The ambulance roared as it arrived and then quickly departed, its flashing lights attracting the attention of many onlookers.
Upon learning that the landlady had hurt her back, many tenants seemed delighted, as if they had finally gotten their revenge on her.
Darnell, however, did not take pleasure in this. He grabbed a few carrots and went out with Lillian to the nearby hospital. Before long, the ambulance arrived at the hospital entrance.
The medical staff took the groaning Ms. Sotheby into the emergency room for treatment, while Darnell and Lillian sat down on a bench.
“Don’t worry too much. She just hurt her back,” Darnell comforted Lillian softly. “At most, she’ll need three months of rest.”
Although he couldn’t stand Ms. Sotheby’s bullying behavior, her strained back was punishment enough. There was no need to kick her while she was down.
Besides, she was Lillian’s godmother. Even if he didn’t like her, he still felt a bit guilty. “She has a fiery temper and is easily agitated,” he added.
“I shouldn’t have provoked her with my words, causing her to get so worked up that she strained her back.”
Lillian had already understood the situation on her way here and knew her godmother well. She glanced at Darnell and said, “I always thought you were a jerk, but I didn’t expect you to be so considerate, taking responsibility for things that have nothing to do with you and accompanying me to the hospital.”
“I still have a bit of a conscience,” Darnell replied.
Tonight, Lillian wasn’t wearing her professional attire. She wore a black striped short-sleeved shirt with a white skirt. Her tempting legs were not hidden in black stockings but exposed cleanly. Her smooth and tender skin gleamed white under the light, captivating and enchanting.
Areli had beautiful legs. Casey had a large chest. Bailee smelled like fresh green apples. Shayla had perky buttocks, and Lillian had fair skin.
When she took off her stockings, Darnell’s eyes went straight to her fair thighs.
Seeing that Darnell wasn’t responding and was staring at her thighs intently, Lillian tapped his head and asked, “What are you thinking?”
Darnell straightened up immediately and grabbed Lillian’s hand. “About you,” he said.
Lillian was taken aback for a moment before giving him a disdainful look. “You pervert.”
Darnell grinned and held onto her fist. “Alright, I was just joking with you. Don’t be too nervous.”
“Pervert, let go!” Lillian protested.
“Pervert, move your hand from my leg.”
Lillian kept her distance from Darnell and muttered under her breath, “Hooligan.”
Darnell looked innocent. “How am I being a hooligan?”
“Teasing me and touching me!”
Lillian murmured quietly to herself before realizing that what she said might not be appropriate. She blushed slightly and said with a hint of embarrassment, “Anyway, you’re still a hooligan.”
“I’m just trying to lighten the mood. Besides, I touched you openly and honestly. It’s all good-hearted fun. And besides, I saved your life,” Darnell said seriously.
“I saved your life but can’t even touch you?”
His words seemed to make sense.
“You!” Lillian was so angry that she couldn’t find the words to speak. “You’re not allowed to have such thoughts.”
Darnell widened his eyes. “If I don’t have those thoughts, doesn’t that mean you have no charm at all?”
Lillian seemed struck by Darnell’s words. “It seems like it!” Then she changed her tone to sound more assertive. “But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still a hooligan.”
After saying that, she smiled with pursed lips, a smile that came from deep within, comfortable and natural. It was like flowers blooming instantly, bright and captivating.
This was the first time in ten years that Lillian had genuinely smiled from the heart.
“No conscience at all! Your godmother is in the emergency room and you’re laughing so happily,” Darnell said suddenly.
Darnell jokingly added, “It’s like you’re hoping for her to die so you can inherit her fortune.”
Upon hearing this, Lillian was irate and jumped up. She lifted her slender leg as if she were about to kick Darnell, but he caught it in time.
Her delicate and beautiful foot was glowing, with neatly arranged toes painted in a touch of red like translucent agate.
As Darnell held Lillian’s fair leg in his hand, his fingers grew hot. Lillian blushed with anger and embarrassment. “What are you doing?”
“Quickly let go of my leg! Stop staring!”
Darnell released Lillian’s leg upon hearing her words. He wanted to continue admiring it but didn’t want to make Lillian cry.
Besides, Lillian’s kick confirmed some of his suspicions.
“Who is the patient’s family member?” Suddenly, a young doctor walked out and called Darnell and Lillian while pointing at Ms. Sotheby in the emergency room.
“The patient has acute lumbar sprain. Severe pain that is continuous and worsens when coughing or taking deep breaths.”
“We’ve already applied a plaster cast. She’ll need to stay in the hospital for three weeks.”
The young doctor appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, quite young, but he exuded an air of authority. The other doctors and nurses treated him with great respect.
It was clear that he was an outstanding individual.
Upon hearing the young doctor’s words, Lillian was taken aback. She hadn’t expected it to be so serious. Noemi also had a dark expression on her face. She found it difficult to accept this outcome.
Seeing Darnell in front of her made her even angrier. It seemed like she wanted to climb out of bed and devour him alive. “It’s all because of you…”
“Ouch!”
Before she could finish speaking, Noemi let out another cry of pain. It seemed that moving worsened her injury.
“Ms. Sotheby, don’t get angry or shout. Otherwise, you’ll suffer,” Darnell approached casually and glanced at Noemi’s injury. “You need to stay in bed and rest for half a month. It’ll be good for both your body and your personality.”
“When you curse at people without restraint in the future, you’ll think about your own pain. You should have a bit of decency in your words.”
She had hurled insults at others, only to find herself suffering the consequences. Darnell almost felt like saying it was karma.
Lillian gently tugged at Darnell’s sleeve, signaling him to stop provoking her godmother. “Noemi, just focus on getting better. I’ll take care of you.”
“Lillian, I don’t want to stay in the hospital. Take me home,” Noemi weakly replied. “I still have to deal with those bastards next week.”
She tried to make her voice sound frail to avoid straining her back and causing herself pain. “Doctors love to exaggerate and over-treat. It’s just a minor back strain, after all.”
“It’s not as serious as they say! I’ve pulled my back at least once or twice every year for the past few years, and all I needed was to lie in bed for a few days.”
“And look at him. He’s so young. What kind of medical experience could he possibly have?”
The doctor, who had been writing up her medical record, glanced up with a change in expression at Noemi’s words. “It’s best for you to stay in the hospital and not move around or talk too much.”
“If you strain yourself or shift positions, you might end up lying in bed for a year, or worse, spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair.”
“If you want to be discharged, I can write you a release form, but once you leave the hospital, we won’t be responsible for anything that happens.”
It was clear he was irritated by Noemi’s unfounded accusations.
A young nurse chimed in, crossing her arms with a smirk, “Dr. Tyson is one of our top talents. You can’t even get an appointment with him most of the time.”
Ms. Sotheby retorted sarcastically, “That ‘top talent’ is becoming less and less valuable.”
“How can you talk like that?”
The young nurse was offended. “Dr. Tyson is a disciple of Dr. Goodenough!”
Dr. Tyson held his head high, looking down on Ms. Sotheby as if he were above her.
Hearing the name Dr. Goodenough made Noemi’s eyes narrow instantly as she weakly replied, “So what is he’s his disciple? I’m Dr. Goodenough’s dream girl!”