Chapter 4

Camilla's expression turned ugly, yet for some inexplicable reason, she also felt a little relieved for some reason.

"Don't make it sound so salacious. Zachary and I grew up together, and he's gravely ill. There's no way I could just ignore his wishes. If you have a problem with me taking him to the beach, I can—"

Before she could finish, Jeremy interrupted calmly.

"I don't."

She thought she'd misheard him.

"What did you say?"

"I said I don't," Jeremy repeated.

He picked up a bottle and took a sip of the cherry wine he made at home. The alcohol content was so low it barely qualified as wine at all. It was just fruit fermented with a few medicinal herbs. The hospital's air conditioning ran year-round, so he'd occasionally take a sip to warm himself up.

However, he didn't seem to be in the best mood. Once he brought the bottle down, he realized he'd taken a big chug. After screwing the cap back on, he headed for the door with the bottle in hand.

"I have a surgery scheduled, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut our chat short, Ms. Sloan."

Camilla turned to watch his retreating figure, feeling an inexplicable sense of irritation. After all this time, she'd finally taken the initiative to relent and approach him first, but all he did was shoot frosty barbs at her.

Glancing at Zachary's discharge papers in her hand, she snarled icily, "You'd better not regret this, Jeremy!"

…

Jeremy did indeed have a surgery scheduled, but it wasn't until tomorrow.

"Dr. Cooper, the operating room for Daniel Harris' surgery tomorrow has already been booked."

Jeremy nodded. "Thanks for telling me."

"By the way, Daniel has been asking to see you many times now. I think you should check on him."

Jeremy's expression became a little unreadable.

Daniel was a teenage boy, and he'd been pestering Jeremy to get him some of the videos that the hospital's sperm bank used to aid in sperm retrieval.

After Daniel's surgery a few days earlier, he'd been in such agony that he'd handed all of his carefully packed belongings over to Jeremy. He said that if he didn't make it off the operating table, he hoped Jeremy would burn everything for him.

Jeremy had refused to take those things. Instead, he'd promised to get the videos Daniel wanted. That and Daniel's own stubborn will to live had somehow given him enough strength to hold on a little longer.

"Looks like I can't brush him off this time."

Rubbing his forehead helplessly, Jeremy headed off.

The nurses at the station waited until he'd disappeared down the hallway before leaning together to gossip.

"Don't let Dr. Cooper's handsome face and serious attitude fool you! During lunch yesterday, when nobody else was around, I saw him sneaking into that room over there and copying a whole bunch of videos."

The nurse who spoke pointed toward a small room in the distance. The others immediately covered their mouths in shock.

"Are you serious?"

"Why are you so surprised? No matter how good he is at his job, he's still a regular man. Who knows? Maybe he even fantasizes about me from time to time."

"Oh, give me a break! He's handsome enough to have standards. Why would he be interested in you? Among the nurses, I think the only one he'd fantasize about is Charlotte."

"Hush! Charlotte's family owns the hospital, you know. I can't believe you're gossiping about her. Are you trying to get yourself fired?"

"Don't worry about it. She's not here right now. She said she was too bored and wanted something to do, so I asked her to help me pick up some medication."

"But her expression was pretty dark just now. It looked like someone had chewed her out or something."

…

Daniel was in the middle of a game when Jeremy showed up at the hospital room. His face was pale and his cheeks gaunt. At his age, he was supposed to be in the prime of his youth, but his gaze was empty and lifeless.

However, a spark came to them when he saw Jeremy. "You're here, Dr. Coops!"

His voice still sounded a little boyish, though it had also turned raspy as he approached adulthood.

Seeing the smile on Daniel's face, Jeremy smiled too. The heaviness weighing on his heart eased a little. He uncapped the bottle of cherry wine in his hand and set it on the bedside table.

Daniel's eyes brightened even more. "I've been dying to have a drink, Dr. Coops!"

Jeremy chuckled. "You only get to wet a cotton swab with it and have a little taste."

"Oh. Fine…" Daniel's face fell.

Jeremy pulled over a chair. "You'll have one more dialysis session before bedtime. And as you requested, I'll perform the surgery for your complications tomorrow."

Daniel scratched his head. "I actually feel okay today. How about we skip the dialysis session?"

Jeremy shook his head. "Don't worry about saving money. The insurance I told you to buy covers most of the fees. You only need to pay a little over 20 dollars for each dialysis session."

Daniel hummed in acknowledgment. "Okay. I'll do as you say."

After a nod, Jeremy quietly stared out the window. Night had already fallen.

Down at the hospital entrance, Camilla was slowly helping Zachary, who was seated in a wheelchair, into a black car.

"By the way… about what you promised me, Dr. Coops…"

Daniel's words snapped Jeremy back to his senses, but he asked with feigned ignorance, "What promise did I make to you?"

Daniel's pale face turned bright red. After all, he was still a teenage boy.

"Well… you know… that one…"

Jeremy stopped teasing him. He pulled out a phone he'd prepared beforehand and held it out.

"Oh, alright. I'm just teasing you. Here. I've got it ready for you."

Daniel's face lit up. Just as he reached for the phone, however, Jeremy suddenly pulled it back.

"Mind you, there are conditions. These videos were officially approved by the authorities for hospital use only. You're not allowed to share it with anyone, and it can only be watched alone."

Daniel nodded repeatedly. "I promise I'll stick to that!"

Only then did Jeremy hand him the phone. "I've already unlocked the phone. I'll wait outside."

"Okay!"

Jeremy left the room and stepped into the stairwell before reading the medical chart he was holding.

Daniel had been diagnosed with late-stage uremia. Ordinarily, by this stage, a patient's kidney function was already severely compromised. Most had almost no sexual desire or the ability to function.

Jeremy closed the chart and pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. It had been among the pile of belongings Daniel had entrusted to him when he'd believed he wouldn't survive the operation, and Jeremy hadn't returned it yet.

He flipped it open.

"It's the holidays. Everyone is having a blast outside, but I'm still spending it in the hospital this year. Dr. Coops' homemade wine smells amazing. I wanted a sip, but he said minors aren't allowed to drink. My hands keep getting weaker. I can't keep playing games for money like I used to. But Dr. Coops taught me to buy health insurance, so a lot of my medical bills can be reimbursed.

"I've developed so many health complications. I don't know how much longer I'll live. I haven't even turned 18 years old yet. How I wish I could live long enough to date someone. I want to hold a girl's hand and sneak a few sips of Dr. Coops' wine.

"I don't seem to care about anything anymore. I read online that I need to find something to look forward to in life again. Apparently, my subconscious will help my body heal. I looked up the disease. It affects the kidneys. Does that mean if I can still… have that sort of reaction, then my body isn't doing that badly?

"Dr. Coops said I can't do anything illegal, but the hospital has legally obtained videos they use for medical purposes. I kept begging him for them. He said I'd have to wait until I turned 18.

"I know he's lying to me. The insurance doesn't cover that much of my treatment expenses. He's the one paying for it. I want to live so that I can pay him back.

"I'll be turning 18 soon, but it hurts like hell today. I really want a sip of Dr. Coops' wine."

Jeremy closed the notebook. For those working in a hospital, the biggest taboo was letting their sense of compassion trump their rationality.

People died in the hospital every single day, some because their illnesses couldn't be cured and some because they couldn't afford treatment. There was no way of saving everyone.

Yet, what if one instance of kindness was all it took to save a life?

Moreover, according to Daniel's ID, he and Jeremy had the same birthday.

Closing his eyes, Jeremy tapped the notebook against his forehead, murmuring, "Happy 18th birthday, Daniel. And here's to a new beginning for me as well."