They returned to North City from the capital.
The duo then arrived at the hospital's entrance.
Cherie was sitting in the car as she did not get out immediately. She asked, "Must you… must you really send me back to the hospital?"
Boyle took a deep breath before reaching out and holding onto her little hands that were placed on his lap.
He stared intensely at her with a warm and gentle gaze before reaching out and tucking her messy hair behind her ears and spoke with a calm smile, "We can go on a hike at Pride Mountain again when you're better. We can teach that sweeping monk a lesson then. We can also take a trip to the Tranquility Halls next March to watch the sakura flowers bloom. I will fulfil all of the unfulfilled promises I made for you in the future. However, the harsh reality is that I need you to be healthy, Cherie."
"Am I… unhealthy for… being able to see Little Bean Sprout?" Cherie seemed like a sad little child when she stared at him.
Boyle embraced her before gently patting her back. He closed his eyes and spoke in a soft tone, "There are no problems with you being able to see Little Bean Sprout but you keep harming yourself for her safety. Cherie, what you're feeling now, our embrace at this very moment is real. Little Bean Sprout doesn't exist. You can see her but don't hurt yourself for that, alright? It isn't your fault losing Moses, he just didn't come at the right time. We need to keep looking forward and learn to forgive ourselves, okay?"
Cherie looked up with her little face as she said, "But I... don't want to part with you."
"I promise you that this will be the last time we part with each other and as long as you're able to differentiate what is real and what isn't, Shania will never stop us from being together. However, this is something only you can do, so be brave."
Cherie's eyes reddened as she sobbed. "What if… I'm not able to do that?"
Boyle lowered his head and kissed her lips as he spoke in a confident tone, "My Cherie is really smart. She'll no doubt be able to do that."
Cherie sniffled while she pouted her lips as she sobbed.
Boyle grabbed her little hands and ran his fingers across her wedding ring before saying, "We'll get married when you're finally discharged. I heard that Sherry's treatment went really well and I think she's already been discharged. She was also planning to marry Andy but I hope that we're able to get married before they do. Hence, you'll need to work harder, Cherie. Our wedding date is all in your hands."
Cherie's tears started to fall out of her eyes.
Boyle wiped her tears while holding back his. However, he kept his smile as he said, "I'm already… extremely excited to marry you. Cherie… don't keep me waiting for too long now, okay?"
Boyle did his best to tell her as many positive things as possible in order to make her feel hopeful about life.
…
Cherie was readmitted into the hospital again.
However, she did not resist this time. She was quiet and very cooperative.
Shania noticed that Cherie was starting to be aware of her own condition. However, she was still unable to find any contradiction with Little Bean Sprout's debacle.
In half a month of her stay here, both Heaton and Verian would visit her once a week. Harrison would also do the same but he would visit her on different days.
However, Boyle was the only person that had not visited her in the two weeks that she was admitted.
Shania went on a routine check one random afternoon.
Shania spoke in a gentle tone while she was on her routine check, "You're doing quite well recently, Cherie. We'd be able to lower the dosage of your medicine after a week but you'll still have to take your meds obediently, alright? "
Cherie nodded obediently.
While Shania was writing her patient's report, Cherie suddenly asked, "Can I borrow your phone, Dr. Shania?"
Shania was stunned as she asked while staring at her, "Why do you need a phone for?"
Cherie blushed slightly as she stuttered nervously. "Um… Boyle hasn't come over lately and… I really want to call him."
Shania chuckled before fishing out her phone from her lab coat, unlocking it and handing it over to her.
"I wanted to give you more time to think. I'm worried that if I went, you'd be lazy again and you wouldn't even want to think anymore."
Cherie bit her lips and burst out laughing when she heard him saying that she would not be willing to even think anymore. She nervously said, "Am I… I really that… lazy to you?"
A loving glint could be seen flashing across Boyle's eyes as he said, "Do you really want to hear the truth?"
"Yeah."
"Cherie Fudd is the laziest woman that I've ever met in my entire life but she happens to be incredibly brilliant too."
"You… are you praising me or scolding me?" Cherie was unable to hear even the slightest hints of praise from him.
Boyle went silent for a brief moment before saying, "Cherie, it's time to hang up now. We've been talking for nearly ten minutes now."
Boyle knew Shania must have told her that the most she could speak for was ten minutes before lending Cherie her phone.
Cherie said, "I'll hang up now, then."
"Yeah, think well, okay? Don't be lazy and stop sleeping all the time. Even if you're in your room, you should really move around a little."
Cherie replied with a frown, "I don't like it… I don't like it when you nag as much as… Dr. Shania."
Boyle cracked a warm smile as he said, "I'll stop then. You can hang up now."
Cherie hung up the call.
Boyle focused on the beeping noises while clutching onto his phone for a really long time after that.
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