What Separates Me and You

"Mrs. Larson!"

Mrs. Larson sprinted in swiftly. Hearing the urgency in his voice, she asked in a flustered tone, "What is it, Master Lewis?"

Lewis said sullenly, "Take her to change her pants."

Stunned, Mrs. Larson knew she wouldn't be wrong as long as she did as told, though she had not fully grasped the situation. She briskly went to Josephine and held her hand. "Madam, come with me. Let's get changed."

Josephine nodded and looked back at Lewis, thinking he was acting weird. Why was he so mad when she was the one bleeding?

Before she could figure it out, Mrs. Larson had already led her back to her room and realized why she needed to change her pants.

Mrs. Larson put down the pants she held and got Josephine a sanitary pad instead. Then, she started explaining to Josephine what it was all about.

Josephine, who listened with her head in the clouds, took a while to register that she would bleed like this once every month. That scared her. Would she die if she bled every month?

Mrs. Larson knew it would be hard for Josephine to remember if she gave her too much information, so she demonstrated the correct method of using the sanitary pad.

Lewis waited a long time in the study, but Mrs. Larson didn't return with Josephine. He cast his documents aside and went to the bedroom, where he heard Mrs. Larson say, "Remember, you must change this every time you go to the toilet. I'll put this thing in every toilet in the house. Do you remember how to use it?"

With a pale face, Josephine nodded slightly to indicate that she remembered the instructions. Her stomach was aching too badly to digest Mrs. Larson's words.

After that, Mrs. Larson advised Josephine to rest while she made Josephine some hot chocolate.

Clutching her stomach, Josephine curled up in the armchair, tears welling up in her eyes due to the pain.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. Opening her eyes a little, she saw Lewis standing before her. She shut her eyes again, feeling weak.

Lewis squatted before her and held her hand, softly asking, "Is it too painful?"

She nodded, her eyes reddening. Tears rolled down her cheeks. It could be the concern in his tone that moved her.

The man's brows knitted. He placed a hand on her stomach and gently helped her to massage that area. "I'll give you a massage."

Her position on the sofa hindered him from doing so, so Lewis carried her to the bed and sat beside her while he massaged her stomach.

Lying on the bed, Josephine stared at him intently. His movements were gentle, and his palm was warm. She could feel the warmth of his palm through her shirt.

As if he sensed something, Lewis lowered his eyes and glanced at Josephine. "Why are you looking at me?"

She pressed her lips tightly, not knowing how to answer him.

Previously, she had always seen him as a bully-she still did-but it didn't stop her from feeling touched by his concern. Because of that, Josephine felt conflicting feelings within. It was something she couldn't fathom.

Mrs. Larson brought her a mug of hot chocolate. Lewis helped Josephine to sit upright and took the hot chocolate from Mrs. Larson before feeding it to Josephine. "The pain will stop after you finish this." Josephine looked at the brown liquid in the mug, swallowed nervously, and carefully leaned closer before taking a sip.

A hint of ginger gave the drink a mild sweetness and spiciness. Josephine looked away and shook her head after taking a sip. It tasted nasty.

Lewis continued coaxing her, "Come on. It's not very nice, but it'll help reduce the pain."

She was still hesitant. She looked at the hot chocolate, resistance written across her face.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable because of the pain?" asked Lewis.

Josephine nodded listlessly.

"Then listen to me and drink it."

She pressed her lips together. She would rather endure the nasty drink if it meant her stomach ache would go away. She leaned forward and, holding her breath, took another sip. Thinking it was more insufferable to drink it sip by sip, she took the mug from Lewis and gulped it down in one shot.

Lewis raised an eyebrow at her action.

After Josephine drank every last drop, he took the empty mug from her and gave it to Mrs. Larson.

Sitting on the bed, Josephine stared at Lewis with resentment. Her stomach was still in pain after the drink.

Lewis started to massage her stomach again. "It'll take some time. Lay down and take a nap. It'll feel better when you're awake."

Josephine heeded and lay down, closing her eyes. However, the cramps were too painful for her to fall asleep. She felt like someone was tugging on her intestines. It really hurt... Besides, after drinking the hot chocolate, not only did the pain not reduce one bit, its intensity even grew as time went by.

Her face was as pale as ash, and sweat covered her forehead.

Josephine looked at Lewis pitifully, her tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes.

Seeing that she was experiencing too much pain, Lewis phoned Dr. Halliday.

Twenty minutes later, Dr. Halliday arrived in a hurry.

He didn't even have to ask where Josephine was. He darted straight for the bedroom. "Sir, is the madam feeling unwell again?"

Lewis looked back. "Her stomach is aching. Take a look at her."

Dr. Halliday nodded. He put down his bag, came to Josephine's side, and observed her for a while. Josephine was evidently sickly, and her face was frighteningly pale. He hurriedly checked her vitals.

Lewis stood aside and watched as Dr. Halliday's brows furrowed deeper. "Why are her period cramps so severe?"

Dr. Halliday placed Josephine's hand back under the sheets and went to Lewis. He said softly, "Sir, the madam is very weak."

Lewis looked at him impassively.

Dr. Halliday said, "Besides, she has malnutrition and hormonal imbalance, causing her severe abnormal pain."

"What can we do?"

Dr. Halliday replied, "She'll need to take supplements to nurture her body back to health, or her health will deteriorate. What's more ..." He trailed off as he didn't know how to put his thoughts into words. Josephine seemed fine now, if not more cheerful and mischievous, after she forgot the events that caused her distress.

But in actuality, her current character was totally incompatible with her physical appearance.

Earlier on, Dr. Halliday had stated Josephine didn't seem like someone who could live a long life. Many incidents happened after that, but the negligence of her health condition caused her health to decline further.

Lewis waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, his face darkened. "What is it?"

His tone startled Dr. Halliday, interrupting his train of thought. He continued anxiously, "And what's more, she has forgotten everything and is now just like a child. She won't be aware of her condition. You'll have to take good care of her."

"That's all?"

Dr. Halliday nodded. "That's all. I think I prescribed her several types of medication before this. Is she taking them?"

"No." Lewis sounded so righteously confident that Dr. Halliday was at a loss for words.

Dr. Halliday thought about it and said, "Get her the same medications I prescribed and ensure she takes them. She can't go on like this."

Laying on the bed, Josephine felt like she would faint anytime due to the pain, yet those two were still whispering to each other.