Chapter 265 Visiting the Sick

Chapter 265 Visiting the Sick

Lily froze when she saw it was David standing there.

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

The overhead light was off. The only light came from the hallway, slipping through the gap under the door and stretching across the floor in a thin strip.

A figure stood right at the edge of light and shadow. Half of him was swallowed by darkness, the other half lit by the hallway light. He stood there quietly in the doorway, still as a shadow that had drifted down from the night sky, and somehow, just his presence made the room feel a few degrees colder.

Lily's fingers clenched tight around the bedsheet.

"David?" His name came out barely above a whisper, much quieter than she intended.

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

David didn't answer. He walked straight toward her, sat down, and leaned in close — close enough that Lily could make out the curve of his eyelashes.

His lashes were long, casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes, making them look even darker and harder to read.

Lily instinctively leaned back until her shoulders hit the cold headboard.

He was too close. Close enough that her heart started racing out of control, like someone was hammering away inside her chest.

"You — get up first." She reached out and pushed at his shoulder. Her fingertips brushed the fabric of his shirt — cool to the touch, either from the material or because he just ran cold.

David didn't move.

His gaze drifted from her face downward, settling on the hand she had pressed against his shoulder.

Lily followed his eyes and only then noticed her wound was still bleeding.

"Sorry… David, I got blood on your shirt…"

David didn't seem to care at all. He reached out and took her hand in his.

His touch was gentle — like he was handling something that might break.

His long fingers wrapped around her hand, the pads of his fingers slightly rough with calluses.

She could feel the temperature of his skin. Cool, just like him. But somehow that touch was strangely calming, like a quiet promise, or like something tender held under a very tight lid.

"It's not bad," she said softly. "Just a small cut. I'll have the nurse clean it up in a bit…"

David said nothing. He just turned her hand over slowly.

Lily felt a little embarrassed and reached for the call button, thinking David would move out of the way. She'd barely exhaled in relief when an arm wrapped around her waist.

She was pulled into his arms.

One hand pressed against the small of her back, the other reached around her shoulder, folding her completely into his embrace.

Lily's face pressed against his chest. Through the fabric, she could feel the warmth of his body and the rhythm of his heartbeat.

His heart was beating faster than she expected.

So he was nervous too.

His arms held her tight, like he was afraid she might slip away. His chin rested on top of her head, his breath falling slow and steady against her hair.

"David…" she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

"Don't move." His voice came from above, lower and heavier than usual, with a weight that left no room for argument.

So she didn't.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was today?" David finally spoke again. "How could you grab for the knife like that? Your body hasn't recovered. What if Mia had already injected something? You might not have been able to take her. Did you even think about any of that?"

Lily opened her mouth. She wanted to say she was fine. She wanted to say she'd already thought through the risks. She wanted to say she was in a hospital with people all around and nothing was going to happen to her.

But she said none of it, because David's arms tightened around her again, like he was trying to pull her into himself.

"Don't ever do something like that again." His voice dropped so low it was almost a breath, but every word came through clearly. "No using yourself as bait. No putting yourself in danger. No throwing yourself into harm's way just to take someone down."

Lily lifted her head and looked up at him.

The soft orange glow of the night light fell across the side of his face, smoothing out his features a little. But his eyes were still dark and still, like deep water — calm on the surface, with something churning underneath.

"Don't worry about me," Lily said quietly. "I'm fine. Really."

David looked down at her, her face reflected in his eyes. He held her gaze for a few seconds, then reached up and cupped the back of her head, pressing her face back against his chest.

"All you ever say is that you're fine." There was something tired in his voice, and underneath it, something almost too soft to catch. "You've always been like that. No matter what, you just say you're fine."

Lily lay against him, listening to his heartbeat, and felt something sting at the back of her nose.

She blinked it away, let the corners of her mouth curl up, and was just about to say something light to break the tension.

She never got the chance.

A rush of hurried footsteps came from the hallway — quick and urgent, followed by the sound of something being knocked over, and a nurse calling out, "Sweetie, don't run!"

Before Lily could even pull away from David, the door was shoved open from outside.

"Lily, my Lily!"

The small voice exploded through the room.

Noah burst in like a tiny cannonball — pajamas, fuzzy slippers, messy hair, and tear tracks still wet on his face. He'd been running so fast he nearly slipped, stumbling a few steps before catching himself, then throwing himself at the side of the bed and grabbing Lily's wrist with both hands.

"Lily, what happened?" He looked up at her, eyes red, nose red, tears streaming down. His voice was high and cracking, with that particular kind of raw, desperate cry that only little kids can manage. "Did you get hurt? Did someone hurt you? Tell Noah. Noah will beat her up for you!"

Lily hadn't even had a second to react before someone else came through the door.

Faye rushed in wearing an oversized hoodie, hair in a low ponytail, completely out of breath. Her face was a mix of panic and heartache. She crossed the room in a few quick strides, bent down, and looked Lily over from head to toe, her eyes lingering on the bandaged arm. Her eyes went red almost immediately.

"Lily, are you okay? I was just scrolling on my phone before bed and then I saw you — what happened?" Faye's voice shook. She reached out like she wanted to touch her, then pulled back, her hand hovering in the air, trembling slightly.

"I saw the livestream. That woman pushed you, didn't she? She knocked you down, right? You two were fighting over something, weren't you? How do you feel right now? What did the doctor say? Is it serious?"