Chapter 170: Awake
During this time, Brad's been busting his butt watching over Daniel and looking after me. He must be wiped out.
Me? I was just a busted-up mess, barely managing to take care of myself, let alone help him out.
Seeing Brad get skinnier by the day? Man, it tore me up inside.
Out of nowhere, Brad pulled me in tight, like he's never letting go.
I didn't know if I was tripping, but his eyes had this uneasy vibe.
"Baby, promise me, no matter what goes down, you'll always stick by my side, okay?" His voice was all raspy and low, filled with this deep uncertainty that just broke my heart.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, buried my face in his jacket, and mumbled, "Why, you planning to ditch me? Let me tell you, Brad, if you even think about leaving me, I won't let you off the hook. And I'll revoke your probation."
Brad let out this rough chuckle, bending down to rub his chin against my forehead. "If I ever leave you, it means I'm dead. Otherwise, no way."
Back then, I had no clue why Brad was asking me that.
What happened later made it clear—Brad had already seen what was coming. He was scared and unsure about my choices, which was why he needed a solid answer.
But I figured it out too late. My slow brain hurt Brad, causing him a lot of pain.
Even if I had gotten it back then, when everything went down later, my choice wouldn't have changed. Words were too weak to change the outcome.
The pain stayed the same.
Daniel woke up that night, and I was in his room.
He opened his eyes, looked around, and finally locked eyes with me. At that moment, I saw a long-lost clarity in his eyes.
"Jane, you okay?" His voice was hoarse, but he was so happy.
He woke up, that was awesome.
With teary eyes, I replied, "I'm fine. Just a minor injury, almost healed. You saved my life, thank you."
"No need, I did it willingly. I'd do anything for you, no need to thank me. Seeing you well is my greatest joy."
Seeing Daniel wake up was the best thing ever. I was over the moon, seriously!
"Come here." He tried to beckon me over but couldn't due to his severe injuries, only managing to move his fingers.
I stood by his bed, not getting it, and saw him reaching out like he wanted to touch my plaster-covered left arm.
But he was too messed up. Just lifting his arm a bit made him sweat from the pain. He tried several times but couldn't reach.
I had to bend down and present my plaster-covered arm to him.
He touched the plaster, tapped it twice, then pressed the back of his hand against my warm fingers, and finally smiled contentedly. He looked up at me and said, "It's good that you're okay."
Because of that simple sentence, my eyes suddenly welled up.
My resentment towards him miraculously faded a lot.
Daniel waking up eased everyone's anxiety. I shared the good news with Ronan and Helen. Ronan said that Daniel would just need time to recover now that he was awake. But no matter what, he got hurt saving me, and our family would take full responsibility.
In the days that followed, Emma would drag me to Daniel's room for meals. She said we were all like her own kids, and it was easier to look after us together.
Honestly, I didn't want to go that often or stay that long. Hanging with their family all day made me feel super awkward. I tried to dodge it a few times, but Emma was persistent, saying Daniel was lonely and needed my company.
Couldn't really argue with that.
I mean, Daniel did save my life, so I owed him some time.
Plus, Brad was there too. Hospital life was dull, and my wounds hurt on and off. Being with Brad made it more bearable.
During those days, Daniel was in high spirits, scarfing down two bowls of porridge each meal. Even though he was badly hurt and couldn't move much, he was always smiling, and even the docs said he was bouncing back fast.
He didn't talk much, mostly slept. But whenever he was awake, he had this gentle smile. Already a good-looking guy, lying there smiling like some fairytale prince made him even more charming.
After nine days in the hospital, the doc said I could go home and just needed to rest up.
Finally free, I was stoked to have Mindy take me back to the apartment.
Brad dropped us off in front of the building, giving us a million instructions before he left.
The room was filled with blooming flowers—roses here, daisies there, and a bunch of baby's breath on the desk, all fragrant and beautiful.
No surprise, Louis was waiting in the apartment, making my bed.
He was so serious about smoothing out every wrinkle on the sheets that it made me blush.
First time a guy ever made my bed.
I patted my chest and joked about how lucky I was.
Good thing Brad didn't come up, or he would've been crazy jealous.
After a lot of pushing, Louis finally left.
When Louis left, it was like he took Mindy's spirit with him. Since he walked out, she sat by the bed like a statue, head down, not moving, like an ice sculpture.
The excitement she had when she brought me back was gone.
I knew why she was like this, but to avoid drama, I pretended not to notice and kept myself busy, trying to distract her.
But she ignored me, looking all gloomy, on the verge of tears, totally bummed out.
I didn't want Louis to come either, but I couldn't stop him. And I couldn't help Mindy with her sadness.
"Mindy, how about I apply for a different apartment?" This was a solution I had thought about for a long time, the only one I could think of.
"Why?" she asked, sniffling.
"I don't want to see you sad every day. If I stay farther away and don't run into Louis, will it be better?"
Mindy looked at me like I was an idiot. "How many times did you see him before coming to National Capital University? Did he forget you? Stop talking nonsense. He cares about you, and it doesn't matter where you are. Just stay put. I don't want to lose both love and friendship."
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