“Wow!”
As the hospital room door closed, a short exclamation escaped from Andy’s lips.
“That lady doctor is totally my type.”
Andy, who had no idea that ‘that lady doctor’ was the woman Dylan was about to marry, spoke thoughtlessly. Xavier clicked his tongue in disbelief, and Dylan shot a piercing glare at Andy.
Naturally, Andy, who had no idea why Dylan was looking at him with such hostility, was puzzled.
At that moment, Xavier’s voice brought the two back to reality.
“Why did you all come when I’m busy?”
“I’m sorry for coming late, Professor.”
Andy placed the fruit basket he had brought on the table.
“Don’t make such faces. I’m not dying or anything.”
“Get well soon, Professor.”
“Didn’t the doctor say I can’t talk for long? Now that I’ve confirmed I’m fine, you all should hurry back to your busy lives.”
Though he said that, Xavier looked at his students with a warm gaze.
He felt a mix of emotions, wondering when these kids had grown up so much.
Even back in school, they were quite extraordinary, and now they were thriving as elite prosecutors, lawyers, and judges in the legal field.
Wanting to watch his beloved students succeed a little longer might be a selfish desire, but to Xavier, they were special.
Among his law school peers, Dylan and the others also respected him for his upright character and integrity. He was a role model for many law students.
As a result, the alumni group chat was buzzing with activity since morning.
It was unclear who first learned about Xavier’s hospitalization, but everyone was worried about his health.
And the first to take action were the four handsome men who were usually very busy.
“Tadeo said he would be a bit late because of a trial.”
“Seriously! If someone who didn’t know heard that, they’d think I was seriously ill. It’s just a cold, so there’s no need to worry.”
Though he was shocked by the unexpected diagnosis of panic disorder, he said, “We’ll take care of you until you recover, Professor.”
“That’s what caregivers are for.”
“But it’ll be more comfortable for us.”
Feeling like he was wasting the time of busy people, Xavier tried to usher them out of the hospital room, but the three men wouldn’t budge.
“I’m uncomfortable.”
With his students’ stubbornness, Xavier sighed, but he felt reassured and touched.
Having lost his wife early and with only one child, a daughter studying abroad in the United States, he had no one to rely on. So, the kids in front of him felt like family, like children.
While they were talking, Dylan quietly left the hospital room so that no one would notice.
Xavier and Andy didn’t notice when Dylan left, but Frank did.
Sitting with his arms crossed on a chair next to Xavier’s bed, Frank sensed the strange atmosphere between Dylan and the professor’s attending physician.
‘Hmm, what’s going on?’
His sharp instincts as a prosecutor told him something was up, and he couldn’t shake off his curious expression for a while.
******
Dylan, having stepped out into the hospital corridor, looked around. Lola was nowhere to be seen.
Did this woman have motors on her legs?
What could be so urgent? She disappeared so quickly.
Just slow down a bit.
There were things I wanted to tell her.
Feeling regretful, Dylan suddenly recalled a past memory and chuckled softly.
Right. You were like this before, too.
Every time I saw you, you were always rushing around as if you were in a hurry.
Sometimes, I was anxious that you might fall.
Thinking that there might be an emergency patient, Dylan took out his phone from his jacket pocket, wanting to hear her voice.
She answered the call only after several rings.
“Hello.”
Hearing Lola’s voice made Dylan’s lips curve into a lazy smile.
However, contrary to that expression, his tone came out surprisingly blunt.
“Where are you right now?”
-…….
After a moment of silence, a reluctant voice came through.
“Well… of course, I’m at the hospital.”
As a doctor, she would naturally be at the hospital at this hour.
Dylan felt foolish for asking something so obvious and let out a hollow laugh.
But that wasn’t the reason I called.
“But is there something going on, Dylan?”
Do we have to have something happen to call each other?
When I reach out first, she tends to repeat the same words as if on a loop, perhaps because it’s not a habit for her.
Dylan felt a bit hurt by that.
“I miss you.”
Though it was an impulsive statement, it wasn’t a lie.
It was true that he wanted to hear her voice and see her face, even for a moment, which was why he had secretly dashed out of the hospital room.
