Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Lisa didn't answer me but kept watching Brandon from the window. "How long is Mr. Howell going to be out there?"

The man outside was almost begging, while Brandon just stood there with his hand in his pocket, bathed in the morning sun.

I couldn't stop staring.

I felt a surge of pride at the thought that he was my man.

Being involved with Brandon felt like a twist of fate. What began as a way to distract myself from my breakup with Chris had turned into something truly special.

I realized I'd found a gem.

Lisa nudged me with her shoulder. "You're not answering me."

I blinked and replied, "He should be done soon."

The man outside was probably begging Brandon to fix his shoulder. Ellie had once told me that Brandon had learned how to set bones from an old villager because she had often dislocated her arm as a child and needed his help.

He had spent enough time with the old villager to learn how to do it himself, which probably explained why the man was being so obedient toward Brandon now.

The man was still pleading, but Brandon seemed to only be teaching him a lesson. He'd probably fix the man's shoulder afterward. Besides, Brandon needed to take me to get my blood test results, so he wouldn't spend too much time on this guy.

He was probably waiting for Lisa and me, so I said, "He'll probably finish up once we leave."

Lisa understood right away. "Then, let's talk while we walk."

She took the coat from the chair and put it on me as she talked about Jewel's situation.

"I set up a check-up and surgery for Jewel after you said that she was fine. But after paying, she disappeared," Lisa said, frustrated.

"She clearly didn't want to go through with the abortion," I said, showing some disdain.

"Exactly. If she didn't want the abortion, then why did she keep asking me? You should find out what she's up to," Lisa said.

I understood that Jewel wanted Lisa to pass the message on to me so that I would tell Chris. Jewel was trying to use our desire to keep the baby to manipulate us. "This time, she messed up," Lisa said with a small smile.

I gave a slight smile back. "She's one of those people who won't quit until she gets what she wants. She's always playing games."

Lisa was clearly frustrated. "Chris should come back. Why should you be the one dealing with this?"

I nodded toward the door. "He should be back soon."

Lisa looked at me and asked, "Did he update you?"

Thinking about Chris' dad, Zack, I said quietly, "His dad is sick. He has lung cancer."

Lisa paused, understanding the seriousness of the situation without needing more words.

We reached the door, and as expected, Brandon grabbed the man's shoulder again.

The man winced and cried out in pain as Brandon said, "Stay away from this hospital from now on."

It was a pretty serious threat.

Lisa nudged me. "Mr. Howell is really taking charge."

Her comment made me think about how Brandon still pretended to be a nobody with me, even though he was a big deal behind Xander. It still bothered me a bit.

I didn't respond to Lisa's remark, as Brandon walked up just then and said, "Let's go check the results now."

Lisa moved aside to let Brandon through and stood on my other side. Brandon naturally took my hand, and Lisa winked at me.

I wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, I decided to give Lisa a little advice. "Do you notice how Mr. Marrow usually stays calm and doesn't always make the first move? Sometimes, you need to be the one to take action."

I pulled my hand from Brandon's and wrapped it around his arm. "Just like this."