Alex's dramatic tone without any care for where they were made Gawain's lips twitch. He rolled his light green eyes:
"No need to be surprised. Your cousin made a generous donation not long ago, and I heard that it is thanks to you. On top of that, your family has never been stingy with the subsidies of the hospital itself, so you can enjoy your life of fun with peace of mind."
"Wow, I can be a playboy with peace of mind~ Wait…"
Alex furrowed his brows in contemplation, before realization dawned on him, making him blink in surprise:
"Oh~ Ah~ You mean Kris, that guy? He made a donation in my name? I totally forgot about him!"
Gawain glanced at Alex:
"Your own cousin?"
Facing the question, the playboy casually waved it off, his expression becoming thoughtful again as he worked to recall what Gawain was talking about:
"It seems I truly had a bet with him and he lost. But it was from so long ago!"
Gawain gave Alex an unimpressed stare while pointing out in a flat voice:
"I heard that it was from less than a month ago."
Alex glanced at him, blinked, then waved his hand with a laugh:
"It was not that important."
Feeling that he was not clear enough, he added:
"He is not that important either."
The blond doctor gave his friend a long look. Not caring about his cousin was one thing, but it was another matter to not care about dozens of millions, because that was the value of the donation, hence, of the bet Alex won. And he had to think that hard before even remembering it.
Shaking his head, Gawain turned away with a smile.
This time, he was impressed, but he would not say it. He was not impressed by the wealth of his friend, but by how casual he managed to remain with it. That was what made it so easy to be friends with him.
That and… his generosity in the right places.
"Anyway, on behalf of all the children of the pediatric department of Arland Hospital, thank you. I'm sure you know that you won't need to worry about the donation being misused. It will help many unfortunate kids live longer and see more of the world."
At those words, Alex stopped being playful. But instead of becoming solemn, he shook his head with a casual smile:
"So long as they get to enjoy life, I am satisfied."
Gawain thought about the vibrant smiles on the faces of his small patients, and a smile made its way to his own lips.
The two stopped at the elevator, and Alex pressed its button. When it arrived, he turned to his blond friend and patted him on the shoulder:
"No need to see me off further. I've got to check on my mother upstairs. Stay on the lookout. Today is not a good day, but my sister who you are crushing on will come to the hospital again in a few days. Try to meet her then. Maybe you will have a chance to ask her out. See ya~"
Leaving a wink behind, Alex stepped into the lift. Gawain remained frozen for a second, thinking back to the encounter from about a month ago, then nodded with a soft smile:
"Thank you, I will remember. You do the same with scans too."
*Ding~*
As Alex showed a thumb up to show his acknowledgement, the door closed on his smiling face. Shaking his head, Gawain turned around to go back, his small smile lingering at the corner of his mouth.
In the lift, Alex lowered his hand, his smile unabated, and took out his phone. Making a call, it was picked up right after the first ring:
"Hello?"
"Hey, Mark! Remember that new job you wanted? I have found a new one for you, cozy as promised. It is easy, and not stressful at all. You in?"
There was a moment of silence on the other side of the line, before a calm question came, curt and straight to the point, despite the helpless undertone:
"How deep is the pit this time?"
"The month I gave your wife has passed already. It is time she honors our deal."
There was a pause on the other side, then a decision was made:
"Alright, time and place."
Alex's smile widened:
"4PM, Arland Hospital. Try to be on time."
"Got it."
_ _ _
_ _ _
Leyna had her hands together before her lower abdomen as she stood beside the wall across from the window on the other side of the private ward. Under the light of both the ward and the dulling late afternoon sky, she watched the nurse busy herself around Grace, unhooking the empty IV drip, cleaning up, dressing, then checking her tension and her temperature.
Leyna looked calm, like an assistant should be, but Alex, leaning against the wall arm crossed beside her, read the worry within her greyish-blue eyes. He glanced back at his mother and smiled without looking at the dark-haired woman:
"Actually, you don't have to worry so much."
Leyna glanced at him, then also turned away. Looking at Grace, she pointed out with a whisper of her own:
"You looked even more worried when you arrived first."
Alex took the comment in stride without denial. His lips curled up higher, but his eyes turned deep as he kept looking at his mother:
"Though I think that the narcissistic old man only built this hospital to get another place to put his name on bold display, I have to admit that he did a good job. But anyone who lost his first wife, then his second wife, and both to cancer, would do the same thing. So it is not without reason that our oncology department is one of the best and richest possible. I doubt mom's situation is that serious. And with the technology now and the experimental programs we have here, she will be able to live till double her age without trouble. So, don't worry too much. You affecting the mood would be the true problem."
"Is that so?"
Leyna fell silent after that quiet answer. But the worry Alex had been reading in her eyes did indeed diminish, and much of the ripples in her greyish-blue orbs did fade away.