CHAPTER 7

Leon could hear a beeping sound near his head, and the faint sound of medical equipment was only becoming louder and more persistent in his ears. He tried to move, but he felt some heaviness in his limbs. 

It was a struggle to open his eyes, and when he finally managed to, his vision was blurry and unfocused. Suddenly, a cheerful voice pierced through the fog. 

"He woke up! Mom, he's up! His eyes are open!"

Leon’s eyes shifted towards the sound. A little girl stood at the foot of his bed, her face lit up with genuine amazement and happiness. As his vision cleared, he saw a beautiful woman walking towards him.

Their gaze met, and the woman's eyes widened with surprise before she said,

“You're right, sweetie! Let me inform them." 

"Doctor, nurse! The patient is awake!" 

She called out, her voice carrying a sense of urgency. She was dressed in a set of crisp formal clothes, and Leon couldn't place her at all. Who was she, and had they met before?

Leon’s mind was still in a fog of confusion. He tried to move, but his body didn't feel completely coordinated yet. Where… where was he?

Seeing the bewilderment on his face, the woman approached him gently.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Don't worry, you are okay now.” 

Her voice was quite soothing, and she continued, 

"You had fainted near the park last night. My daughter and I found you on our way home, and called for help."

Leon’s thoughts slowly began to piece together the events leading up to this moment. He remembered the gangsters, their threats, the violent encounter, and then… nothing. 

His eyes met the woman’s, and he felt a rush of gratitude towards this stranger who had shown him the kindness that nobody, not even his family, had. 

He managed to whisper, his voice hoarse and weak. 

"Thank you for helping me out…" 

Leon was just about to say something further, when a sudden realization hit him and his sentence was left hanging in the middle. 

Now that he was in the hospital, there would obviously be a hefty bill. His gratitude quickly turned into embarrassment as he remembered his financial situation. 

He had no money to pay for any treatment, let alone a hospital stay… how could he even promise to pay her back later, when he had only twenty dollars to his name? 

The woman seemed to notice his discomfort. She said softly, 

“You should just focus on gaining your strength back, don't worry about the bill. I have some connections with this hospital, so they agreed to treat you for free."

"I… I don't know what I can do to thank you–" 

The woman shook her head, insisting,

"No, no, it’s not a big deal, really. And anyway, you were not injured or sick, so there was no need for any treatment.”

On hearing these words, the huge sense of relief that Leon had felt was replaced by shock and confusion. 

He remembered the way he had been cornered on the street… the gangsters had taunted him, and he had attacked the leader. And then, he remembered feeling the pain and overwhelming helplessness as he had been hit brutally…

How could he not need any treatment? It was impossible that he had no injuries… even Addie had hit her on the head that same afternoon, drawing blood. What this woman just said, it… it didn't make any sense! 

However, Leon didn't say anything out loud, thinking that he didn't want to offend the person who had saved his life.

Before he could think about this any further, the doctor walked into the room.

“It's good to see that you’re awake," the doctor said with a friendly smile. 

“Let me see… your condition is looking good, and at this pace, you will be able to get discharged soon.”

Leon blinked, trying to absorb this information. 

"Discharged?" 

He repeated the words in disbelief, and the doctor continued, 

“Yes, you seem to be a bit fatigued, but it's nothing concerning. You might be feeling a little groggy right now, it is because of the medication and it will go away in a few hours. Are you feeling pain anywhere else?”

Leon stared at the doctor, then at the woman and her daughter. It didn’t make any sense, but he couldn’t deny the reality in front of him. He felt no pain, no lingering effects of the beating. It was as if it had never happened at all!

He shook his head in a no, and the doctor made a few notes on his chart before looking at Leon. 

“That's good. I will be back to check on you later. For now, just rest and take it easy.”

The little girl who had been quietly watching, spoke up. 

“Mommy, can we stay until he feels better?"

The woman smiled at her daughter and nodded. 

“Of course, sweetheart–”

Just then, the doctor spoke up,

“Miss West, can I speak to you outside?”

“Sure, doctor.”

The two of them left the room, and it was a few minutes later when the woman returned to her seat on the couch. Beside her, the little girl was engrossed in her coloring book. 

However, the woman looked at Leon with concern in her eyes. 

“I know you must be somewhat disoriented right now, but… do you remember anything from last night? Anything that might explain how you fainted just outside that park?”

Leon looked at the woman, who continued, 

“Because I am a little confused; the doctors gave you a complete examination, but they found you to be extremely healthy. Have you ever had these fainting episodes before? If you could help me fill in the blanks, we might be able to figure out the reason for this.”

Leon was still trying to process everything from his point of view, and it took him some moments to respond. He was almost speechless out of shock, what did they mean, he was extremely healthy? 

"I... I have lung cancer. It's in the advanced stages–”

The woman laughed softly, shaking her head, as if he had just told her that he was an alien from Mars. Leon looked at her in bafflement, while she said, 

“That’s impossible. We have checked your examination results thoroughly, there is no way you have lung cancer. You are completely healthy."

Leon’s mind was reeling. What was she saying?

He remembered the diagnosis clearly, the doctor’s serious tone, the hopelessness he had felt… 

It didn’t make any sense. He even doubted himself for a moment, but no, he remembered it very well. He had gone ahead to pay for the surgery, and his card was declined. He remembered Addie's words, he remembered everything that had happened, with crystal clarity… there was no way that his mind was playing tricks on him, right? 

"But... I remember the doctor telling me," Leon whispered to himself, and his voice felt shaky. "He said I had only a few months left… the surgery..."

He felt a strange sense of bewilderment. What was going on, could it actually be true? He looked down at his hands, expecting to see some sign of his ordeal, but there was nothing. No pain, no weakness at all… 

He still felt like his usual self, then what in the world was happening? Had he… was it possible that he had transmigrated into a different reality? 

_________