Tobias packed up his equipment and said seriously, “You know, I would never do anything to harm you.”
Callie nodded vigorously, moved. “I understand, Tobias. Really, thank you. Sometimes I feel like you’re better than my own brother.”
Tobias didn’t seem pleased by her words. He smirked, “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not interested in being your brother.”
Callie felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t think much of it.
After the medical staff left, Callie sat down and held Reuben’s bony hand. She couldn’t speak for a long time. “How can I get you to wake up?”
Tonight, she didn’t let the caregiver stay. She decided to stay herself. When she told Nelson, he was just hanging up the phone and walking over. He showed no reaction. “I’ll stay with you.”
Callie was surprised. The VIP ward had good treatment, but it wasn’t a place for someone of Nelson’s status.
Seeing her surprised expression, Nelson tapped her head lightly. “What’s that look for? Birth, aging, sickness, and death happen in every family. It’s not something special.”
Callie felt comforted by his words. She asked, “You spoke to Dr. Tobias like that earlier because you were worried he’d tell someone? Don’t worry, he won’t. He’s not that kind of person.”
Nelson stood by the window, casually taking out a pack of cigarettes and peeling off the thin film. “You know him well?”
“He’s practically my father’s savior.”
“I’ve already made arrangements on this floor; no news will get out. As for Dr. Tobias, I trust he won’t say anything either,” Nelson said as he lit a cigarette. “Because he likes you.”
Callie’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? Tobias is like a brother to me. How could that be possible?”
Nelson opened a window to let the smoke out. “And what are you to him?”
“Impossible. If he liked me, why wouldn’t he tell me?” Callie couldn’t accept it.
Nelson watched her through the smoke without arguing.
It was the first time Callie heard such a possibility. It seemed absurd, but thinking back on moments with Tobias, she felt uncertain. She never had the time or courage to entertain such thoughts before, but now recalling various details, it seemed there might be some signs.
“I’m ordinary, I have nothing, and I have a sick father. Why would he like me?”
Nelson heard her muttering and mocked lightly, “Yes, just like I never thought I’d marry someone like you.”
Callie didn’t catch the meaning behind his words and stared blankly at the elderly man on the bed.
“Dr. Tobias doesn’t like me; he sees me as a friend. Stop teasing me. I just want to know how to wake my father up.”
When Reuben first fell into a coma, Callie tried everything, dragging Joaquin to stay up all night talking to him. A year passed with no response from Reuben. Gradually, she focused on managing her own life and worked hard to earn money for his medical expenses.
Nelson closed his eyes slightly and then stubbed out his cigarette after a moment. “Let things take their course; life and death can’t be forced.”
Callie’s back stiffened, and she didn’t turn around. “You’re so cold-blooded.”
His movements paused as she suddenly asked, “Nelson, have you ever had a relative you couldn’t bear to lose? Besides your grandfather.”
Nelson sat in a sliver of light, his face half-lit and half-shadowed. After a moment, he answered faintly, “I once did.”