken. He actually saw Elisa in the hospital.
The last time he saw her was on a computer screen. It was on Elisa and Louis’s wedding day. Elisa wore a red dress that reminded him of their first formal meeting.
At that time, Elisa also wore a red dress, slowly walking towards him with a confident and exuberant smile, all her eyes on him.
The same red dress, but this time, Elisa was walking towards Louis.
Why did Elisa come to the hospital? Was she sick?
At this moment, his first concern was still Elisa’s condition.
Looking from a distance, Elisa’s complexion was much better than before. Beside her, Louis stayed by her side without leaving.
When they reached the hospital entrance, Elisa stopped, lightly placing her hand on her stomach. That kind of gesture… made Hamish’s pupils shrink suddenly.
Only at this moment did he realize that Elisa had just walked down from the obstetrics and gynecology department.
Elisa, she’s pregnant, and it’s Louis’s child.
Hamish didn’t want to see her, he even wanted to forget about her and let himself go. But he couldn’t control it, and today, he had a strong premonition that perhaps this would be their last meeting.
Hamish stood up unsteadily and kept watching Elisa’s back. He hoped Elisa would turn back, but when she did, he quickly turned around, coincidentally, the elevator door opened, and without hesitation, he entered to hide, leaving the wheelchair in the lobby.
It was a desperate move, and his heart was in turmoil.
The elevator went straight to the top floor and slowly descended to the first floor, back and forth. In the middle, a nurse who saw Hamish ride the elevator up and down several times thought she had encountered a crazy person and intentionally sat in the elevator to play.
“Which floor are you going to, sir?”
Hamish had been standing in the corner the whole time. The elevator was very clean, and his figure was faintly reflected on the wall. He was as thin as a skeleton, “only bones left without flesh.”
In fact, his body should have been fine, and half of his current situation was caused by himself.
Hamish laughed mockingly, and the elevator stopped again. This time, he lifted his feet and walked out, but he didn’t have the strength to go far. Leaning against the wall, he lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.
Tobias, panting, found him and silently stood in front of him, his gaze fixed on him, his lips opening and closing but ultimately refrained… what else could he do? He couldn’t scold or hit him, right?
“Mr. Burns, could you let me know next time you want to leave? When I came back to the lobby after getting the paperwork, I saw your wheelchair and thought you were in danger.”
“This is what I’ve become now, what danger is there?”
Tobias fell silent. Hamish hadn’t made such a sharp self-deprecating remark in a long time, and he was somewhat unaccustomed to it. But people don’t change suddenly; most likely, something happened in between.
Tobias supported Hamish, not minding the weight of Hamish who was 189cm tall, and helped him into the designated treatment room on the floor.
“Mr. Burns, do you want some water?”
Hamish shook his head.
Before leaving, Tobias reminded Hamish not to wander around.
Once Tobias left, Hamish looked out the window and stared blankly at the scene below.
The hospital had planted many banyan trees outside. Banyan trees were common in the south and served as one of the landscape trees. They were both durable and easy to care for.
Banyan trees had green leaves all year round, and the older the tree, the larger the trunk, with many vines entwined on it.
But directly in front of the hospital, the banyan tree had withered branches and leaves. Even though it was spring, there wasn’t a single green leaf to be seen. Obviously, it was dying, and even such good conditions couldn’t sustain it.
Hamish’s gaze remained in the distance. Elisa and Louis probably had already left, but he just couldn’t bear to look away, staring in the direction Elisa had just stood.
Tobias came back, pushing the wheelchair, and saw Hamish looking outside.
“Mr. Burns, what are you looking at?”
Hamish said, “I just saw Elisa earlier, and Louis was with her.”