Chapter 826
Noreen got out of bed and went to look for Seth, but before she could find him, her phone rang. It was her lawyer, calling to discuss some details before the court
hearing.
Katy’s custody case was scheduled for the next day. With time running short, Noreen had no choice but to push aside her other concerns. She returned to the room, grabbed her coat, and prepared to leave. She paused at the door, then took out a pen and paper, scribbled a note for Seth, and hurried out.
Castle had been handling the custody case himself, so Noreen wasn’t familiar with the details. The discussion with the lawyer took up the entire morning and stretched into the afternoon. She didn’t even have time to treat the lawyer to a meal before she rushed back to the hospital.
As she arrived at the entrance, she was ambushed by reporters. The press in Harborview City was notoriously nosy, and they immediately surrounded Noreen with questions.
For the sake of the custody case, she and Castle had a complete narrative to present to the public. They had to appear deeply in love to strengthen their claim. The talking points were all prepared in advance, and Noreen answered them with practiced ease.
A reporter asked, “Miss Gilmore, you look exhausted. Is it because you’re worried about Mr. Joyner?”
“Of course I’m worried about him. He’s my fiancé, after all. I dropped all my work back home to come and take care of him.”
Another reporter chimed in, “So, when are the two of you planning to get married?”
Noreen nonchalantly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, deliberately flashing the engagement ring on her finger. She smiled sweetly and replied, “We’ll be sure to let everyone know as soon as we have good news.”
The reporter who had asked the question chuckled. “With a relationship as strong as yours, it must be soon.”
Noreen didn’t deny it. Because she projected such deep concern for Castle, the reporters didn’t press her for too long. After a few key questions, they let her go.
Noreen then hurried upstairs. She
had intended to go straight to Seth’s room, but Castle and Seth were in the same department, just in different rooms As she arrived on the floor, the head nurse greeted her with a smile and gave her an update on Castle.
“Mr. Joyner was able to get out of bed and walk around a bit today. He’s recovering
well, but his appetite is poor. He’s barely eaten anything all day.”
Noreen paused. “Does the hospital have a nutrition service?”
“Yes, we do,” the head nurse said. “We can even customize meals based on the patient’s preferences.”
Noreen asked for directions and headed straight there. The head nurse couldn’t help but sigh to a colleague, “Mr. Joyner and Miss Gilmore have such a wonderful relationship. The moment she heard he wasn’t eating, she rushed right to
the nutrition department to get him a meal.”
“I know, it’s so enviable. A true fairytale romance!”
Noreen did indeed order a nutritional meal for Castle, one that followed the doctor’s
recommendations. But she ordered two meals.
The second one was for Seth, and
one
she ordered according to his
tastes. Seth didn’t eat ginger but liked its flavor, so Noreen asked the nutritionist to use ginger juice for seasoning. After she made the request, Noreen herself froze for a second She was surprised that after all these years, she still remembered his preferences. A single, casual action had stirred the dust off long-buried memories.
When Noreen entered the room carrying the seafood porridge, she found a nurse admonishing Seth.
“Your IV isn’t even finished, why are you pulling out the needle? Do you have a death wish?”
The man on the bed, Seth, was pressing his left hand over the back of his right, where blood was dripping from between his fingers.