Obsession With My EX-wife

Chapter 20: Leonard Returns To The Hospital

As Leonard walked towards the hospital exit, he ran into Zoey, and he asked her, "What is with Catherine lately? She always seems so busy…"

Zoey was confused by Leonard's interest in her boss. After all, Catherine had said that he and she were strangers. She looked the man in the eyes and said, "Before I say anything, you will have to tell me about your relationship with Miss Winston."

Leonard scowled. "Why should I tell you that?" he asked angrily. "It's personal!"

Zoey was startled by Leonard's sudden outburst. She said, "You have no right to be angry. All I did was ask you a question, and by your response, I can tell that Miss Winston would not be happy to know that you are prying into her affairs. Whoever you are, I think you should leave!"  

Leonard was stunned by Zoey's words, and he thought - What have I done would piss off Catherine? He forced himself to calm down, and he said, "I am sorry. We got off on the wrong foot. I will answer your question. I am pursuing Miss Winston."

Zoey didn't expect that Leonard would be so straightforward, so she was shocked. "Since that is the case," she said, "I will answer your question. Miss Winston is dealing with a tough patient. The boy has refused to accept treatment, and she has been putting all of her efforts into trying to win his trust. Anyway, I have to go. I don't have time to answer any more of your questions."

Leonard watched passively as Zoey took off down the corridor. Once she was gone, he called Jim, who was waiting outside and asked him to see what he could find out about Catherine's new patient. Then he walked back to her office and leaned on the door. 

Leonard had come to the hospital straight from the airport, and he was exhausted. He hadn't even returned to his house to change the clothes, and his hair was a little messy. He had hoped that Catherine would welcome him with open arms, and her rejection hurt. It seemed to him that nothing was going right in his life. 

A voice in Leonard's head shouted to be heard: Don't think that way! – it growled – Turn your inner pain into outrage and anger!

Leonard grit his teeth. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. And luckily, no one was around him, or they would have been frozen by fear at the sight of him raging. Leonard's face had turned red, and his veins stood out on his forehead. 

Jim joined Leonard, and he said, "I've got the information you wanted. Catherine's new client's name is Ryan Williams. His family is rich, but he is anti-social. Since being admitted, he hasn't been examined. That's all I know." 

Leonard frowned. The thought that Catherine was visiting a little boy every day bothered him, especially if that boy wasn't polite. It occurred to him that Ryan must be special to her, and that thought only served to increase her rage. Finally, he said, "Let's go," and he led Jim out of the hospital.

***

Now, whenever Leonard visited Catherine at the hospital, she was unavailable. She was giving Ryan Williams all of her attention, and she hadn't been out to Campbell Castle to check on his Grandfather in days. Thus, after giving it a considerable amount of thought, Leonard decided to change his strategy. 

***

The next day, when Catherine arrived at the hospital, she went to see Ryan right away, and when she got there, she was surprised to see that he had his first visitor. This would have been great news, if not for the fact that his visitor was Leonard Campbell. 

"Why are you here?" Catherine shouted. She was so surprised that she couldn't control her tone.

Leonard looked at Ryan, smiled, and said, "She's a good doctor, isn't she?"

Ryan looked at Catherine. "She is," he replied.

Catherine gasped. It was the first positive thing he'd said since he'd arrived at the hospital!

Leonard turned to Catherine and said, "I can buy you some breakfast. What do you want?" 

Catherine ignored him as she walked into the room. She turned to Ryan and asked how he was feeling, but he refused to answer her. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. It was apparent that Leonard had pulled Ryan into whatever game he was playing, and it pissed her off.

Leonard smiled and said, "I don't think he wants to talk to you. "Don't worry. I am here. You can go do your rounds if you'd like."

Catherine was flabbergasted. Leonard was not a doctor. Thus, it was totally useless to have him there. Nevertheless, he seemed to have a positive impact on Ryan, so she decided that she would let them stay for a while.

Catherine looked at Ryan and said, "I'll be back later." And she left the room without saying anything to Leonard. 

Once Catherine was gone, Leonard looked at Ryan and said, "That was rude. Why don't you talk to her?" 

Ryan smirked and said, "I hate women. All women do is lie."

Leonard ruffled his hair and said, "You can trust her. She's different."

Ryan stared at Leonard silently.

Leonard: "She cares about you. I've known her for a long time, so I can tell if she cares for someone or not."

Ryan thought about that for a moment, and then he asked, "What is your relationship with Doctor Winston?"

Leonard answered Ryan the same way he had responded to Zoey: "I am pursuing her."

"And how's that going for you?" Ryan asked.

Leonard opened his mouth to answer, but no words came. He didn't want to lie to the boy. He could tell that he had lied to too many times already in his young life, so in the end, he decided to tell the boy the truth. "It isn't going all that well," he admitted. "But I haven't given up hope. And neither should you! Why don't you give the good doctor a break?"