Rosalind noticed how warmly Rebecca referred to Ulric’s father as Uncle Caesar, which made her wonder if there was some other connection between their families.
“You and Ulric’s father…?” Rosalind asked.
“My dad and Uncle Caesar have been good friends for many years. I used to visit Uncle Caesar’s house a lot when I was a child, but I didn’t see much of Ulric back then. He was probably studying back at home at the time, while I grew up abroad,” Rebecca explained.
As the two girls chatted, they arrived at Rebecca’s examination room. Rebecca first examined Rosalind’s wound and then redressed the surgical incision with her own specially formulated medication.
“Remember to apply this every day. It will relieve pain and inflammation, and it works really well!” Rebecca instructed. However, she felt a bit concerned and added, “Why don’t you come see me every day? I’ll take care of it for you so you won’t forget or neglect your own health.”
“You don’t have to trouble yourself. I can do it,” Rosalind replied.
“It’s no trouble at all! I’m a doctor, and it’s my duty to do this,” Rebecca said gently as she stood up. “Now, let me take you back to Ulric’s ward.”
Rosalind nodded in agreement.
…
By the time Rosalind returned, it was already completely dark outside. As soon as she entered, she caught a whiff of the delicious aroma of food in the ward.
Upon hearing her voice, Ulric immediately asked, “Rosalind?”
“It’s me,” she replied.
Because Ulric could only lie flat and couldn’t see who was coming through the door, he could only guess.
Rosalind approached his bed and reached out to feel his forehead to check if he had a fever. Then she spoke, “Are you hungry? Let me feed you.”
“I can’t eat them. The food is for you,” Ulric replied.
Ulric looked at her with a hint of helplessness in his eyes. “You’ve been busy all day, taking care of Tilda and making sure she eats, but you forgot about your own hunger.”
Rosalind smiled, “It’s not that I forgot. It’s just that I’m not hungry.”
“Even if you’re not hungry, you still need to eat. You have a stomach condition,” Ulric insisted.
He remembered everything about her, even the smallest details.
Rosalind glanced at the table filled with dishes that she liked and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. She desperately tried to hold back her tears and quickly turned away to wipe them away, avoiding Ulric’s gaze.
“What’s wrong? Is there something you don’t like?” Ulric asked with concern when he noticed that she didn’t immediately start eating.
“No, it’s not that.” Rosalind shook her head.
“Don’t worry. There’s no garlic in any of the dishes. I made sure of that,” Ulric reassured her.
Ulric didn’t know that the more he did this, the more upset Rosalind felt. His thoughtfulness made her realize how little she had done in return.
“Go ahead and eat.” Ulric reached out his hand, trying hard to touch Rosalind’s shoulder.
But unfortunately, the monitoring wires on his body weren’t long enough, and any force would pull on his wound.
Hearing Ulric wince, Rosalind quickly turned around and held his raised hand. “What happened? Does it hurt somewhere?”
“It’s nothing.” Ulric smiled at her with affectionate eyes. “Why are you so worried about me?”
Rosalind wasn’t used to him looking directly into her eyes. She looked flustered as she shifted her gaze away. “I’m afraid you might move around too much and hinder your recovery.”
Ulric chuckled softly and lovingly said, “Rosalind, you’re such a bad liar.”