What Separates Me and You

Chapter 104 True Empathy

Josephine's breathing grew heavy when she heard this, and her pace slowed as she approached the bed. The nurse was still crying to call Patrick, but his phone seemed to be turned off as her calls weren't getting through. She did not know what the events that had unfolded in the recent past were, but as her gaze fell upon the old woman resting on the bed, she couldn't help. but notice that she seemed to have aged significantly. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't tell if she was merely asleep or unconscious.

Josephine tugged on the nurse's sleeve.

The nurse seemed to relax when she saw her. "Are you Mary Jinkin's family?"

Josephine gently nodded; her eyes were still on Mary.

The nurse audibly breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great. Since you're here, please decide. whether you would like to proceed with treatment."

Josephine swiftly nodded.

The nurse frowned. "Then, please pay the necessary fees first. Right now, she needs an infusion. If you don't wish to treat her, please take her home as the hospital is short on beds." Josephine hurriedly took out her phone, typed something, and showed it to the nurse. "I'll go

and

pay the fees right now. Please start with the treatment first."

The nurse was surprised to see that Josephine couldn't speak, but it was only for the briefest moment before she returned to her usual composure. "Just show your receipt to the doctor once you've made payment."

Josephine nodded before she rushed out of the room to pay for Mrs. Jinkin's hospital fees. It wasn't that expensive-it was only slightly over 50 dollars for the past two days. She had initially thought that Patrick was willing to allow Mrs. Jinkins to go to the hospital because he had grown a conscience, but she now knew that she was thinking too highly of him. Patrick was just afraid that Mrs. Jinkins would pass away at home, so he had sent her to the hospital to let her life run its course with no intention of getting her treated. Josephine never knew that a son could stoop so low, and even if he did have any conscience left, she couldn't see it.

She made payment and went to see the doctor with the receipt in her hand.

"She has quite a few illnesses resulting from her old age, so she'll need to take extra care. It's not possible to cure her of everything, but we can help reduce her discomfort." Nodding her head, she wrote, "How's her condition now? Is it serious?"

"There's nothing unusual with her blood test results, so it's better if we do a CT scan on her. At present, I can only speculate that she's in a coma due to her osteoporosis and because of malnutrition. Considering her already fragile bones, the fall has put her at risk, so she requires

10

extra care moving forward.

So Mrs. Jinkins had a fall...but how did it happen?

Josephine anxiously thanked the doctor before returning to the corridor with her receipt. Mrs. Jinkins was still lying unconscious on the bed, and thankfully the nurse had already given her an infusion. Josephine stayed by her bedside.

The nurses were all bustling about and would be too busy to keep an eye on the infusion unless someone called their attention to it. Seeing that someone next to them had left, Josephine grabbed the stool and watched Mrs. Jinkins by her bedside, just as she had done when Josephine was asleep as a child.

Would someone as old as Mrs. Jinkins be as afraid as she was if their roles were reversed?

Josephine reached out to hold Mrs. Jinkins' withered hand as she began choking up while looking at the old woman's face. Perhaps she could sense Josephine's presence, or maybe the medication was finally taking effect as she regained consciousness when Josephine held her hand. Josephine immediately squeezed her hand in relief. Mrs. Jinkins turned towards Josephine's direction and immediately started weeping the moment she recognized her.

"Josie, why are you here?" Mrs. Jinkins's voice was weak, and she sounded as though it took at lot of effort for her to speak.

"I came to see you," Josephine signed.

The 80-year-old Mrs. Jinkins was currently crying like a child.

"What happened?"

Mrs. Jinkins shook her head and raised a hand to wipe the tears off her face. "Nothing. I'm fine, don't worry."

Josephine pursed her lips and wasn't convinced. Mrs. Jinkins was lying in a hospital bed, and Patrick wasn't even there. He didn't even pay for her treatment, so how could she be fine?

"Don't you need to go back? Won't Lewis be upset that you're here?" asked Mrs. Jinkins.

Josephine couldn't care less. She was already at the hospital. If she hadn't come to check on Mrs. Jinkins, she probably would have already...

Shaking her head, she flashed a comforting smile at Mrs. Jinkins. “It's fine, don't worry."

But how could it be? Lewis' words came to mind. She wasn't sure if he had said it just to intimidate her, but she had a feeling that he was capable of it.

"I'll leave once the infusion has finished, and I'll get a nurse for you in a short while."

"No need, it's not necessary." Mrs. Jinkins shook her head. "Don't waste your money on me. I'm already so old. I'm more than happy to see that you're here. I even wondered to myself earlier if I would be able to go in peace if I didn't see you before I died, but I'm relieved now

and have no regrets."

Josephine couldn't hold back her tears. They didn't have any relatives or friends, but at this moment, they were closer to each other than those who were blood-related. After all, they both didn't have a place to call home. Only those without a family could understand and empathize with their bitterness and sadness.

"Alright, Josie, enough tears. I'm so happy to see you, so you should cheer up too," Mrs. Jinkins said. She reached out a hand and attempted to wipe Josephine's tears.

Josephine sniffled and hastily wiped away her tears before showing a small smile.

Mrs. Jinkins smiled back. "That's a good girl."

However, there was bitterness underneath their smiles.

"I'm not a good girl." Josephine protested with a shake of her head. "You wouldn't be lying here if I was. I'm sorry, Mrs. Jinkins."

"There's nothing for you to apologize for. You've done what you could. I'm truly happy." Her next words were mumbled, accompanied by a tone that carried the weight of a heartfelt. promise. "You will find happiness, Josie. Consider this my blessing upon you."

Josephine's tears streamed down her face as she vehemently shook her head. "I don't want

your blessing. I just want you to recover quickly."

Mrs. Jinkin showed a pained smile. She wasn't able to make such a promise to Josephine.

They held each other's hands tightly. Josephine's tears were still flowing as she had to leave. She wiped her tears as she stood up to pour a glass of water for Mrs. Jinkins before looking for a caretaker for Mrs Jinkins as it was the only thing she could do for her.

The cost for a caretaker in the hospital varied significantly, ranging from 100 to over 500 dollars, with corresponding variations in the services provided. Josephine opted to hire a caretaker priced at approximately 300 dollars per day. After transferring the necessary funds, she provided the caretaker with detailed instructions before taking her leave.

"Don't worry, miss. It will be fine," the caretaker promised.

Josephine breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the caretaker as a sign of her gratitude. However, when she turned around, she saw Lewis entering through the entrance. He looked travel-weary but still drew everyone's attention as he walked. She could feel a distinct chill radiating from him, even at a distance.

Her mind was on high alert as she stood rooted to the spot and stared at the man heading

towards her.

Lewis strode up, stopped before her, and looked down at her.

He didn't speak, but his rage was palpable.