Serena's heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away, trying to pull her hand back from his grip. "Let go, the doctor will be here soon, it's not good if someone sees us."
"What are you afraid of?" Xavier didn't let up, "You've already divorced Clint, and I'm single. We're both unmarried, so what's the big deal if we hold hands? Even if we hug, they wouldn't dare to say anything."
"This is a hospital! Watch your image, will you?!" Serena lowered her voice, "You're a famous figure in Vernon. If you're recognized and it ends up trending on social media, Uncle Blaze definitely won't let you off the hook."
"Always bringing up my dad to pressure me!" Xavier was reluctant but still let go of her hand.
Serena smiled at him. "I knew it, only Uncle Blaze can handle you! You've been afraid of him since you were little!"
"You think I let go because I'm scared of him?!"
"Isn't that the reason?!" Serena said confidently. "Uncle Blaze is like my dad, he doesn't like attention. If you make the news for having a fever, he's definitely not going to be happy."
"Silly girl!" Xavier affectionately pinched her cheek. "I'm doing this for you!"
"For me?!"
"Yes!" Xavier became serious, his tone more earnest. "I really don't want to trend, but not because I'm scared of my dad. It's because I'm worried about people seeing us together. Even though you've divorced Clint, the news hasn't been made public yet. Most people still think you're married."
"If our photo of holding hands gets posted online, people will make all kinds of assumptions. Some will definitely stir up trouble and say horrible things about you. I don't want you to carry any of that because of me."
Xavier usually acted like a carefree rich kid, and Serena had gotten used to his lack of seriousness. But now, he was suddenly so serious, speaking with so much care for her. She could feel something had changed in him.
Her heart started racing faster, and she didn't even know where to put her hands in the moment.
At that moment, there was a hurried sound of footsteps outside the exam room - the nurse was bringing the doctor back.
Serena let out a quiet sigh of relief.
As the doctor entered, he wasted no time and immediately placed the stethoscope on Xavier's chest. After listening for a while, he spoke urgently. "Quick, draw his blood and send it to the lab for testing."
Seeing the doctor's serious expression, Serena's heart dropped to her throat. "Doctor, is... is he going to be okay?"
The doctor frowned, taking the necessary blood-drawing tools from the nurse. "The patient has a high fever, and there are clear crackles in his lungs. We strongly suspect acute pneumonia. We need to check his blood to measure his white blood cell count and determine the next steps for treatment."
Serena panicked immediately.
She stood behind the doctor, her eyes fixed on the needle in Xavier's arm, the blood flowing through the thin tube, a stark red.
After the blood sample was taken, the nurse quickly carried it off to the lab, and the doctor instructed her to make sure Xavier got plenty of rest before rushing off.
Serena sat back down by his bed, watching him closely, anxiety written on her face as she looked at the man lying with his eyes shut.
It seemed like he sensed her watching him, and Xavier forced his eyes open.
When their eyes met, he weakly smiled at her. "What's with the worried face? Don't worry, I'm not dying! I can't leave you before I take you home!"
"Knock on wood!" Serena pretended to be angry, her eyes wide as she glared at him. "Don't say such gloomy things!"
Then, she looked down and noticed the needle mark on his arm. "I remember, you were always healthy before, never catching a cold for years. How did you get so sick now, just after a few years?!"
Xavier sighed helplessly. He didn't say anything, but in his mind, he was replaying what happened last night.
She had been so innocent, lying there, every move she made was so tempting.
If it weren't for his strong will and spending the whole night in cold water, he didn't know what might have happened.
But one thing was certain: with Serena's personality, if anything had happened when she was drunk, once she woke up, she would definitely be upset, maybe even cutting ties with him forever.
Thinking of this, Xavier suddenly felt like his pneumonia was worth it.
He tried to raise his hand to touch her delicate face, but he was too weak and couldn't lift it.
Serena misunderstood his gesture and quickly grabbed his hand, which had fallen limp, asking, "What's wrong? Do you want some water?"
Xavier grabbed her hand back, shaking his head gently. "No, my eyelids are heavy, I just want to sleep."
"Then sleep, I'll call you if the doctor comes."
"Okay!" Xavier squeezed her hand tighter, tilting his head and closing his eyes, falling silent.
At that moment, Serena's phone, which was in her bag, buzzed twice. Without thinking, she reached for it with her right hand, but then realized her right hand was still being held by Xavier.
She lightly moved, trying to pull her hand out, but his grip tightened noticeably.
With no other choice, Serena sighed and decided not to disturb his rest.
The doctor had said he needed rest after all.
After waiting for a while, about ten minutes later, the nurse quickly entered the room, approaching Serena. "Your boyfriend's condition isn't good; it's definitely pneumonia. His white blood cell count has skyrocketed. He needs to be hospitalized immediately for anti-inflammatory treatment. Go ahead and take care of the admission procedures."
"Okay, I'll go now!" Serena stood up, ready to rush out.
But after two steps, her arm was tugged back, and she found herself seated again.
Realizing he wasn't asleep, she turned to him and spoke softly, "Let go of my hand, I'll take care of the admission paperwork, I'll be back soon."
Xavier stubbornly refused to let go.
"Your condition is serious, the nurse said we can't delay any longer, treatment needs to start right away. Let go, or you'll be the one suffering."
He still didn't move.
With a sigh of resignation, Serena leaned over and gently placed a kiss on the side of his sharp jawline. "Is... is this okay now?!"
***