Cody frowned. He remembered reading jellyfish from his book. Some poisonous jellyfish could kill a human in the blink of an eye. How come Jasper just got stung so easily? Was it a coincidence?
Enzo had been hearing their conversation the whole time. He put down the knife instantly when he heard that, moving toward the phone, “What kind of jellyfish is that? And how long has that happened?”
Cristelle told him the type of jellyfish, sniffing a bit as she told him, “He got stung 2 hours ago.”
Enzo went silent for a pause, “That jellyfish you mentioned is not poisonous enough to kill him. He should be fine tomorrow. By the way, where’s Linford?”
Cristelle looked quite uncomfortable as Enzo mentioned his brother’s name, “He’s busy… at his house.”
“Oh…” Enzo arched an eyebrow.
“Mommy, if uncle says it will be okay, Jasper will definitely be okay. Uncle is an expert,” Cody smiled at her. He trusted his cool uncle with all his heart.
Cristelle finally managed to control her mood, letting out a long sigh, “Of course, I believe you guys.”
They chatted for a couple of more minutes before hanging up the phone.
****
In Linford’s villa, Candace was lying on a huge bed herself, completely unaware of the absence of her Dad. At the moment, Linford was standing on the balcony, holding a can of beer, chugging it down as if it were a bottle of water.
“Christ… I’m so tired now. Why did you have to call me this late? Am I not even allowed to sleep now?” Drew walked into the room and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Linford cast him a stern glance. Drew went serious instantly, “What happened? Are you drinking right now?”
“You told me you were once stung by a jellyfish? How did you survive after that?” Linford didn’t want to waste his time. So he asked Drew directly.
Drew seemed to be startled by his question, “Wha- Have you been stung by a jellyfish? You don’t seem like you are.”
Linford looked at him without any expression on his face.
Drew cleared his throat, “I was quite little, and I didn’t know better. I went to play with my friends by the sea, and I got stung by a jellyfish. One of my friends helped me find some local meds that worked especially for a jellyfish sting. That was how I managed to survive.”
Drew was still quite scared as he recalled the memory.
“Can you still find that kind of med?” Linford asked.
Drew blinked, “Yeah.”
Linford sighed, “You go to the First City Hospital later. A guy named Jasper Johnson was stung by jellyfish as well. You need to send that kind of medicine to him so the doctors can save him. Don’t let Cristelle know about this.”
“Jasper? He’s Cristelle’s friend, right? But why are you hiding this from Cristelle?” Drew still couldn’t figure it out.
“Just go, Drew,” Linford sighed as he suddenly felt extremely tired, “I’m not in the mood to answer questions.”
Drew couldn’t figure out what had happened to him. But he would always be a supportive friend. So he just left.
****
Linford took a shower and sat on the balcony all night. He had never felt so chaotic before. He couldn’t forget how anxious Cristelle was when she heard about what had happened to Jasper. He wished he could find her and lock her up so she would never be able to be that close to another man.
He hated himself for being needy, but he couldn’t help it. He knew Jasper’s intention too well, but he also couldn’t bring himself to neglect Cristelle’s feelings.
At least he didn’t want Cristelle to hate him.
****
Jasper’s condition finally got better in the middle of the night. The doctors pushed him out of the ICU.
“This is a miracle. We’re lucky that…” The doctor cleared his throat mid-sentence, swallowing back what he was going to say.
Cristelle’s head was a mess. She was only extremely glad that Jasper was saved. She could only say thanks again and again. The doctors exchanged a look and left.
“Cristelle… Is this heaven or hell?” Jasper joked when he finally opened his eyes.
Cristelle wanted to cry, but she still managed to force out a smile, “This is the mortal world. I’m afraid you have to be trapped here for a couple of decades.”
Jasper smiled weakly, “I don’t mind it if I would be trapped with you for the rest of my life.”
Cristelle’s eyes reddened as she heard that, “Stop saying that… Just take some rest. You need to get better soon.”
She wanted to leave, but Jasper pulled at her hand, “Cristelle, how long are you gonna stay here?”
Cristelle swallowed, “I’ll be here taking care of you until the day you discharge from the hospital.”
A faint smile appeared on Jasper’s lips, “Deal.”
****
When Cristelle walked out of Jasper’s ward, she saw Linford sitting on the bench in the corridor, holding Candace on his lap. Linford seemed extremely gloomy. He didn’t even say anything when he saw Cristelle.
Candace jumped off and ran toward her Mom. She’d been worried about Jasper. She needed to see him and make sure he was okay.
Cristelle held Candace in her arms and left a kiss on her cheek, “Honey… Jasper just woke up. He needs some rest. He can’t see you right now.”
Candace nodded disappointedly, giving a small glass bottle to Cristelle. The bottle was filled with paper stars. She had made them the previous night.
She heard giving sick people paper stars would make them get better soon. She made these, especially for Jasper.
“Ow… My sweet baby,” Cristelle once again left a kiss on the girl’s cheek, “I’ll definitely send these to Jasper. I promise.”
Linford could tell how exhausted she was by her bloodshot eyes and pale face. She must haven’t gotten much sleep last night. He dropped his gaze and held the girl in his arms, “Candace and I need to go back. She still has classes tomorrow. I’ve told Fritzi to sign you a couple of days’ break. You can go back when this is all settled.”
With that, he turned around and walked away.