I bet President Fuller believes that it’s best to let Miss Reed, considering he only has three years left to live. He’s even distancing himself from her.
He’s worried that the proximity between them might affect her adversely. What if she falls for him again as time grows? If the president passed away later, she’d be left in pain.
Losing a loved one is devastating, let alone a rekindled love.
Tom believed that was the worry Toby had in mind, which drove him to start distancing himself from Sonia.
“Okay, President Fuller. Got it. I’ll deal with the discharge procedure soon.” Tom agreed to his request with a sigh.
Toby waved at him. “Go.”
“Right.” Tom turned around and left the room.
On the same night, Toby got discharged from the hospital and stayed at an apartment downtown, where he would undergo his recovery before returning to the Fuller Residence.
However, Sonia was kept in the dark about all his plans.
The next morning, Sonia visited him at the hospital with the soup she had made. Yet she was shocked to find another patient instead of Toby in the room. She stood rooted to the spot in disbelief.
What’s going on? Where is Toby?
“Miss!” Sonia stopped the nurse who was passing by with a cart and asked her, “May I check with you the whereabouts of the patient in this room?”
The nurse shot her a puzzled look. “Isn’t he in there right now?”
“No, I wasn’t referring to him. I mean Toby Fuller,” Sonia frowned and replied.
The nurse had a sudden realization and answered, “Mr. Fuller was discharged last night.”
“What? He left the hospital?” Sonia was shaken to the core.
The nurse nodded. “Yes, he left the hospital at midnight.”
“At midnight!” Sonia bit her lip anxiously.
That means he got discharged right after we ran into each other at the restaurant.
“Miss, why did he want to be discharged? He hasn’t fully recovered from his injury, has he?” She held on to the nurse and interrogated her.
The nurse shook her head. “I don’t know the reason behind it. Yes, he has not fully recovered to be discharged, but home recovery is an option. That’s why we approved his request.”
“Ah, I see.” Knowing that she had run into a dead-end, Sonia forced a smile and let go of the nurse.
Once the nurse’s arm was freed, she pushed the cart forward and went about her day.
Sonia looked at the name tag on the door that was no longer displaying Toby’s name. She pursed her red lips before walking to the elevator.
At the garden outside the patient ward building, she took a seat on a bench and made a call to Toby.
He did not pick up instantly like before. It took him a while before he took her call.
His chilly voice came from the other end. “What’s the matter?”
Sensing the coldness in his tone, she felt rather uneasy.
What’s wrong with him? Why the sudden cold shoulder?
They seemed to have traveled back to six years ago when he had treated her coldly. She couldn’t help but frown at his attitude. “President Fuller, are you discharged from the hospital?”
“Yes.” He nodded.
She placed the thermal container aside and questioned, “Why? Why didn’t you inform me before you left?”
“That’s my business. Why should I tell you about it?” he shot back sternly.
That almost made her choke, but she carried on, “Yes, that is your business, but I am responsible for you too. I am the reason you’re in this condition now. I told you before that I’d take care of you until you recover. That’s why you should have informed me when you left the hospital. How else am I going to look after you?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr