Wyneth was speechless. 'So it wasn't only Hayden who couldn't recognize me.'"Hey, Hayden," Simeon said, eyeing Wyneth's outfit. "Is she wearing a costume? Is she one of your actresses? When did you guys get such a pretty actress?" Simeon remembered some good-looking performers from Hayden's company, but there was something unique about Wyneth's beauty. Just one look at her, and it felt like the whole room lit up.Hayden did not respond. He looked even more drained after Wyneth mentioned "Simo". 'Why does she sound so friendly with him? Earlier, didn't she just call me by my first name, Hayden?' Trying to keep his composure, he said to Simeon, "I'm here to see you, not to answer a bunch of questions."Simeon, catching on to Hayden's ill appearance, quickly lost his joking mood. "You okay?" He slipped off his lab coat. "Come on, we should get you checked."Hayden turned to Wyneth. "Stay here.""But you're with Simo," Wyneth replied, eyes widening. "I should head back to the set."
Simeon gave Wyneth a once-over and asked with a grin, "Why did you call me Simo? Do we know each other? I don't remember ever meeting someone as beautiful as you."Wyneth rolled her eyes at his comment. "Where's Hayden?" She quickly changed the subject."He's in one of the hospital rooms," Simeon replied.Wyneth frowned. "He's been admitted?" 'This is serious.'"Yeah, he passed out right after we left," Simeon added.Wyneth's face paled. "Passed out? What happened to him?""He had a stomach bleed." Simeon, now relaxed after Hayden was settled, said, "How do you know me?"Growing impatient, Wyneth asked, "Which room is he in?""I'll take you there," Simeon offered.As Wyneth adjusted her face mask and followed him, Simeon teased, "Do you work for Hayden's company? How do you know him? I've never seen him this close to any woman. Do you like him? Or does he like you?"Wyneth was quickly getting tired of Simeon's chatter."Oh, right, why did you call me Simo?"She sighed. "Sim
Wyneth's concern stemmed from the three years Hayden had spent in a coma; she had to watch him in that state every day.Seeing her worried expression, Simeon reassured her, "He's just unconscious right now. He'll come around soon. There's no need to panic.""He had internal bleeding in his stomach and you say 'there's no need to panic'?" Wyneth shot him a displeased look.Simeon replied, "Exactly, there's no need. Catching these issues early is key. With the right hospital care and a few dietary changes afterward, he'll be just fine."Wyneth was still worried, especially remembering how long it took for Hayden to wake up before.Simeon, seeming unaware of the mood, said, "Hey, didn't you mention you were heading out earlier? I can stay with him. You should go."Wyneth rolled her eyes. Instead of snapping at him, she asked, "Aren't you supposed to be working?""Not today. With Hayden in this condition, I arranged for a colleague to cover my shift. I'll be here for anything he nee
"Let go."Distracted, Hayden did not respond right away to Wyneth's gesture for him to let go. He gazed at her, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion."I won't."Wyneth's eyes flashed with impatience. "If you don't let go, I'm going back to the set." Not waiting for a response, she added, "You know what was said earlier. I'm not a doctor. Staying here won't help you."Hayden gave Simeon a resentful look. Caught off guard, Simeon rubbed his chin, trying to decipher the sudden tension. After a moment of hesitation, Hayden finally released his grip."Fine, you two can exchange numbers," Hayden conceded.Wyneth and Simeon quickly shared their contact info. Once they had exchanged numbers, Simeon asked with a grin, "Wyn, are you working at Hayden's company now?""No," Wyneth replied, shaking her head. "I'm not involved with his company."Hayden fixed his gaze on her, a hint of earnestness in his eyes. "Didn't you once ask for my company? I was ready to hand it over."She raised an eyeb
"Let's not bring up the past," Wyneth said.Noticing the change in Wyneth's expression, Simeon quickly glanced at Hayden, catching his furious look. Understanding that he might be going too far with his jokes, Simeon said, "I just remembered there's some urgent work I need to take care of. Can you stay with Hayden for an hour? I promise I'll be back as soon as I finish."Wyneth's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I thought you mentioned someone else was taking over for you?""Yeah, someone's covering my shift, but there's a patient with a unique situation. I'd really feel better checking on them myself.""Really?""You don't believe me?" Simeon said, holding up his hands. "Why don't you come with me? We can have a nurse stay with Hayden. But nurses can't always be around; they're busy." With a grin, Simeon thought, 'Didn't I make it obvious enough for her?'Wyneth gave him a quick look, then sighed. "Fine, I'll stay here, but hurry back.""Sure thing. I'm heading out." As he moved to
'Nervous?' Wyneth looked at Hayden, trying to grasp what he meant. "Who's nervous?" she shot back, her tone sharp. Pulling her hand away, her face became stern. "I'm here because you're sick, covering for Simo. But when he returns, I'm out of here."Wyneth tried to center herself. 'I can't believe I panicked like that. It took Hayden pointing it out for me to even notice.' She knew she could not go back to how things were before. The last three years had deeply affected her. Just seeing Hayden in bed brought back fears of him not waking up, trapping her in a cycle of endless waiting and dwindling hope. She dreaded those moments, especially when she was alone in the hospital room. Thankfully, she had now snapped out of it.Hayden noticed her reaction to his words. He pressed his lips together as the room returned to silence. Deep sadness settled in Hayden's heart. Though he had hoped his illness would gain her sympathy, receiving it did not lift his spirits. The gap between them seeme
Hayden: [How do I act all pitiful?]Simeon: [You seriously don't know? Man, how have you been getting by? I guess you're just so tough. Most people would complain when they're sick, but not you. Maybe try showing a little more discomfort.]Hayden: [...]Simeon: [Want me to guide you through it? But there's a price for lessons.]Hayden quickly sent Simeon some money after seeing the message. Simeon was merely poking fun at Hayden. Throughout their history, he had never witnessed Hayden get into such a predicament, especially not the same one twice. Simeon thought it would be an entertaining story to mention in the future. But he was taken aback when he saw that Hayden had actually paid him, and it was a hefty sum. As he was still processing this, another message from Hayden popped up.Hayden: [Alright, show me how it's done.]Simeon: [Man, you really are loaded, huh?]Among their college buddies, Hayden was the one who had really made it big. Simeon quickly pocketed the money, te
Hayden was covered with three large blankets, which felt really heavy. Wyneth removed the top one, but Hayden quickly said he was still cold. So, she turned up the room's heater. With all the adjustments and the rising warmth, she began to feel hot. She was only wearing her stage outfit, which did not have many layers, so she could not take anything off to cool down. Instead, she fanned her face while standing next to the bed."Still cold? If so, I might need to call a doctor."Hayden took a moment. "I'm better now.""Good to hear."Wyneth started to walk away. From his bed, Hayden watched her, feeling disappointed. 'Why isn't this working?' Hayden texted Simeon about what was happening.Simeon texted back: [Man, Wyn seems a bit out of the loop. If you keep saying you're cold, shouldn't she be snuggling up to you for warmth?]Hayden: [You think with where we're at right now, she'd do that?]Simeon: [Fair point. Guess acting chilly isn't doing the trick.] After a moment, Simeon a