Chapter 94
He lay on the bed with his face twisted in pain, his smile long gone. "Emily, didn't the doctor say I could get painkillers? Get him to come give me another shot. Why does it feel like it's getting worse?"
I walked over and gently fanned him through the blanket. "Didn't you already get the painkiller shot? Does it hurt a lot now? Can you tough it out a bit?"
Oscar grimaced. "I'm already toughing it out. Can you get the doctor to come check? I feel like the skin on my back is stretched so tight it's about to burst open. Did they not stitch it up properly?"
Layers of gauze wrapped around him, the white bandages showing stains from the disinfectant. I frowned and looked carefully, lifting a corner from his back, but couldn't see the actual condition and didn't dare look further. "Wait here, I'll get the doctor."
The doctor came quickly. After a brief examination, he reassured Oscar, "This is psychological. The expanded skin tissue is sufficient; the pulling sensation shouldn't be too obvious. You can handle it, right?"
Oscar frowned. "Why does it feel even worse than before?"
The doctor explained again, "Skin grafting requires removing all the dead skin tissue. Pain is inevitable. We'll give you another painkiller shot in two hours. After these three days, it should get better."
"So it'll be fine after three days?" Oscar's eyes filled with hope.
The doctor pushed up his glasses and answered seriously, "After three days, you'll gradually get used to this level of pain. But yes, the pain will definitely decrease. Don't worry."
"What?" Oscar looked like he'd lost the will to live.
I quickly stepped forward with a smile. "What the doctor means is, the pain decreases bit by bit. You just said you could handle it, so you'll definitely handle it even better later. Men aren't afraid of pain, right?"
I used his own words against him.
Oscar's expression was quite something. He wanted to boldly display his masculinity, but the pain twisted his face. Finally, he could only sigh. "Doctor, could you give me some knockout drops? Just put me out for three days straight, how about that?"
The doctor couldn't help but laugh. "That probably won't work. Twenty-four hours after we remove the catheter, you'll need to get up and move around to prevent adhesions in other areas."
Oscar sighed. "How about just knocking me out for twenty-four hours then?"
I waved the doctor off. "I'll talk to him. Thanks. As long as the wound is okay, we're fine. The painkiller shot is in another two hours, right? I think he can drink water now. Can I give him some?"
"Yes, small amounts frequently. Call me if anything comes up." The doctor left the room.
As I poured hot water and carefully fed it to him, I tried to distract him. "While you were in surgery, I got a call. Paul and James are dead."
Oscar seemed to forget his pain, his expression changing from agony to complete shock. "Dead?"
"You didn't expect that either, did you?" I smiled bitterly.
Oscar took a deep breath, trying to ease his pain before speaking slowly. "If it were in Solstice, I wouldn't be surprised at all. But in Lumaria, to die so mysteriously is really unexpected. What are you going to do now? If someone can kill them, whatever you wanted to investigate is probably going nowhere."
My expression grew more serious. "Is it possible that instead of me investigating them, they'll start coming after me?"
Oscar frowned. "You mean Zach's backer? If he's smart, he should check you out first before deciding whether to go against you, right? Since they've been working with Solstice long-term... Michael might have business dealings with him, too."
Michael?
Actually, I think it's him. I've had three years to learn all his tricks. No way he could've laundered everything clean, so it makes sense they're in bed with Michael.
"I can't deal with that right now. Once you're better, I'll have someone look into it. Even if he doesn't come after me, I need to have a chat with him." I blew on the hot water to cool it down and carefully brought the spoon to Oscar's lips, a bitter smile on my face. "It's just a shame that Sophia got released."
Oscar tried to comfort me instead. "There's still plenty of time. Even if she got out, her reputation is already ruined. If you're not happy about it, I'll go get a disability assessment and make her face criminal charges."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You should just focus on lying there and recovering. The doctor said you can eat in a few hours. What do you want? I'll have your dad send someone to bring it."
Oscar sighed. "I don't want to see him hovering around me all day. Just buy me whatever."
He had unresolved issues with his father. I knew that.
"Oscar, the reason Gregory and I got married so hastily before was that Mr. Robert Lopez wasn't in good health. He told me that although the surgery after that was successful, the doctor said he only had five years to live. I'm not saying this to make you decide anything. I just want to remind you not to do something you'll regret later."
I didn't want to tell him to let go of anything. I just didn't want him to be sad later.
Oscar's smile stiffened for a moment. He looked at me, his eyes showing poorly hidden loneliness. "I know what you're trying to tell me. I can't forgive him, just like you can't reconcile with your family. Whether he lives or dies doesn't really matter to me. Emily, I hope you can understand me."
From his perspective, what he said made perfect sense. I couldn't say more, so I just nodded. "I understand how you feel. Affection that comes too late has no meaning. I just worry you might regret it later. As long as you know, handle things however you think is right."
Oscar put on his carefree smile again. "I just got worked up, and it feels even more painful now. Has it been long enough for the painkiller the doctor mentioned? When can he come?"
I looked at my watch. "Not yet, it's only been twenty minutes."
"How about you kiss me? Maybe a kiss will make the pain go away." He looked at me and unconsciously licked his slightly dry lips.
I was stunned by what he said. Since when could a kiss stop pain?
But seeing the sweat beading on his forehead, I leaned forward, nervously clenching my fists, not daring to look at his teasing eyes. I closed my eyes and gently kissed down toward his cheek.
But the spot I kissed seemed wrong. Why wasn't it his cheek, but something softer—his lips?
My eyes flew open. Our eyes met. The temperature of my face shot up instantly.
Our lips were pressed together. He must have quickly turned his head as I leaned in to kiss him, deliberately putting his lips in front of me.
I wasn't some naive girl experiencing her first crush. I'd even had more intimate contact with him before. But right now, I could feel my heart pounding like a drum.
My face felt burning hot. I quickly pulled back, not daring to look at him, pretending to be busy with something, walking to the side to tidy up—though I had no idea what I was tidying.