But I’m her daughter. Shouldn’t she feel at least a bit worried when her own daughter has fallen sick? Yet, Mom had been undeniably calm and indifferent. She had left me alone so easily, not sparing even a second to accompany me.
Once again, the ward plummeted into silence with no one else inside but me. I felt small and pathetic inside the spacious room. That was the first time I truly felt sorry for myself. After all, who else would be left completely alone, abandoned by their own family but me?
I turned to look out the window. Tears were beginning to slide down my cheeks. I tried to wipe them away with the back of my hand, but no matter how hard I tried, my tears continued pouring. It wasn’t long before I fell into a full-on sob.
As strong as I looked to the outside world, I was just as vulnerable as most women. For one second, I longed for someone who would stay by my side, someone to care for me.
Just then, my phone began ringing from underneath the pillow. I quickly gathered up my thoughts and hastily wiped off my tears before picking up, craving for any scraps of human contact.
“Hello?”
My voice was hoarse and raspy, definitely a result from all that crying.
“Is anything wrong, Ms. Garcia? Your voice sounds different.”
After a moment of silence, Ronan piped up from the other end of the call. The concern could be detected in his tone.
“It’s nothing.”
I was surprised by how attentive Ronan could be. He had managed to figure out something was amiss despite me only saying one word.
“I have mastered the art of picking up hints from a woman’s tone. Have you been crying?”
Ronan’s voice rang out once more. Even though there was a slight hint of a smirk behind his voice, anyone could hear that he was worried.
“It really is nothing. I’m just feeling a bit under the weather.”
Even though I denied having cried, it was not a lie when I said I was feeling unwell. I hardly had any energy left in my body as I slipped in and out of consciousness.
“I still think something’s wrong. Where are you now? Are you ill?”
Upon hearing my answer, Ronan became even more concerned. Even his voice became serious.
“Yeah. I’m in the hospital right now.”
I told him the truth that time round, attempting to shake him off so he would not try to ask me out again.
“I’m coming to see you now!”
After saying that, Ronan hung up the phone abruptly before I could get a word in.
As the disconnect tone traveled into my ear, I could not help but frown and feel baffled by his actions.
How can Ronan be so impetuous? Even though he wants to visit me as soon as possible, shouldn’t he at least ask which hospital I’m in?
I let out a helpless sigh, feeling slightly irritated.
The loneliness one would feel when left alone in a hospital ward with no one to talk to could only be understood by those who had experienced it themselves.
Half an hour later, I heard a knock at the door. I turned my head towards the sound. As the outline of the person became clearer, my eyes widened in shock.
It was Ronan.
“How… How did you know which hospital I’m in?”
I gaped at Ronan, puzzled by how quickly he was able to find me.
“This is the only big hospital around here, and it’s said to be the best. So, it is not that hard to guess that you’ll be here.”
An amused smile blossomed on his face as he made his way towards me.
His logical explanation made me in awe of his intelligence. For some reason, Ronan reminded me of Michael, despite their personalities being polar opposites.
I flashed him a weak, wordless smile, too tired to talk. Moreover, Ronan and I were practically strangers. There was nothing to talk about.
“You look terrible. What happened?”
All of a sudden, Ronan stretched out his hand and touched my forehead, worry written all over his face.
Feeling his touch on my skin, I instinctively jolted away. Even though we had met each other a few times, I still barely knew him. The sudden intimacy made me feel uneasy.
“You’re burning up. You have such a high fever. Why aren’t your friends or family here to take care of you?”
Ronan frowned as he stood up abruptly, taken aback by the temperature of my forehead.
“It’s fine. It’s no big deal. I don’t need to be taken care of.”
Ronan’s words reminded me of Mom’s parting words. I felt a sharp pain in my heart as if it was being stabbed by a thousand needles.
“No big deal? Do you know how hot your skin felt? I’ll stay here with you. You are not to be left alone at a time like this.”
Ronan’s eyebrows inched even closer, and his eyes were filled with concern. In that second, I saw the warm-hearted and caring man behind the playful façade. Admittedly, I was touched by his offer to stay with me.
“You don’t have to take care of me. I’m fine on my own.”
Even though I was moved, I still would not allow Ronan to stay. After all, he had no obligations to take care of a stranger like me.
“What do you mean you’re fine? Are you still putting up a tough front? Do I need to remind you of the high fever you are having? It’s not a weakness to ask for help.”
Ignoring my protests, Ronan took a seat next to the hospital bed and began peeling an apple.
Soon, he passed the freshly-peeled apple to me. “Here, have an apple. You probably don’t have a huge appetite right now since you’re unwell, but fruits have the essential nutrients for you to recover faster.”
His lips curled up into a small smile as he spoke. For once, it was missing the usual tease.
With my eyes on the apple, a lump started to form in my throat. I was touched to the core by his actions. In the past, no one else had shown me any form of care when I was sick, not even my own parents except Natalie.
At the thought of the treatment I received from Mom and Dad, my eyes began to well up again. Silent tears gushed out the next second.
“Why… Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?”
At the sight of my tears, Ronan panicked. He clumsily wiped the tears off my face.
“Please stop crying. Just tell me if I say anything wrong. I’ll change. Please stop crying. Seeing a woman cry is one of my biggest fears.”
Seeing that I cried even harder, Ronan grew even more anxious. He kept wiping away my tears with tissues and trying to calm me down. All traces of his usual mischief was nowhere to be seen.
His genuine concern for me broke down my guard against him. I sat up and pulled him into a teary embrace, despite the fact that I hardly knew him. All I wanted to do was to cry out all of my misery in his arms.
Ronan froze, yet he did nothing to stop me. After a few stiff minutes, Ronan placed his hands gently on my back and patted me on the back awkwardly.
“There, there. Stop crying. You’re ill at the moment. Crying will strain your body even more.”
Ronan’s voice was gentle and soothing as he comforted me. He felt like a giant teddy bear. As I sobbed, I remembered the fact that Ronan was about the same age as Steven. How nice would it be if Steven could show me half of the concern Ronan did?
