“What’s wrong with you?”
Allyce stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing Severo’s arm, looking at him with a worried face.
Severo leaned on the sink with one hand, holding a glass of water in the other to rinse his mouth, before speaking slowly: “Nothing.
His breathing was a little heavy, as if he was trying to suppress something.
“Come here first.” Allyce pulled him towards the bed and sat down.
Severo followed her, looking a little wobbly on his feet as she pulled him along.
He sat on the edge of the bed and Allyce squatted down in front of him, frowning slightly, raising her eyes to his and asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Not much, a bit of the usual, go back to sleep.” Severo reached up and touched her face, stretching out his arm to lift her up.
Allyce didn’t move, her gaze rested on his sweaty forehead and her face sunk, her tone was stern, “Stern, even a three year old knows to talk to an adult when he’s not feeling well, you’re not acting like a three year old.”
Severo was amused by Allyce’s stern face and reached up to pinch her face, his voice a little weak: “Well … I’m with a stomach bug …”
The words had just left his mouth when his whole body swayed and he fell backwards.
…
In hospital.
Allyce looked at Severo lying on the hospital bed with a worried face, turned to Xabat and said: “Go back and rest, Severo in this state will definitely not be able to take care of business affairs for some time, Kimdis and the company will depend on you, I will just keep an eye on him here.
Xabat echoed Allyce’s sentiments and, without further ado, turned and walked out.
The hospital was silent at midnight, with the sound of nurses’ footsteps up and down the corridors.
Allyce saw Xabat leave, looked around, closed the door, poured herself a glass of water and returned to the bedside.
Severo lay pale and lifeless on the bed, still in fluids.
In all the time I had known Severo, I had not even known about his stomach problems.
He realised that he hadn’t cared enough about Severo, that he had neglected him all this time because he was helping the group with Delahoz, and that he didn’t even know he had relapsed.
Allyce blamed herself and was heartbroken, and a little angry.
If he had a grievance, all he had to do was say so, why launch into an acute stomach haemorrhage to remind him of it?
“You bastard!” Allyce scolded him in a whisper, reaching out to twist his face, but not hard enough.
She kept an eye on Severo even after the infusion, and it was almost dawn when she was too tired to hold on and fell asleep walking straight to the edge of the hospital bed.
When Severo woke up, he felt that the blanket on one side was pressed down by something heavy and he could not get up at all.
As he turned his head and saw Allyce asleep on the edge of the bed, he realised he was in a hospital.
In a hospital?
He sat up slowly, leaning back on the bed and frowning slightly, not realising that his stomach had become unbearable.
With Severo on her mind, Allyce had slept lightly and was now waking up.
“Are you awake?” Allyce’s voice had a softness to it that was not usually present when she had just woken up.
Rubbing her eyes, she got up and stood up, almost fully awake.
“How are you feeling, are you still in pain?” He took out his phone again and checked the time, realising it was seven o’clock, and added, “I’m going to call the doctor now.”
Allyce said this and then looked at Severo, only to find him staring unblinkingly at her.
Allyce gave a questioning look: “What?
Severo’s expression was rare and gentle, “I’m fine …”.
It’s OK.
Hearing those words, Allyce felt angry.
“Shut up!” Allyce glared at him, “Acute stomach bleeding is fine? You’re eating spicy food despite being obviously sick, and deliberately torturing yourself to wait for the malignancy to turn into stomach cancer before you consider yourself fine? You’re not even close to a three-year-old.
Allyce had hardly ever spoken to Severo in such an almost mean tone.
This time I was really angry.
How could she not be angry when he was clearly tormenting her on purpose.
Severo noted the weariness and anger on Allyce’s face and, with a waggle of his eyebrows, reached out to push Allyce away.
Allyce stepped back, avoiding his hand, and looked at him ungraciously, “Don’t touch me.”
Severo dropped his hand back and covered his stomach without saying a word.
Allyce was surprised, and was quick to ask, “What’s wrong? You’re not feeling well again, are you? I’m going to get … right now.
“No, it’s not that bad.” Severo dragged Allyce back as soon as he could.
He was worried that Allyce would run away again, so he exerted some force, causing Allyce to fall back into his arms.
Severus stretched his long arms around her and marked her forehead with a gentle smack, his voice was soft and unusual, “It’s my fault, I know you’re angry, you can keep nagging me, don’t get angry again when you’re done, I won’t do it again.”
“You …”
Severo smiled faintly, that smile was soft.
He didn’t smile often, and when he did, it was especially nice, especially … when he smiled so softly.
Allyce had more anger than she could muster, and was even less willing to scold him.
He grunted and got up to call the doctor.
The doctor arrived quickly, examined Severo briefly, asked him how he was and told him to rest in bed and stay in hospital for a few days, depending on his recovery.
When the doctor had left, Severo patted the empty spot next to him on the bed and said, “Go upstairs and take a nap”.
Allyce shook her head, “No, I’ll go and get something to make you some porridge, the doctor has just said you can have something to eat.
Severo was in a VIP room with a kitchen, so all I had to do was go and get some rice and vegetables and I could cook him some porridge right here.
She was a little glad that she had learned a lot in the two years she had been separated from Severo.
Otherwise, I would not have been able to take care of Severo when he was sick.
It had always been Severo who had looked after her.
And she had done very little for him, really.
…
Allyce went shopping and bought some porridge at the breakfast shop to take home.
He would buy it for breakfast and then he could make his own for Severo.
When Allyce returned to the hospital, Neto arrived.
“So much shopping, come on, let me help you carry it.”
As soon as Neto saw Allyce, he greeted her and offered to help her carry her things.
“Thank you.” Allyce smiled at him, and turned her head to look at Severo.
Neto snorted: “If it were me, I wouldn’t bother with him, I’d let him kill himself”.
Allyce froze for a moment, certain that Neto was talking about Severo.
Severo sniffed and gave Neto a cold look.
Neto didn’t see her and continued: “I’m telling you that in reality her stomach problem was almost over before, it was all her doing …”.