Chapter 7 A friend from the Past

Zelda left the hospital and walked toward the taxi stand nearby, hoping to find a cab to take her to Jian's apartment. But to her disappointment, there was no taxi in sight. With a sigh, she pulled out her phone to order an Uber instead.

Just as she was finalizing the order, a car pulled up in front of her, stopping abruptly. She looked up, surprised, and saw the driver turning to face her…it was Hammer.

“Zelda!” Hammer greeted her, his face lighting up with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

“Yes, it’s me,” she replied with a small smile, taken aback as he stepped out of the car.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Do you need a lift? Are you headed home?”

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Zelda replied quickly. “I already called an Uber; it’s on its way. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your plans or take up your evening.”

Hammer waved her concerns away. “Don’t worry about it. Actually, I was just thinking of calling you.”

Zelda’s interest was piqued. “Oh? Really?”

“Yeah,” Hammer nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about your brother, Michael.”

Concern filled Zelda’s face. “Oh my God, is something wrong? I’ve been busy these past two days and haven’t had a chance to check in on him. Is he okay?”

Hammer quickly reassured her. “He’s fine, don’t worry. I just wanted to share something with you, a new medicine and a new experimental procedure they’re testing for people with paralysis. I thought it might be worth looking into for Michael.”

Zelda’s eyes widened with hope. “Really? Do you believe this new treatment could actually help him?”

As they talked, her mind drifted back to a memory from her college days when she and Hammer had first met.

Hammer had been studying medicine, while she was immersed in her fashion and modelling courses. One day, she had been sitting alone in a café, sipping her coffee and lost in her thoughts, when a guy had come up, pulled a chair beside her, and sat down.

"Don't stand up," he had said out of the blue.

Zelda had narrowed her eyes at him, curious yet suspicious. “And why exactly don’t you want me to stand up?”

The stranger, who introduced himself as Hammer, had replied with a grin, “Trust me. Just wait until everyone else is gone before you do.”

At first, she had assumed he was just trying to flirt. But something about his serious expression made her pause. And so, Zelda had waited, watching as the café slowly emptied out. When everyone else had finally left, she stood up and noticed something strange, the seat of her chair was smeared with bright paint.

As it turned out, a group of university students had painted the chair as part of a prank, hoping someone would sit in it so they could record the reaction and post it online.

Hammer had shrugged with a laugh,

“Just thought I’d save you from becoming their next internet sensation.”

The memory made her smile, and she looked at Hammer now with newfound appreciation. He had saved her from embarrassment back then, and here he was again, offering a glimmer of hope for her brother’s recovery.

“Thank you, Hammer,” she said sincerely, glancing at him.

He shrugged casually. “Anytime. I’ll be here to help however I can.”

And that was the story of how Zelda and Hammer’s friendship had blossomed.

Over time, they had come to regard each other as family, playfully calling each other "brother" and "sister." With Hammer as the doctor overseeing her brother Michael’s case, Zelda had complete faith in him, trusting his judgment implicitly.

“Do you think it would work?” she asked, her voice soft but filled with hope.

“Yes,” Hammer replied with a reassuring smile. “A friend of mine, Dr. John, is leading that new research. He says they've been getting promising results. It’s a better option than Michael just staying here at the hospital.”

Zelda nodded, though she felt a bit apprehensive. “But the procedure isn’t done here. It’s in the next county. But the good news is I’ll be going there to work on my master’s soon, so I’ll be able to keep a close eye on him for you.”

A warm smile spread across Zelda’s face. “Thank you, Hammer. Really.”

Hammer chuckled, shifting the conversation. “How about you? How’s your master’s in fashion and design coming along? I heard Master Lee is taking in three students for his program. If they do well, he’s planning to offer them jobs in his company. Have you applied?”

Zelda hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her bag. “I don’t know if I’ll do well, but I did submit one of my designs for the interview.”

“You’ll do great,” Hammer assured her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You’ve always had an eye for fashion. I’m sure Master Lee will see that too.”

Hearing his encouragement, Zelda felt her confidence lift, grateful for the unwavering support of her friend.

“Maybe,” she replied noncommittally.

“But that would be nice… us being in the same place and taking care of your brother,” Hammer said with a grin, “And that reminds me—you owe me dinner. You have to at least cover one dinner to thank me for everything.”

Zelda laughed. “Alright, I owe you one dinner,” she said, playfully bowing his head in acknowledgement.

Then he noticed her face clouded with worry.

“What about the costs?” Zelda asked, her voice quieter now.

Without her usual resources from the Fergusons, she couldn’t help but feel concerned about how she’d cover Michael’s new medical expenses.

Hammer waved her worry away. “Don’t stress about that,” he reassured her. “Like I said, just cook me that dinner, and I’ll take care of everything.”

Seeing her scepticism, he added, “Plus, since they’re still in the early stages of research, this initial procedure is free. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Zelda exhaled a sigh of relief, gratitude flooding through her. “Thank you, Hammer. You really don’t know how much this means to me.”

He grinned, nudging her lightly. “That’s what brothers are for, right?”