Chapter 5

When I finally woke up, I found myself lying on a hospital bed.

Seeing that I was awake, the doctor gave me a check-up and said sternly, "Due to your irregular diet and long-term consumption of unhealthy food, your digestive tract was bleeding, and your stomach was filled with pus. If you don't get proper treatment soon, it could develop into cancer.

"Moreover, your legs haven't been properly treated. You might only be limping now, but in the future, you'd risk losing both legs!"

I clenched my pocket, which still contained the two 100-dollar bills.

I was well aware of what the doctor said. However, simply surviving was hard enough for me, let alone getting treatment.

Perhaps in another year or two, I'd need to resort to begging on the streets.

Looking at the doctor's stern expression, I couldn't help but recall what happened earlier when I ran into Joey and Marcus.

My once numbed heart throbbed faintly with pain, and a long-lost sense of dignity suddenly welled up within me.

My face flushed with embarrassment as I said, "I don't have much money, so can you just prescribe some cheap painkillers?"

The doctor frowned and, with a helpless look, wrote me a prescription.

I hobbled my way to the pharmacy, only to find that even the cheapest painkillers cost about 70 dollars. I stood in silence for a long time before walking out of the hospital.

Then, I picked up some cheap painkillers for 15 dollars from a small clinic by the road. That was enough. It'd last me quite a few days.

With a wretched life like mine, I'd just do whatever I could.

Night fell, and snowflakes drifted from the sky.

I squatted under a dim streetlamp, wrapping myself tightly in my tattered cotton jacket.

While wondering where I could spend the night, I swallowed a pill, washing it down with snow.

As it slid down, my throat churned, and the cold snow I gulped spread a bitter taste into my stomach.

The pain in my legs was unbearable, and my stomach felt as if it were burning.

Exhausted, I collapsed headfirst into the snow.

The icy flakes brought a bit of clarity to my muddled mind, but my face burned with heat.

Maybe I got a fever. What bad luck. How'd I have the money to treat it?

I sank weakly to my knees on the ground, while snowflakes fell onto my head and shoulders.

All I felt was cold, and yet unbearably hot. Maybe I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Who knew that I'd be able to see Joey during the last moments of my life? Being able to see her happy was not bad either. It seemed like she had become even happier and content after leaving me.

I let out a slow breath. A faint sound echoed in my ears, soon swallowed by the heavy snow.

However, the snowflakes were no longer falling on me. Had the snow stopped?

My vision darkened again, and I instinctively lifted my head. It was Joey, standing behind me with an umbrella.

People said that you'd see the person you longed for the most before you die… Apparently, it was true… It seemed like I could finally see the one I loved before my death.

My dry lips cracked into a faint smile.

Joey let out a sigh and said, "It's been six years since we last met, so have a meal with me."

I quickly snapped back to my senses. This wasn't an illusion. The Joey standing before me was the real deal.