Chapter 17

After collecting myself, I returned to my mom's ward. Inside, my mom was sitting up in bed while May fed her mashed potatoes. May smiled at me when she saw me. "You're back." "May?" I was a little surprised. "I didn't know you were here." I walked up to them, took the mashed potato from her, and took over her spot. "I just got here, right in time for lunch. Since you weren't back, I couldn't let Mrs. Leroy go hungry." I paused in the middle of feeling Mom. A wave of sadness soon washed over me. May had only met my mom a few times, yet she was so attentive and caring. In contrast, Sharon not only didn't care but seemed to stir up trouble wherever she could... Seeing me lost in thought, Mom gently patted me with a smile on her face. "Where did you run off to? You seem so out of it after coming back." I snapped out of it and returned her smile. "Just had some things to take care of." I didn't tell the truth. If my mom knew I'd gone to see Sharon, she'd only worry. After I fed Mom the mashed potato, May and I walked out together. She then grabbed my hand and, ignoring my resistance, pulled up my sleeve. "Did they give you trouble again?" Because of the scuffle earlier in the afternoon, my already split wound was suddenly exposed to the air. The way blood was seeping out made it look rather alarming. I awkwardly pulled my sleeve back down. "It's nothing. Just bumped into something." May looked at me intently and sighed. "Let's get it treated." Without letting me refuse, she firmly led me to the next room. May pulled out a medical kit, took out some cotton and alcohol, and efficiently tended to my wound. As if afraid of hurting me, she was careful, her movements gentle and meticulous. I was a little dazed, wanting to tell her she didn't need to be so cautious. To me, this was one of the lightest injuries I'd ever had. Injuries were a daily occurrence during my five years in prison. I'd long since grown numb to the pain of small wounds. After May finished treating my wound, I softly thanked her. She casually took out a contract from her bag and handed it to me. "This is the contract drafted based on our previous discussion," she uttered. "Take a look and check if anything looks unreasonable." I carefully reviewed the contract, pointing out a few areas that needed improvement. Once we finished discussing, May nodded and promised, "The studio is currently hiring, and we should be ready by the end of the month. I'll keep you updated on the progress, okay?" Of course, I agreed to it. As I glanced outside at the dark sky, I realized that two hours had passed. "Have you eaten yet?" I asked. May shook her head, making me feel a little guilty. If I hadn't kept her here talking about the collaboration, she probably wouldn't have missed dinner. I added, "I'll treat you." May agreed without missing a beat. We chose a restaurant close to the hospital. After placing our orders, we continued discussing the details of our collaboration. By the time the food was served, we had wrapped up our conversation. Halfway through the meal, May suddenly spoke, "Don't move." I paused at her words. Her eyes, full of warmth and amusement, sparkled as she pulled a napkin from her bag. She stood up, leaned slightly forward, and gently wiped my cheek with the napkin. "You're a grown-up, yet you're getting food on your face like a child," she complained. I froze in place. It was the first time someone had done something like this for me. I felt a bit out of sorts. After wiping my face, May sat back down as if nothing had happened, though the faint scent of her perfume lingered. I suppressed the nervous flutter in my chest and quietly thanked her again. May handed me another napkin and asked, "Want to wipe your mouth?" I thanked her again and reached out to take it. However, the gesture was abruptly interrupted by a voice. "What are you two doing?" Hearing that, I turned around to see Sharon and Javin standing about 30 feet away from us.