Chapter 292 Alexander, You Did Great
Alexander was still shaking his head desperately.
"There were... there were... Linus... Linus did that... he put drugs in the food... I ate it and then... then..."
He choked on his words. The scenes that followed were like a door he didn't dare push open—he couldn't even bring himself to say it out loud.
Caroline froze in place, as if she'd been hit head-on.
In that instant, she understood where his fear came from.
Her grip on Alexander's wrist unconsciously tightened. After a few seconds, she realized and immediately let go. She lowered her head, took a deep breath, and forced down the nausea and bitterness rising in her chest.
"Alexander, look at me."
Alexander peeked out one eye from the gap in his arms, looking at her with wariness and uncertainty.
Caroline picked up the plate of pasta, held it in her palm, and lifted it in front of him.
"Smell this."
Steam rose up, and the sweet-sour scent of tomatoes mixed with the fresh aroma of basil filled Alexander's nose. His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the plate.
It had been a long time since he'd had a proper meal. The bread Caroline had given him under the bridge had long been digested, and now he was hollow with hunger.
As the smell of pasta got closer, his stomach clenched, and his belly made an embarrassingly loud rumble.
His eyes stuck to the plate, unable to look away.
Caroline picked up the fork from the tray, twirled a small bite of pasta, and put it in her own mouth right in front of him. She chewed slowly, swallowed, then held up the empty fork for him to see.
"See, no problem. I ate it, and I'm fine."
Alexander stared at her for a long time. Only after he was sure Caroline showed no signs of discomfort did he slowly lower his hands from his head and tentatively reach for the fork.
But his injured hands, combined with the side effects of the drugs, made them shake badly. He couldn't grip it steadily at all. As soon as he applied pressure, the fork slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor.
Caroline bent down to pick up the fork and rinsed it in the water glass. She twirled another bite of pasta and held it to his lips.
"Come on, open up."
Alexander obediently opened his mouth.
Caroline gently guided the fork in, watching him chew slowly and swallow bite by bite.
In the afternoon, Alexander fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a figure in the yard outside the window. Caroline was crouching in the garden, her back to the house, hoeing the ground stroke by stroke.
The plot needed more than just weeding—it had to be turned over completely. She didn't have many tools, so she could only crouch there, using a small hoe to loosen the soil bit by bit.
When Alexander walked out, he saw her back was already soaked with sweat, the fabric clinging to her body, outlining the sharp lines of her shoulder blades.
He stared at that figure, and a strong sense of familiarity surged in his heart, like a fragment of memory flashing at the edge of his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it. The more he tried to think, the more empty it felt, like fog blocking the way.
He was certain of only one thing: Caroline was a kind person. She had brought him back, given him a place to stay, let him change into clean clothes, and cooked him food. He shouldn't let her struggle alone—he should go help.
Alexander walked up behind her and stood there for a while.
Caroline didn't hear his footsteps. Suddenly, a thin hand reached over from the side, covering her hand on the hoe handle. Startled, she jerked her head up to see Alexander standing beside her, head slightly lowered.
"Let me."
Caroline froze for a moment. Before she could speak, he had already taken the hoe from her hands.
The hoe handle wobbled in his palm. His fingers desperately tried to grip it tight, but those drug-ravaged nerves wouldn't obey. The hoe shook twice in his hands before slipping from his fingers and crashing heavily to the ground.
The metal head came loose, sliding off the wooden handle and rolling to the side.
Alexander stood there, staring down at the separated head and handle, as if someone had pressed pause on him. His lips parted slightly, eyes fixed on the two pieces, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.
Then his shoulders curled inward, his hands hanging at his sides, fingers unconsciously clutching at his pant legs. He looked like a child who'd done something wrong, waiting to be scolded.
Caroline's heart clenched.
She stood up, brushed the dirt off her knees, and walked over to him.
"It's okay." She softened her voice. "I'll buy a new one at the market tomorrow. This one wasn't good anyway—it's always coming loose. I've been wanting to replace it."
Alexander carefully lifted his head to look at her.
"Really?"
"Really." Caroline nodded with a smile.
His shoulders gradually relaxed a bit, but he still stood there without moving.
Caroline bent down to pick up the hoe and handle, leaning them against the wall.
"What about today?" Alexander suddenly asked.
Caroline pointed to the small patch of ground they'd already turned.
"It's fine. We've already turned this section. Let's plant this part first, okay?"
Alexander nodded.
Caroline took a few seedlings from the basket nearby, crouched down, and used a small trowel to dig shallow holes in the loosened soil.
Alexander also crouched beside her, watching closely without leaving her side.
He watched Caroline remove seedlings from their starter pots, carefully place them in the holes, then use her fingers to push the soil back bit by bit, covering the roots, and finally gently press down around the base.
He suddenly found this very interesting.
"I... I want to try too."
Caroline turned her head, her eyes lighting up.
"Sure."
She took a seedling from the basket and held it out to him.
But Alexander instinctively pulled back, waving his hands repeatedly.
"No, no... I'll ruin it..." His voice became rushed, his hands waving faster. "I can't hold it... I'll drop it... I'll ruin it..."
"You won't." Caroline held the seedling in front of him. "Just try. It's very light."
Alexander pressed his lips together. After a long while, he hesitantly reached out his hand.
The moment his fingertips touched the seedling, his hand started shaking again. He immediately brought his other hand over, cupping the seedling with both hands together.
The seedling wobbled gently in his palms but didn't fall.
Alexander held his breath and slowly moved it toward the hole Caroline had just dug.
"Put it in the hole." Caroline pointed.
He aligned the roots with the bottom of the hole and released his hands.
The seedling tilted, leaning crookedly against the side of the hole.
"Hold it steady."
Alexander used his fingertips to gently support the stem. Caroline grabbed a handful of soil and sprinkled it over the roots bit by bit.
"You can let go now."
He did as told, carefully withdrawing his fingertips.
The seedling stood up. It was a bit crooked, but it stood firmly in the soil.
"What's next?" he asked.
"Then we pack the soil." Caroline pushed a handful of soil toward him. "Like this, push the soil to the base and mound it up a little."
Alexander copied her movements, using his fingers to push the soil bit by bit to the base.
"Done." Caroline said with a smile.
Alexander stopped and tilted his head to look at the seedling.
That's... it?
Caroline turned to see him looking dazed like that, like a little kid. She couldn't help but laugh, her eyes crinkling.
"Alexander, you did great!"