What Separates Me and You

It was almost noon when they finished showering. Lewis helped Josephine get dressed and ordered some food.

Sitting on the sofa, Josephine stared at the food. Her hunger instantly overcame her desire to search for Quintin. She took the plate of cut steak Lewis handed her and grabbed a piece with her hand before stuffing it into her mouth.

Lewis leaned against the sofa and watched her eat quietly.

The window was open, and the cold wind was blowing outside. Lewis coughed a few times into his fist.

He was already injured, and two days after Dr. Halliday instructed him to get some rest, he put himself through all sorts of trouble.

Now, he had worn himself down.

As he was sleeping with Josephine in his embrace that night, Josephine was awakened by the warmth of his body.

She tried to push him away but failed to do so. His chest was so hot that even her cheek was burning. She had begun to sweat.

After struggling for a long time, she finally managed to break free from his embrace. Hastily, she got up from the bed and opened all the windows.

Since his body was burning, Josephine wanted to be considerate and helped him open the windows.

Lewis was awakened by the cold wind outside. Slowly, he opened his eyes and noticed that Josephine had thoughtfully opened both windows.

The piercing cold wind rushed in and took away the heat in the room.

Josephine returned and squatted before the bed. Noticing that Lewis was awake, she stared at him anticipatingly.

He weakly closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Close the windows."

Josephine reached out and touched his chest, but it was still burning. She shook her head firmly.

She even woke up because of the heat he was radiating.

Taking a deep breath, Lewis lifted the blanket and propped himself up on the bed. He wanted to close the windows.

He had caught a cold, and coupled with the injuries he was suffering, he almost fell as soon as he got out of bed. Fortunately, he landed back on the bed.

The wind was blowing in his direction as he sat on the bed. He looked down at Josephine beside him, feeling his head throb.

Then, he supported himself by holding his knees. Barely holding on, he said, "Bring me my phone."

Josephine looked around and remembered his phone was outside. She stood up and ran out of the room. After rummaging through boxes and cabinets in the living room, she found Lewis' phone in the pocket of his pants.

She went back and handed him the phone.

Unsure whether it was because his phone was soaked in the water for too long or it ran out of battery, the phone was turned off.

He casually threw his phone on the cabinet and instructed her, "Bring me a cup of hot water.

Josephine did as he said and went out to fetch him some boiling water. However, the cup was too hot, and she couldn't hold it. So she added cold water to the cup.

Hence, Lewis got a cup of cold water instead.

He looked at Josephine faintly and said, "Are you kidding me?"

She tilted her head and looked at him innocently with a confused expression. She thought she had followed his instructions and didn't know what she had done wrong.

Sighing, Lewis placed the cup on the table next to the bed and lay down weakly on the bed. Once again, he said, "Close the windows."

Josephine squatted on the floor and stared at him for a while. His face was pale, and his hair was disheveled. He looked feeble.

Seeing that, Josephine had no choice but to get up and close the windows.

Yet not long after she closed them, she touched his body and realized it was hotter than before. Frightened, she immediately went to open the windows again. The next day, Conrad rang the doorbell.

Josephine instinctively thought Quintin was back. Excited, she went to open the door, only to find Conrad standing outside. Instantly, her face fell.

Conrad looked inside the room and asked, "Where's Chairman Alvarez?"

He thought it was weird when he didn't see Lewis on the sofa today.

Josephine pointed to the bedroom.

Conrad hummed. Looking at Josephine, he instantly understood the situation. Lewis and Josephine must have had an exciting night yesterday. That must be why Lewis was still asleep.

He walked toward the bedroom and said, "Chairman Alvarez, Mr. Fairchild couldn't get through to you on the phone. He wants me to tell you..."

Finally, Conrad saw Lewis unconscious on the bed. He suddenly stopped talking.

Lewis' face was as pale as paper. Conrad was sure he wasn't asleep. Not to mention the windows were open.

Conrad strode over and patted Lewis' shoulder. "Chairman Alvarez?"

He called Lewis a few times, but the man didn't respond. Mustering his courage, he reached out to touch Lewis' forehead, and it scared him out of his wits.

Not daring to delay any more time, Conrad retrieved his phone and called for an ambulance.

Soon, they arrived at the hospital.

"Why did you only send him here now? You might've had to prepare for his funeral if you were another two hours late. His current body temperature is 41 degrees. What were you people doing? Why didn't you send him here earlier? Are you sure you're his family members?"

Faced with the doctor's criticism, Josephine and Conrad stood at the side, not daring to utter a word.

After the doctor was done lecturing them, Conrad spoke, "Doctor, will he be okay?"

"We can't be sure for now. I just gave him an injection to reduce his fever, and I'll have to check on him again later. You guys are really too careless."

Conrad continued, "He's always been in good health. How did he suddenly catch such a high fever?"

He didn't understand how Lewis collapsed after a mere fever when he was just fine after the surgery for his previous injury. He found it odd. What exactly happened to Lewis?

The doctor responded with a cold expression, "He's still recovering from a previous surgery, and his vitals are weak. The cold wind caused an infection in his wounds. Not to mention his injuries are near his chest and lungs. The consequences are unimaginable if he suffers from complications."

Josephine didn't understand what the doctor said but knew the situation was serious. Lewis was in danger.

The doctor gave Lewis an IV drip. He also instructed the two to keep a close eye on Lewis and inform him once Lewis woke up.

After the doctor left, Conrad asked Josephine, "May I ask? I noticed the windows were open when I entered the room earlier. Were they open the whole night?"

Josephine blinked and nodded honestly.

"Why?"

Josephine wanted to explain but couldn't. She tried signing but couldn't express herself clearly. Of course, Conrad wouldn't understand what she was trying to say. "Forget it." Conrad couldn't be bothered to continue with the conversation. "I hope Chairman Alvarez is fine. Otherwise, it'll be your fault."

No doubt, it couldn't be ruled out that Josephine intentionally left the windows open. She might want to take revenge for Quintin's disappearance. After all, she couldn't recognize Lewis anymore.

Josephine clenched her fingers. Seeing both the doctor and Conrad so angry, she realized she had made a mistake.

She shouldn't have opened the windows.

She was the one who made Lewis fall sick. She had done something bad.

Tears welled up in her eyes as the thought crossed her mind. She was about to cry.

Noticing she was about to cry, Conrad stopped talking and dared not continue blaming her.

He wondered where he got the courage to talk to Josephine like that. Lewis would kill him if he found out.

"Alright. Stay here with Chairman Alvarez. I need to excuse myself for a bit."

Holding back her tears, Josephine nodded.

She walked up to the bed and stared at Lewis. She recalled how he helped her before this and bought her delicious food, yet she made him sick. She couldn't stop blaming herself.