Chapter 17: I Want To Eat Seafood
When Keith took Cathryn to the hospital, he was in such a hurry that he didn't even think to bring her cell phone. So when he went back home to pick up her things, he brought the cell phone with him. However, Cathryn fell asleep so fast that he didn't have time to give it to her. He was halfway through the document when the cell phone in his coat pocket rang.
As soon as the cell phone rang, Cathryn's body shook, frowning but not waking up. Keith took out the cell phone at once and pressed the hang-up button directly, then put the phone beside his hand and continued to read the document. After rejecting the call, the person on the other end of the phone didn't give up. The cell phone rang again. So Keith set the cell phone to silent mode directly and no longer paid attention to it.
Having made several calls, which were all rejected, the person on the other end of the phone finally gave up and later sent a text message. Keith turned his head, glanced quickly, and saw the following.
["You must attend Jordan's wedding! You are in no position to refuse! Otherwise, you will have to pay for the liquidated damages!"]
His eyes gradually became deep, Keith looked up at Cathryn, who was sleeping in peace.
****
When Cathryn woke up, Keith had already bought breakfast for her the next day. Looking at the meal in front of her, Cathryn felt a warmness in her heart and was also full of gratitude.
After breakfast, the doctor came over to do a routine examination on Cathryn and told her that she could be discharged in two days. However, after hearing this news, Cathryn felt a little disappointed. After eating two meals of vegetable soup, she could not help wanting to eat a big feast. Now she still had to stay in the hospital for two more days, which meant she had to continue eating light meals.
"I want to eat seafood!" said Cathryn.
"Wait two more days." Keith comforted her.
They were getting more familiar with one another as every day passed by. Cathryn was starting to be herself and act more naturally in front of Keith.
After smiling and comforting Cathryn, Keith gave her cell phone back to her and said, "Morgan called you last night, but I didn't want to wake you, so I didn't answer the phone. He was very persistent, and when you didn't answer your phone, he sent you a text message. I am very sorry, but I accidentally saw the content of the message."
Mentioning Morgan, Cathryn immediately thought of Jordan. Trembling with fear, she looked at the cell phone and checked the message from Morgan. She stared at the screen of the cell phone sadly, and tears started rolling down her cheeks. She could feel nothing but desperation and betrayal.
Watching Cathryn cry, Keith frowned tightly. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out a tissue to help her wipe the tears. Cathryn could not tell anyone about what happened between her and Jordan. She was afraid that Jordan would retaliate against her parents. Directly she started feeling very aggrieved, and she thought that she was too useless because there was nothing she could do while Jordan was too cruel.
"Don't you want to go?" asked Keith. He wasn't sure why Cathryn was crying, but after she read the message, he was sure it was related to work.
"Well." Cathryn whimpered, raising her hand to wipe away the tears from her face, but tears still kept rolling down her cheeks.
"If you don't want to go, I can help you to pay for the liquidated damages," said Keith. Unwilling to see her continue to cry, Keith reached out his hand to rub her hair and tried his best to help her to solve the problem. Cathryn shook her head as soon as she heard Keith's words.
"Morgan said that the liquidated damages are two hundred thousand dollars, which I can't afford," Cathryn cried again. Two hundred thousand dollars was not a small amount, for which she had to pay back the debt for two years. The cost of refusing was too high, and she was unwilling to take a chance.
"Don't worry." He took her cell phone, and Keith glanced at the message. He softly said, "I said that I will provide all fees related to the child during pregnancy."
"Although you said so, I still feel that I can't let you help me to pay for the liquidated damages." Cathryn gradually calmed down under Keith's comfort.
She looked at Keith with apologetic eyes. "I am just fulfilling my obligations according to the agreement."
Looking at Cathryn's eyes, Keith smiled and continued, "You also need to stay healthy during the pregnancy, which is causing you stress. That is not good for the baby."
Cathryn nodded, smiling gratefully at Keith, and said, "Well, thank you."
After receiving the liquidated damages, Morgan never contacted Cathryn again. Keith stayed with Cathryn for the last two days of her hospitalization.
Two days was not enough time for them to fully know each other, but they started to understand each other better as every day passed. After two days of getting along, Cathryn thought that Keith was gentle and considerate, while Keith thought Cathryn was smart but also somewhat silly.
One the day of her discharge, when Keith took Cathryn out of the hospital, she asked Keith to take her to a restaurant for a big meal before they went home. After they were finished, they stopped at the market and then went back.
Keith carried the fruit and snacks they had bought while Cathryn led the way in front of Keith with a package of potato chips.
"These potato chips are really delicious," said Cathryn, taking out another from the bag and handing it to Keith.
Keith opened his mouth and ate the potato chips, but he stopped abruptly when he looked up at the doorway. When Cathryn saw that he suddenly stopped, she looked in the direction of the door, too. When she saw the man standing at the door, her fingers firmly grasped the package of potato chips.
"Why was Jordan here?" Cathryn wondered.