Me After Meeting You

“What do you want me to talk about?” Amber lightly replied.

Elly thought for a moment before replying in an equally light tone. “The little rabbit.”

The little rabbit was the protagonist of all of Amber’s stories. No matter which story she told, there would always be a little rabbit in it. After hearing Elly’s request, Amber finally released a pent up breath, her persistence had finally paid off! Elly had gotten used to her voice, her company, and the little rabbit in her stories.

So, Amber told her a story, a brand new story. “There was once a little rabbit, a very cute rabbit. She had snowy white fur and big beautiful eyes. Everyone who saw her immediately fell in love with her. She rarely went out because her grandmother told her that obedient children didn’t carelessly go outside as there were bad people in the streets.

So, the little rabbit never left her home. But as she grew up, her desire to see the outside world also grew; she wanted to make friends. And one day, she finally couldn’t resist the temptation anymore.”

When Amber reached this point in the story, she stopped. Elly was hugging herself tightly with both hands while her small body was curled up in a corner. It seemed like she was trying very hard to prevent something.

Afraid that Elly wouldn’t be able to accept the story, Amber revised the ending. “But the little rabbit was too afraid. She only stepped out a little before running back in. She breathed in the outside air through a slightly ajar door and told herself that she had already gone very far, and that she could see the horizons ahead.” After finishing, Amber asked Elly, “Do you think that the little rabbit went far enough?”

Elly didn’t answer, only retreating further into her blankets, just like that little rabbit who had retreated back into her home.

But Amber knew that Elly had already cracked open the door, and that perhaps not long after, she would take her first step outside.

***

Amber was very happy with Elly’s progress, and she called Calvin as soon as she left her ward. Only when the phone started ringing did she remember that they had broken up last night. But since the call had already connected, Amber didn’t hang up.

Calvin picked up very quickly. The eagerness and indistinct excitement in his voice was so palpable that it made Amber feel a little awkward, but she forged on and asked, “Are you free now? I have something to tell you.”

“Go for it.”

“It’s about Elly … she just responded to me.” Amber tried to calmly and professionally describe Elly’s response. When she was done, she concluded by saying, “If her condition continues to improve, then she’ll officially be in the recovery phase. At this point, if you have time, then please visit her more often.”

Calvin had listened attentively throughout her report. Only when she was finished did he bitterly say, “Did you know? I thought just now that ….” What he thought, he didn’t say. Instead, he mockingly laughed at himself in a low tone. “Evidently it was wrong for me to have hoped for something else. If I let go of Elly and stopped caring about her, then would you be disappointed in me?”

Amber seriously responded, “I wouldn’t be disappointed because she isn’t your responsibility.”

“And your personal opinion?”

Amber remained silent, taking a while before saying, “I think that you can take on this responsibility.”

As for Calvin’s mother, even ignoring her attitude, her ideology alone would be problematic. In any case, Amber didn’t think that it would be good for her to take care of Elly.

Calvin smiled wryly as he said, “Alright. If this is your last request to me, then I’ll definitely handle it with care.”

Then he hung up.

It was this conversation that triggered Amber’s pain. A faint and subtle pain dwelled deep in her heart, and this conversation was like a small dagger that had pricked her heart. From that small hole, pain was flowing out with each heartbeat, infusing itself into her every breath.

She took a deep breath.

At least she was so preoccupied at work that she could ignore it. She didn’t have any time to register her emotional pain before she was called away for a pre-surgery consultation. Afterwards, it was time for Ian’s daily treatment.

***

The ward he was staying in was the best in Presbiterian. It was quiet and comfortable, and felt less like staying in a hospital room and more like staying at a very nicely furnished rehabilitation resort.

The room was a suite, with a living room outside and the ward inside. When Amber entered the living room, she saw the nurse that the Axton family had hired sitting there.

Meanwhile, she could also hear a voice from inside the ward that was clearly Billy’s. In an agitated tone, he was complaining about something. “… it’s actually your Dr. Camille? Damn, why didn’t you tell me anything?”

Amber was somewhat curious, as she was not entirely sure what they were talking about that would involve her. She wanted to listen in some more, but the nurse spotted her and had already stood up to greet her. “Dr. Camille.”

Within the ward, Billy seemed to have suffered a big fright, as he suddenly started coughing violently.

Amber quickly pushed open the door. Luckily, Billy wasn’t too close to Ian, and he was also wearing a face mask.

It seemed that Billy was as skilled at pushing the blame onto others as ever. Even before he finished coughing, he had started criticizing Amber. “Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?”

Amber really wanted to dismiss him with a supercilious look, but after deciding that she probably couldn’t win in an argument against him, all she did was gave him a serious reminder. “The patient needs to rest, so I highly recommend you avoid coughing or sneezing in front of him at this stage.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Billy wanted to talk back, but Ian warned him with a stern glance. Stymied, he could only stuff his words down and pretend that he hadn’t been about to say anything.

After he stopped coughing, he put on a smile as he told Amber, “Dr. Camille, you sound just like an outsider right now. In fact, it makes my teeth hurt even just watching you. I really miss the you who would pay ‘prostitution fees’ to Boss Axton.”

Amber was stunned by Billy’s shamelessness.