"Fine. Thank you," Nick responded promptly as he wanted to end this topic as soon as possible.
"Well, I'm going home to prepare lunch for you. Have a good rest. I'll be back soon." As she reached the door, Cassie turned around and reminded him, "If anything happens, call me anytime."
"I will. You don't need to worry about me," Nick replied with a slight smile. He was moved by how much Cassie cared about him. Soon after she closed the door, he was left alone in the ward to rest.
Time passed quickly, but the days at the ward had never been boring for both the patient and his aid. At last, the day when Nick finally would be discharged from the hospital came.
It was another quiet morning. Nick sat on his bed eating the red bean porridge Cassie had made for him, while Cassie stood aside watching him silently. She looked pleased as he seemed to like it.
Suddenly, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Cassie smiled at him and said, "I will get it."
She went to open the door and was surprised to find the doctor, Ricky, and two other nurses with him.
Seeing Cassie, Ricky didn't even look surprised. Smiling, he asked, "You knew that I would come today, didn't you?" Meeting her baffled gaze, he explained, "Two days have passed. I'm here to check on my patient's recovery."
Having looked after him in these past few days, Cassie was more fond of Nick. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving him alone. She knew that once the doctors had him discharged from the hospital, it would be difficult for her to see him again. As desperate as it sounded, she had been praying that Nick would slowly recover so she could spend more time with him.
However, there was no way to stop that day from coming, and now it was finally here. A strong sense of frustration engulfed Cassie.
"Please come on in, Ricky!" Cassie's voice echoed from inside the room. She stuck out her tongue at the doctor mischievously and moved aside to let them in.
Ricky nodded at her and walked pass her quietly, while the two nurses followed at his tail. He made his way to Nick's bed and examined his patient thoroughly. Time stopped for Cassie as she watched the doctor and the nurses do their routine.
Several minutes later, the physician smiled at Nick and finally said, "You're getting better. I believe you can go home now."
"Thank you, sir!" Nick couldn't help but sound so excited when he heard the good news. He held his hand out to Rick, and willingly shook it to express his infinite gratitude.
Looking at the young man, the doctor added, "Although you're young, you should always take care of your own health. Don't push yourself too hard. Too much work can kill you."
Nick thanked Ricky again. The doctor gave him some advice before he exited the ward with the nurses.
On the other hand, Cassie was overwhelmed with sadness at the thought of being apart from Nick.
'Nick is leaving here sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. Right now, I still have a chance to go near him, ' she comforted herself.
Nick was still looking at the door where the doctor had gone out when Cassie broke the silence. Giving the patient a bright smile, she offered, "Would you like me to start collecting your stuff now?"
"No, thanks. I can handle it myself," Nick refused instantly. He slipped out of bed hurriedly and packed up his belongings.
Now that he was getting better, he didn't want to bother Cassie with things that he could do himself.
Cassie put the bowls and spoon into the thermos food container, and set it aside.
As Nick put all his stuff inside the small suitcase, he pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket. He scrolled through its phonebook and looked for Bob's number. A few seconds after, he gave him a call.
The second Bob saw the caller ID on the screen, he immediately picked up the phone. "Hello, Mr. Ge!" he greeted respectfully.
Since he had been busy dealing with business at the office lately, he hadn't had time to pay his boss a visit. Besides, he had been asked not to come over to the hospital. As a result, he didn't know that Nick would be discharged from the hospital today.
"Please come and pick me up at the hospital now, and go through the discharge formalities," Nick ordered him calmly.
"Mr. Ge, you're being discharged today?" Bob murmured, stunned by the news. This was not what he was expecting to hear, but he couldn't help but feel thrilled to know that his boss was finally released from the hospital today.
Work had been pretty busy these past few days since he had to take care of all the business alone. Before Nick was admitted to the hospital, he had less work to deal with. However, during his boss' absence from the company, his workload got doubled. He needed to go into the office earlier than usual.
"Thank you for attending to me these past few days, Cassie." Nick turned around to tell her how thankful he was. In fact, he also felt sad.
Tears started to build up in Cassie's eyes, but she tried her best to hold them back.
"Nick, you will not forget me, will you?" Cassie asked tenderly. It took her a lot of courage to even put it into words.
Nick's heart skipped a beat. He didn't expect her to put forward such a question. It was too bold for her to ask. But having spent a couple of days with her, he was aware that his feelings for Cassie grew every day. It would be a lie if he refused to admit that he would miss the nurse the moment he stepped out of the hospital.
But he hesitated on whether he should let her know of his feelings towards her. He didn't want to complicate things. He eventually decided to keep it to himself. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and forced himself to look straight into her eyes. Despite his burning cheeks and quick heartbeat, he tried his best to sound as calm as possible.
"We're friends now, Cassie. Perhaps we'll meet again someday," Nick responded casually.
And that was how it ended. It was not a direct answer to Cassie's question, neither did he refuse her directly.
Cassie heaved a sigh of relief when she heard it.
'I'm friends with him. It's enough for now, ' she thought.
"Goodbye, Nick!" With a smiling face, Cassie looked up at Nick with determination evident in her eyes. Nick smiled back at her but immediately looked elsewhere, careful not to meet her gaze.
'I will never forget him no matter if he leaves me behind or not. I don't think I will get over him, even if he starts to hang out with another woman, ' she said to herself silently.
Bob opened the door for his boss. Nick and Cassie went out quietly. Cassie walked Nick to the gate of the hospital. She watched as he got in the car. He didn't even look at her as he closed the door. Soon the car roared away.
Eyes already teeming with tears, she waved at the car as it disappeared in the distance.
'He can't live in the hospital forever. But I will meet him again someday. You can't get away from me, Nick!' Her thoughts came screaming.
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