Chapter 401: Why Are You Here

Chapter 401: Why Are You Here

Leopold couldn't sleep and stood on the balcony smoking, thinking about how to talk to Caroline about getting tested.

Just as Quinlan had said, if they were going to the hospital, there was no way to hide Caroline's condition from her.

The ashtray was piled with cigarette butts. He lit the last one, and by the time he stubbed it out, Leopold seemed to have made up his mind.

The balcony door opened and closed as Leopold walked back into the room.

Caroline lay facing the window with her eyes closed. Leopold lifted the covers and held her. Suddenly, Caroline in his arms said, "Can't sleep?"

Leopold looked down. Moonlight fell on her face, and her clear eyes were as bright as tonight's moon.

"It's nothing, just thinking about work stuff." Leopold planned to talk to her about it after they got back to Seaside City. "What about you? Why did you suddenly wake up? Did I wake you?"

Actually, Caroline hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She was about to go to the bathroom, but just as she was opening the door, she heard Quinlan mention her condition.

If she really had fertility problems, what would Leopold ultimately choose?

She felt uneasy, but even more urgently wanted to know the answer.

Caroline said, "No, I was thirsty and got up for some water."

Leopold turned on the bedside lamp and handed her the glass from the nightstand. Caroline took just a small sip before putting it down.

Seeing she didn't look sleepy, Leopold thought her stomach was hurting again. He turned off the light and gently rubbed her lower abdomen with his large hand. "Does this feel better?"

Caroline murmured softly, "Let's have a baby. Once I have a baby, my stomach won't hurt anymore."

Leopold's movements froze. "There's no rush for that."

But Caroline felt especially anxious inside. "Let's stop using birth control."

What she wanted to prove and what he wanted to hide had become an irreconcilable issue at this moment.

Leopold patted her back and could only answer, "Okay."

Before leaving Silverpeak City, Quinlan pulled Caroline aside and reminded her to take care of herself and drink her medicine on time.

On the way back, Caroline looked at the medicine in the back seat, then turned around and said, "Dr. Ramirez prescribed so much medicine. Can I finish it all in twenty-one days?"

Leopold said, "Don't worry, with me supervising, you'll definitely finish it."

Caroline pouted, "So you're literally the drug administration bureau?"

Leopold laughed, "Who was it that supervised me taking medicine back then? Now the boomerang's hit you and you know it hurts?"

Caroline said, "Even if I find the medicine bitter, I wouldn't give it to a friend."

Leopold chuckled, "So you've permanently memorized this dark chapter of my history."

Caroline suddenly asked, "Didn't Dr. Ramirez say anything else? Didn't he say what's causing my period pain?"

Leopold looked ahead, "No, and even if he did, I wouldn't understand it."

Caroline acknowledged this and leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed. "My stomach's starting to hurt again. I'm going to lie down for a bit."

Leopold freed one hand to drape his jacket over Caroline. "Get some sleep. We'll eat at the service area at noon, and I'll wake you when we get there."

She didn't sleep deeply, but dozed off and on until they reached the service area.

The two had a quick meal at the service area. Before getting back in the car, Caroline went to the restroom. As she walked by, she saw an ad for infertility treatment on the advertising screen nearby.

She used to pay no attention to these kinds of ads, but now she was strangely sensitive to them.

She stopped and looked at the ad showing several young parents happily holding their children. Suddenly, images of her and Leopold appeared in her mind.

With modern medical technology so advanced, if there really was something wrong with her body, they could still choose IVF.

Leopold was leaning against the car smoking. He looked up and saw Caroline standing under the big screen, just as the infertility ad ended and switched to a furniture brand commercial.

Back in the car, Caroline closed her eyes. Even though she wasn't sleeping, she kept thinking about that ad.

Leopold focused on driving. Just as they were approaching the Seaside City highway exit, Elysia called.

"Where are you now?" Elysia asked.

Caroline looked outside, "We're about to exit the highway."

Elysia said, "I figured it was about time. Come straight here when you get off the highway. I'll start cooking now."

Caroline put down her phone. Leopold said, "Mom's timing is pretty accurate."

The car stopped downstairs from Elysia's place. Leopold took Caroline's hand as they walked into the elevator.

Caroline could sense Leopold had been under a lot of pressure the whole way. If this pressure was because of her condition, she wasn't someone who couldn't face difficulties—even her family would face it calmly. On the contrary, she wanted to know Leopold's attitude even more.

The elevator doors opened.

Leopold had just stepped out when he heard Caroline behind him say, "I heard everything you said to Mom last night."

He slowly turned around. Caroline's straightforward gaze met his. "Don't tell my mom yet. Wait until I get tested and we have the results, then we'll tell her, so she doesn't worry."

Leopold's eyes flickered slightly. "Okay."

They went inside to see Elysia bringing out freshly cooked dishes. "Go wash your hands and come eat."

Caroline smiled and said, "Got it."

Everything seemed normal with her, but Leopold thought back to how Caroline had suddenly woken up last night, and he belatedly realized she hadn't been asleep at all.

They sat with Elysia for a while. She asked about Caroline's doctor visit. Leopold handled it smoothly and mentioned the doctor had prescribed three sets of medicine for them to take home.

Elysia reminded Caroline to follow the doctor's orders and not forget.

It was almost eight o'clock and Elijah still wasn't home. Caroline didn't wait for him and suggested going home. "Mom, I have to work tomorrow, and Leopold's busy at the company too. We should head back and rest early."

Elysia walked them to the door and handed Leopold some newly bought fruit. "Leopold, drive carefully."

Leopold took the bag. "I know, Mom."

After getting in the car, Leopold said, "About the tests—you really don't want to tell Mom?"

Caroline insisted, "No, let's not. What if the tests come back fine? She'd just worry for nothing."

Leopold nodded. "Alright, whatever you say."

Back home, Caroline pulled Leopold to sit down in the living room.

Facing each other, Caroline spoke seriously, "You can tell me straight about my condition. Don't hide it from me. I'm not that fragile. If the tests tomorrow show there really is a problem with my body, we'll treat it. And if it can't be treated, there's still IVF, right? Medical technology is so advanced now—there'll be a way to solve it."

Leopold said, "Don't stress yourself. If there's any problem, we'll face it together."

Caroline wouldn't make any assumptions before getting the diagnosis, so everything would depend on the hospital's findings before deciding the next step.

Monday.

Caroline told Axel at work she was taking the day off, then went with Leopold to Silverline Hospital for tests.

Caroline spent the whole morning doing multiple tests. The results wouldn't be ready until the afternoon.

As they came out of the collection room, they ran into Caroline's high school classmate Ethan, who worked at this hospital.

Ethan asked, "Caroline, what are you doing here?"