Fifteen minutes later, she finally arrived at the hospital and saw the driver waiting outside. “Madam, your father is nowhere to be seen.”
Which means he’s still inside. She heaved a sigh of relief. “No worries. I’ll take a look inside.” She had a foreboding premonition without any particular reason. Hence, she informed Matthew that her father was going to have his check-up done at the hospital and asked him to pay more attention to him.
Matthew was pleasantly surprised to receive her call. “Alright. Got it, he replied after a pause. Josie went to the third floor. After leaving the elevator, she saw Paul and Matthew sitting on a bench in the corridor, chatting with each other. Paul looked safe and sound.
Upon seeing that, she heaved a sigh of relief. “Dad.” Both of them smiled when they saw her. “See? Jo is so paranoid. I mean, I can’t possibly vanish into thin air, can I? Sorry to bother you, Matthew.”
Matthew smiled and helped him stand up. “Jo is just worried about you. All children do that.”
Josie thanked him immediately, though with some embarrassment. “Thanks, Matt. I think I’m too paranoid.” It had been a while since they met each other. An air of awkwardness hung between them.
Matthew avoided her gaze as they spoke. “It’s nothing at all. Mr. Warren was my patient, after all.” He passed a copy of Paul’s medical history to Josie. “I’ve just checked the report – everything looks good. Still, he should focus on rehabilitation.”
Josie took it from him and winked slyly at her father. “Did you hear that? This is doctor’s orders.” Paul chuckled. “Isn’t today a working day? Why are you here?”
His question suddenly reminded Josie of her encounter with Arnold earlier that day. She shook her head in annoyance and explained, “I’m my own boss now. Whether it’s a work day or not, it doesn’t matter. Your health is more of a priority than my work.”
Paul and Matthew smiled at each other. Though Josie had matured, she was still at cheeky and vivacious young girl. Matthew’s smile slowly faded as he asked, “You started a company?”
They rarely spoke to each other nowadays, so he had no clue. She nodded awkwardly. “Not a company. It’s just a studio for illustration.”
He nodded, but she couldn’t see the expression on his face. Paul was a bright person. He could tell the underlying emotions between them and quipped, “I’m going to the washroom.”
“Wha-”
“I know my way around here.” With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Josie and Matthew alone. She bit her lips before asking, “Matt, how have you been?”
“Same old, same old. On the contrary, I hear a lot of news about you, Mrs. Russell.” It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that the young, innocent girl back then had already become someone else’s wife, taking up important responsibilities and living in the limelight.
“Do I feel like a stranger to you now?” “No,” Matthew replied instantly. “I know you will have to experience this anyway. I’m glad that you’ve matured.”
They exchanged glances, and she could tell the love he once had for her had vanished. Instead, he looked slightly lost and dazed. I bet he has left many things behind after such a long time.
“I’m happy for you, too,” she added. The old friends, who had known each other since way back, understood each other in their smiles.
