Obsession With My EX-wife

Chapter 19: Poor Ryan Williams

Doris gave the doorknob a confused look, and she was startled when the door popped open. She looked up then, just in time to see Leonard walk through the door, and a voice spoke up in her mind. Oh, f**k! - it said - I should have left a half-hour ago! “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Leonard smiled and said, “Last time I checked, this is still my home. Did you forget where you are?” 

 Little did Catherine know that the moment she had arrived, Grandpa Campbell had alerted Leonard to her presence at the castle.

Catherine frowned and said, “Whatever. I was on my way out anyway. Goodbye, Mr. Campbell.” Catherine nodded to Leonard and walked around him.

Leonard glanced at his grandfather and then back to Catherine. After a second of consideration, he said, “I will drive you to the hospital.”

Grandpa Campbell nodded his head and said, “You’d better. It is hard to get a taxi up here, and Catherine is a busy woman.” 

Catherine sighed. She had made her bed, and now she had to lie in it. “Fine,” she said. “I will accept the ride. Goodbye, grandfather.” 

Leonard led Catherine to the car, and as they walked, he said, “You don’t have to avoid me.”

Catherine smirked but said nothing, and she remained silent all the way to the hospital. When they arrived, she thanked Leonard and took off as quickly as she could. 

Leonard wanted to chase after Catherine, but as he reached for the door handle, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he’d received a message from Jim. He skimmed it and wrote a short reply: “Call for an emergency meeting. I will be there in 10 minutes.”

***

The first thing that Catherine did when she got back to work was to check in on her new patient. Unfortunately, this visit did not go any better the first, and she was driven out of his room. Then, as she left the Children’s Ward, she happened to run into Zoey. Zoey smiled and asked, “Have you had any luck with the boy?”

Catherine sighed and said, “Not yet. He’s going to be a tough nut to crack, but we’ll get there. I just need to be patient and persistent.” 

“That’s the way to go,” Zoey said. She handed Doris several files. “Here. I’ll walk to your office. These are your patients’ medical records.”

Catherine took the files and thanked Zoey, and once she got back to her office, she took a second look at the boy’s medical records. His name was Ryan Williams, and his guardian did not have the same last name as he had, which struck Catherine as strange. Not only that, but he hadn’t had a single visitor since he’d been admitted. Poor kid – she thought – Nobody loves him…

The day passed slowly and try as she might, Catherine could not stop thinking about Ryan. She felt bad because she didn’t know how to help him. When it was time to go home, she stopped by his room one more time, but he was asleep. “Sweet dreams,” she whispered, and then she left the hospital.

***

Over the next few days, Catherine visited Ryan every day, and even though he began to feel more comfortable around her, he would still not let her examine him. This was still progress, though, and she was able to observe him. Day after day, neither hide nor hair was seen of Ryan’s parents, though, and the boy didn’t tell her anything about them. Thus, most of the questions that she had about his medical history went unanswered.

Leonard had made himself scarce, which was a blessing, and Catherine didn’t even see him when she went to Campbell Castle to check up on Grandpa Campbell. The old man didn’t know where Leonard was, either – and gradually, Catherine got used to a life without Leonard, which felt like a dream come true. 

One day, Catherine went to check in on Ryan. Even on days when he refused to speak to her, she visited him and talked to him. She would tell him all of the hospital gossips, and sometimes he would smile, which made her feel like she was making progress.  

Catherine was in the middle of telling Ryan a humorous story when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. The door was opened, and a nurse came in. She looked at Catherine and said, “Miss Winston, someone is waiting for you in the office.”

Catherine sighed and said, “Okay. I’ll be right there.” She stood up and looked at Ryan. “To be continued. I promise.” He didn’t reply, but she hadn’t expected that he would. She was getting used to his silence, and in a hospital full of people that never shut up, she was coming to appreciate it.

***

Catherine felt her spirit plummet when she found Leonard waiting for her in her office. “What do you want?” she grumbled. “I am a busy woman, so unless you have a concern about your health, you will have to leave.”

Leonard’s eyebrows lifted, and he said, “Aren’t you curious about where I’ve been lately? I went on a business trip.”

Catherine: “What of it? Your business is no business of mine.”

Leonard frowned and said, “Why are you like this?”

Catherine stood akimbo and said, “I’m not going to fall for your wounded puppy dog act. I have a patient I need to get back to. You can show yourself out.” Having said that, Catherine walked out of her office and headed back in the direction of Ryan’s room.