Chapter 614: Flowers on the Cliff (2)
Chapter 614: Flowers on the Cliff (2)
“Are you still working?”
“Pardon? Ah… yes. Sometimes I take a break, sometimes I go to the bakery. But I usually go only when I feel well.”
“Are you going today? You don’t look unwell.”
“Nope. Why do you ask?”
The doctor studied Lisa for a moment. It was difficult to judge a patient’s condition by complexion alone. That was true for all patients. Even those in good health often looked pale or unwell. So he hesitated, unsure if he should say anything.
He was the kind of man who preferred to gauge the mood before speaking.
“I know a good restaurant nearby. If you’re free this evening, I’d like to dine with you.”
“With me?”
Lisa’s eyes widened. She had never imagined a kind doctor like him inviting her out for dinner.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Are you asking me out on a date now?”
“Well, I’m not the type to ask someone out and then back out.”
“Thank you, but I’m sorry. I promised to stay with my daughter tonight.”
“Oh, I see…”
She declined without hesitation. His expression stiffened slightly, but he clenched his fists.
Turning his gaze to the monitor, he said, “Then I’ll see you next time. Forget my dinner invitation today—I made a mistake.”
“My daughter would really like to meet a guest,” Lisa said, catching her breath. “She’s scared of doctors because of injections, but I don’t think she’ll dislike you if you come to my house…”
He looked back at her. She was smiling in a way that was hard to read.
“Can you play hospital games with my daughter?”
“Well, I hate games, and I’m tired of hospitals, but I suppose I could play hospital with your daughter.”
“Okay. My home might not be as nice as that restaurant you mentioned, but my cooking isn’t bad,” she said, smiling. “I have plenty of chef friends.”
“Wow, you have lots of chef friends,” the doctor remarked.
When he arrived at Lisa’s house that evening, Paul seemed embarrassed.
No wonder. Not only were Minjoon and Kaya there, but also Anderson, Janet, Chloe, and Marco. All chefs, except for Paul.
“I think I’ve seen those three chefs somewhere,” Paul said.
“You’ve probably seen them on TV or in Star Book—they’re quite famous,” Kaya replied.
Surprisingly, Paul knew very little about things like the Grand Chef competition. Despite being busy as a doctor, he had free time. When asked how he spent it, Paul said he usually read, listened to music, or exercised. Basically, he was a boring man.
“How did you two meet?” Chloe asked.
“I met her in an examining room,” Paul answered.
Lisa had been diagnosed with lung cancer by Paul. Their meeting could hardly have gone worse. Chloe’s eyes gleamed. “So, how did you fall for her?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, there must have been a reason.”
“Well, that’s hard to say. I never really ‘fell’ for her.”
The mood became awkward. Realising people might misunderstand, he added, slightly embarrassed, “If you mean ‘falling in love’ to be good feelings, then yes. But it’s not her looks that attracted me. It’s her determination to fight her illness…”
“That’s enough, Paul. Best stop there,” Chloe whispered to Anderson, noting he was dumber than Minjoon when it came to love. Anderson smiled bitterly. Indeed, there was something odd about the men around him.
While they chatted, one person found it hard to approach Paul—Ella. She sensed, from Lisa’s attitude, why Paul was here. She didn’t dislike him for that reason, but she felt uncomfortable, as did Paul.
He often sneaked glances at Ella and gave a stiff smile when their eyes met, but she promptly looked away.
“You said you feel weaker now, and your senses are duller… Have you felt any back pain?”
“Hmm… I think so, but I don’t know.”
“It might be a slipped disc. Why don’t you come see me later?”
“Do I need herniated disc surgery?”
“That depends on the state of your disc. It’s not a definite diagnosis, so don’t worry.”
They already treated Paul as a house-call doctor. Nothing strange since he was a doctor himself. In America, where many people couldn’t afford hospital visits due to high costs, many sought Paul out to discuss symptoms.
After talking with Paul about his back, Kaya nattered at him about exercising more. Paul thought Kaya’s smoky eye makeup suggested a tough personality, but the couple seemed cuter than he expected.
“By the way, Kaya’s ring is really pretty. I didn’t know you had such good taste.”
“No, I don’t. I actually asked Janet to help me buy Kaya’s ring.”
Minjoon replied with a shrug, while Chloe admired the ring. Their attention lingered on it for a moment.
Lisa, unable to help but notice, touched her finger with no ring and glanced at Paul.
Ella needs...
Lisa thought Ella might need a father figure. It might seem strange for Lisa to consider Paul as a potential father for Ella after only one date invitation, but death’s shadow had forced her to think seriously. She was conscious of death, not to avoid hope, but because her hope for survival was faint. She was too fragile to hold it.
At that moment, Paul met her gaze, but she shyly looked away. She was calculating many things mentally while he tried to reach her sincerely. Even if it was for her daughter, she felt uneasy.
“Chloe, are you dating anyone these days?”
“I told you to stop asking me that, right?” Chloe replied sullenly to Kaya.
Paul, however, kept looking at Lisa as the two chatted.
The party was almost over. Paul and Ella locked eyes—Ella no longer avoided his gaze. He looked back at Lisa.
She met his look with a complicated expression.
“Thank you for coming today. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves because of you, Paul.”
“Really?”
“I’ll see you at the next treatment.”
“Yes, in two weeks.”
“Yes, I know.”
“...”
Lisa nodded, but Paul still looked as if he wanted to say more.
She regarded him, slightly puzzled.
Paul spoke quietly, “Two weeks is a long time. Can I see you before then?”
“Before then?”
“Yes.”
Paul’s eyes never left her. She wondered how he hadn’t approached sooner. Of course, she didn’t know he had been thinking of her for a long time.
“Sure, call me later.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me...”
Paul smiled—his first genuine smile. It wasn’t broad enough to show teeth. He glanced at Ella, then, hesitating briefly, placed his hand on her head. Ella flinched, but did not pull away, making him smile again.
“Good night.”
Paul left.
Ella looked at her mother. “Mom, who is that man?”
Lisa gestured, “I don’t really know him well.”
Lisa was a dreamer.
Though some might call her romantic and emotional for being a daydreamer, that was a generous excuse.
The truth was she didn’t sleep well. Never had she slept soundly, in fact. Difficult sleep had begun around the time she gave birth to Ella.
Ella had been a trial in her life. Yet, she had brought Lisa happiness.
She was her last hope in Pandora’s box—out of which all misfortunes had spilled.
Still, hope could not grant her restful sleep. The deeper her hope, the lighter her sleep, for hope brought distractions that chased sleep from her eyes.