The Doctor Who Learned Love Too Late Chapter 04
Landon did take time off.
The next morning, he was in the kitchen making pasta.
Morning light fell across his back, flowing slowly with the movement of the pan.
My heart stirred.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Landon put down the spoon and went to open the door.
Chloe changed familiarly into the spare pair of slippers Landon kept in the shoe cabinet.
“I heard June got hurt, so I came to visit.”
Before I could speak, she sniffed lightly.
“That smells amazing. I haven’t had Landon’s pasta in forever.”
“Is there any for me?”
Landon divided it into three bowls.
“Go sit down.”
I paused.
After Chloe sat, I moved to the dining table step by step with my crutch.
When I saw the basil in the bowl, I frowned slightly.
Then I heard Chloe laugh.
“Landon, you still remember basil is my favorite.”
My hand stopped on the chair.
I looked at the layer of green floating over the pasta and suddenly felt nauseous. I turned toward the bathroom.
“I’m not hungry. You two eat.”
Landon glanced up at me but said nothing.
He passed Chloe the balsamic.
I withdrew my gaze and closed the bathroom door.
When I turned, my crutch hit the storage rack. With a loud crash, the whole rack came down with me.
Landon rushed in and helped me up.
When he saw the red scrape across my knee, he suddenly fell silent.
“June, if you don’t want Chloe to stay for breakfast, you can just say so. You don’t have to hurt yourself.”
I froze.
A few months ago, on a rainy night, my stomach hurt badly, and I went to the hospital to find him.
I had just sat down when Chloe’s assistant came in.
“Dr. Landon, Chloe’s back hurts so badly she can’t stand it. She wants to know when you’ll come over.”
Landon glanced at me and got up.
I grabbed him.
“Landon, can’t you hear me? I said my stomach hurts.”
He went quiet for a moment, then asked in a low voice, “Are you pretending?”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Are you really sick, or do you just not want me to see Chloe?”
“Even if you don’t like her, she’s still my patient.”
Landon peeled my hand away.
“June, don’t be childish.”
The door opened and closed.
I sat in the chair, one hand covering my abdomen and the other over my eyes. It hurt so much I could barely breathe.
Later that night, I went to another hospital. The doctor said it was acute appendicitis.
As I lay on the operating table, I suddenly felt a bone-deep exhaustion, as if I wanted to let everything go.
Now that feeling came roaring back.
I said, “Forget it. We should break…”
A knock came from the door again.
It was Ivy River, a friend I had met at the hospital. She raised her hand and showed me the handheld game console in her arms.
“We agreed last time. I came to play games with you.”
I paused.
Then my shoulders loosened, and I smiled. I went into the bedroom with her.
