5
“Bang!” The lunchbox
clattered to the floor, producing a sharp sound.
Food spilled everywhere, but no one seemed to care.
Luke shot up, disbelief etched on his face as he asked, “What…what did you say?”
The nurse, startled, looked at him quizzically, “Are you related to Vivian? She had a miscarriage a few days ago, but forgot to take her medication. I saw her leave this room, so I came to ask…”
uke opened his mouth, his expression darkening: “I…I’m her husband.” Upon hearing this, the nurse’s previously friendly demeanor shifted instantly.
She scrutinized Luke from head to toe, her gaze dripping with sarcasm: “So, you’re the irresponsible husband of Vivian?”
Luke’s pupils trembled, and he spoke haltingly:
“I… I didn’t know she had a miscarriage…”
The nurse scoffed. “She’s been in the hospital for days, and you, her husband, haven’t visited once? Unbelievable!” She looked at the room’s amenities. “It seems you and this lady have been here for a few days too, yet you never thought to ask where your wife was or what she was doing?”
With each sarcastic remark from the nurse, Luke’s complexion grew increasingly pale. He recalled the day he ran into me at the hospital, my face ashen.
He remembered that night when I came home to the chicken soup, and I said: “This is specially måde for me by Mrs. Johnson.”
It turned out that bowl of chicken soup was because…because
1
Luke punched the wall, overwhelmed with regret.
The nurse frowned.
of me…
“This is a hospital! Mind your
behavior.!”
Clara, startled by Luke’s grief and now this confrontation, blurted out at the nurse: “What kind of attitude is that!”
The nurse, unfazed, shot back: “What’s wrong with me? If he’s irresponsible, don’t expect to be treated kindly!”
“And you, as her sister, if your brother doesn’t care, shouldn’t you care about your sister–in–law?”
Clara froze, instinctively replying:
“What sister–in–law? I’m his…”
“His what?”
The nurse looked at her suspiciously.
Clara bit her lip, casting a shy glance at Luke:
“I’m a friend who grew up with him.”
13:14
The nurse slammed the tray down, sneering: “So, it turned out to be two shameless people.” Clara shot up from the bed, her finger trembling as she pointed at the nurse: “What did you say? Say that again!”
The nurse, hands on her hips, her youthful face filled with disdain:
Two!Shameless!People.!”
Ever since she fell into depression, Clara had always been treated with care wherever she went, never having faced such humiliation.
ow, provoked by the nurse, she went wild, grabbing a book nearby and hurling it at her. “Stop it!” Luke yelled, finally regaining his composure, shouted as he witnessed the scene unfold,
< 6
