Smiling at her, Dustin stroked her head. “There’s no need to be sorry among friends. After all, your troubles are as good as mine.”
Having comforted Joan, Dustin made a call to a doctor he knew. He explained to Joan that his contact was an excellent pediatrician.
When the pediatrician heard that Joan was raising Leslie alone, he gave her a generous discount for Leslie’s treatment, for which Joan was extremely grateful.
Fortunately, Leslie’s condition wasn’t serious. Although his fever hadn’t subsided, they had managed to stop it from escalating in the nick of time.
Sitting by Leslie’s bed, Joan ensured that he didn’t move indiscriminately. She had to ensure the needle that was attached to his forehead stayed in place.
As Dustin entered with a peeled apple in hand, Joan quickly pulled out a chair for him. When he offered her the apple, she shook her head to decline.
Dustin remarked with a smile, “Usually, visitors bring fruit baskets. Hence, I hope you won’t think of me as a miser for just bringing you this apple.”
Joan was shaking her head vehemently when she heard Dustin continue, “After staying up the whole night, you have yet to eat a thing. At least have an apple to replenish your energy. At this rate, I’m worried that your body might suffer. If you collapse, there will be no one to care for your son.”
Seeing his point, Joan no longer refused. When she reached out to accept the apple, Dustin asked her, “By the way, does Larry know that the child is sick?”
Briefly stunned, Joan shook her head, “I neglected my son because we were having a fight.”
While he held Leslie’s hand, Dustin advised Joan, “It’s common for couples to fight. After being together for such a long time, conflicts are bound to happen.”
When Joan didn’t respond, Dustin sighed. “Larry has a stressful job and it’s understandable for him to be bad-tempered. Even if he has said anything harsh in anger, you shouldn’t take it to heart. After all, both of you are still young and have a long way to go still.”
A long way? After their endless quarrels recently, Joan felt as if her marriage with Larry had reached its limit.
Just within the last few days, she had felt bitterness, humiliation, anger, pain, and a plethora of depressing emotions. Never in her life did she imagine marriage to be so complicated.
Just as he spoke, Dustin began to watch over Leslie while Joan ate the apple with her head lowered. Despite how sweet the fruit was, it tasted equally bitter in her mouth.
As Caspian couldn’t refuse the pleas of both Larry’s parents, he checked the surveillance footage and pinned down Joan’s location to Mercy Hospital, which he informed Finnick and Vivian.
When they heard the hospital being mentioned, both of them became worried. Regardless of whether it was Joan or Leslie that was sick, they would be equally worried for either.
The moment they received the information from Caspian, they hurried to Mercy Hospital at once. Furthermore, they sent Larry a message to inform him that Joan was in the hospital. After all, they couldn’t care less whether both of them were still fighting.
At the same time, Nancy bought some flowers and fruits as she planned to head toward Mercy Hospital together with Caspian.
As for Larry, he had just finished a meeting when he received a call from his parents, informing him that Joan was in the hospital. Falling into a panic, he almost dropped his phone at the news.
Feeling as if his heart was suspended in an abyss, he kept reassuring himself along the way that Joan and Leslie would both be fine.
Despite his attempts, there was no way he could calm his worried self down. Speeding all the way to the hospital, he ran a few red lights without even realizing it.
The incessant honks that resulted from his actions only served to intensify his worries further.
“Joan! Joan!” Vivian cried as she barged into the ward. As she approached the bed, she saw Leslie’s eyes shut tightly. He wasn’t as boisterous as he used to be.
