What Separates Me and You

Josephine stayed by Lewis' bedside, watching him as he underwent infusion. Only she was around when it was time to change the intravenous bag, and she was unsure what to do as Conrad wasn't there. She stared as the intravenous line slowly turned red. Blood was backflowing into the tube from Lewis' bloodstream.

She was horrified to see him bleed. In a panic, she tried to pull out the needle.

Coincidentally, Lewis stirred. He opened his eyes to see the blood-filled tube first and a panicked Josephine next. The woman hugged his hand, grabbed the needle, and pulled it out.

Lewis didn't know what to say.

Blood spurted onto Josephine's face. As she detected a strong scent of blood, she focused her eyes on Lewis' hand to realize he was bleeding. Terrified, she reached out and pressed her hands against the back of his palm as tears of anxiety rolled down her cheeks. She realized that she might have done something wrong again.

Lewis, on the other hand, showed no reaction. He stared at the ceiling, thinking it was unbelievable that he woke up alive and kicking.

Josephine held his hand tightly-hugged it, even-in an effort to stop the bleeding. She looked up and noticed that Lewis was awake. Her face lit up momentarily, but guilt soon replaced her gladness. She dared not let go of his hand. Unable to speak, all she could do was look at him in a panic.

After some time, Lewis withdrew his hand from her grasp and, using his other hand to compress the wound, tilted his head toward Josephine. He said feebly, "Call the doctor."

Josephine nodded and immediately rushed out to find a doctor.

His pale lips twitched and curved into a bitter smile as his eyes followed the woman who was leaving in a fluster.

He gave himself a moment before forcefully propping his body upright and pressing the call button by the bed.

The doctor and Conrad thought they were at a murder scene when they entered. There was blood on the floor, the sheets, the intravenous bag, and the needle cast aside on the floor. "Sir, did you take off the needle on your own?"

Lewis leaned against the bed of the head, his expression impassive as he looked at Conrad. He didn't answer his question.

The doctor was worried too. "Mr. Alvarez, you're treating your health with too little care. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?"

"Cut the crap," Lewis cut them off with frustration.

At that moment, Josephine entered, dragging with her a nurse. She didn't expect to see the doctor from earlier and sheepishly glanced at the nurse beside her. Seeing as they didn't need her anymore, the nurse left after greeting the doctor.

The doctor stopped rambling and administered the infusion again on Lewis' other hand.

Lewis was too exhausted to make a fuss. He leaned on the head of the bed and allowed the doctor to do whatever was required.

The doctor urged Conrad to look after Lewis well and promptly left after cleaning the mess on the floor.

This time, Conrad dared not leave the ward of his own accord. He stayed back with Josephine. "Sir, how are you feeling now?" Lewis shut his eyes and calmly replied, "Still alive."

Conrad's lips twitched, and he remarked secretly, "There he goes again. He wouldn't say that if he was on the brink of death." Josephine was a ghastly sight with bloodstains on her face and shirt.

Lewis opened his eyes and stared at her for a while. Then, he said, "Take her to wash up."

Conrad was worried. "She can go by herself. I'll stay back and look after you."

"Did you not hear me?" Lewis was still as intimidating as before though he was in this state.

Conrad fell silent for a moment. Under the other man's pressing stare, he could only do as per his orders.

He squeezed a disposable towel dry and handed it to Josephine, asking, "Were you the one who pulled out his needle?"

Josephine paused slightly. She looked at Conrad through the mirror's reflection with a guilty conscience, which made it even more evident that she was the perpetrator.

Conrad felt a headache coming. "It doesn't matter now. Clean yourself."

Josephine bit her lip and wiped the blood off her face and chest. However, she couldn't remove the stains from her white wool jacket no matter how hard she tried. People would think she had blood on her hands if she went out in public like this.

When she was done, Conrad brought her back to the ward, and they watched over Lewis in silence.

Feeling sleepy after "taking care" of Lewis the entire night, Josephine's head nodded as she drifted off into sleep.

Conrad woke her up and asked her to rest on the sofa.

She instantly shook her head. She straightened up in her seat and fixed her eyes on Lewis.

She might've wanted to amend her mistake, but this instilled awkwardness in the ward instead.

Lewis was too weak to make conversation. Leaning on the head of the bed, he closed his eyes and rested. He had survived injuries ten times more severe, yet a mere cold defeated him. He would be a joke if word of this spread.

Just as the silence grew unsettling, someone else entered.

Josephine and Conrad turned to look when they heard footsteps. The visitor was none other than Sierra.

Sierra sensed the tension in the ward upon entering. She stood at the doorway, hesitant to enter as she had promised Lewis that she wouldn't appear before Josephine. "Excuse me, I'm in the wrong ward," said Sierra softly.

She was about to leave when Conrad called out to her, "Ms. Woods, can I ask you for a favor?"

She paused and looked back at Conrad. "What is it?"

Conrad said, "Please help me look after sir while I attend to other matters."

Sierra's brows jumped when she heard him. Instinctively, she glanced at Lewis, who merely cast her a glance and said nothing more. Was that a sign of consent?

"O-Of course." Sierra nervously inhaled and entered the ward slowly.

Looking at the situation objectively, Sierra was relatively more dependable in this situation though Conrad disliked her.

Josephine was sizing up Sierra too. She didn't recognize her, so she didn't show much reaction.

Sierra thought Josephine's gaze was peculiar but didn't comment on it. She came to Lewis and said softly, "I'm here to visit you because I heard from Conrad you're admitted, that's all." When she said that, she glanced at Josephine from the corners of her eyes.

Weirdly enough, Josephine's eyes were calm, and Sierra couldn't read them. Despise, hostility, cowardice-Josephine's eyes had none of these. Only curiosity and serenity filled her eyes. Besides Sierra, Lewis was also watching Josephine's reaction. A moment later, he withdrew his gaze. "It's nothing serious."

Sierra was stunned. Joy soon replaced her look of surprise as she pulled the chair Conrad used earlier toward her and sat beside Lewis. "You wouldn't have to stay in the hospital if that were true, and it's the second time within two weeks this month."

In fact, Lewis had had colds before, but this was the first time in the years she knew him that she saw him having to stay in the hospital due to one.

Lewis changed the topic casually. "Aren't you involved in any productions recently?"

"Of course not. It's still the New Year." She finished her sentence in her mind, "You're just making small talk."