The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 608

The phone rang several times before it connected. Before the other party could speak, Petty asked, "Jackson, did you go see the doctor?"

"I just finished," Jackson's voice came through the receiver. It echoed slightly, suggesting he was in a stairwell or somewhere similar.

"Don't worry. The doctor said it's just a seasonal cough and prescribed some medication."

His patient, gentle voice felt like a soothing hand patting Petty's back, filling her with comfort.

Her lingering anxiety finally faded. "If you had just taken medicine earlier, your cough would be gone by now."

Jackson smiled and sighed. "Well, that's because you just got back. If you hadn't nagged me, I wouldn't have come to the hospital at all."

Hearing this, Petty said sternly, "Don't just tough it out when you're sick from now on."

"Alright, alright. I'll listen to you," Jackson replied in a conceding tone.

Petty smiled with satisfaction. "That's more like it. Jackson, you have to take good care of yourself. I'm counting on you to help me raise Abacus. You're one of his few surrogate grandparents, and I want you to watch him grow up."

Surrogate grandparents...

Those two words carried immense weight, causing Jackson's eyes to redden. He pressed his trembling lips together, the veins in his neck bulging slightly as he murmured, "I will."

Jackson heard someone calling Petty's name in the background. His chest heaved as the urge to cough became nearly unbearable. He urged her, "Go on and get back to work, miss. I'm going to grab my prescription."

The moment he hung up, Jackson succumbed to a violent fit of coughing. He gripped the stairwell railing tightly with his left hand, his entire body shaking from the force of it.

The phone clenched in his right hand buzzed. Once he caught his breath, he swiped the screen. It was a text message—

[Uncle Jackson, have you finished your checkup?]

Jackson's finger hovered over the screen for a moment, his expression blank. He glanced at the window on the stairwell landing. The sun was mostly obscured by dark clouds.

It was so cold today.