Berry decided to visit the hospital before going to the restaurant. Last night, they left Aspen in the hospital because he insisted on staying and looking after Seth. The nurses at the hospital were greatly distressed because of his stubbornness, and with no choice, they let him stay after confirming that he was a licensed doctor and could not be a potential harm to Seth. Moreover, there was no one from Seth's family.
He made a beeline to Seth's ward, knowing very well that Aspen was there. He was expecting to see Aspen examining Seth, but when he got to the door of the ward, just as he was about to turn the knob, he heard hearty laughter coming out of the room. He was shocked because he had never seen Aspen laugh, and Aspen was too boring to make anyone laugh. Naturally, his curiosity was piqued, so he discarded the thoughts of entering the room and leaned his head on the door, pressing his ear to it to listen to the conversation that was making the person laugh.
Inside the room, Seth was laughing so hard that Aspen began to worry. What exactly was making him laugh? He had forced Aspen to tell him his name, but Aspen refused, so he acted like he was in pain and managed to convince Aspen that the only way to relieve the pain was by telling Seth his name. Aspen foolishly fell for it and told Seth his name, which was why he was laughing like he had just heard the funniest thing.
"I am so sorry… hahaha… I didn't mean to laugh… hahaha… so sorry…," Seth tried to apologize, but he was laughing so hard that he could swear he heard his rib crack, especially when he saw how worried Aspen looked. After a good five minutes, he finally stopped laughing and sat up on the bed, his red hair messy from rolling around too much while he was laughing.
Aspen's fingers twitched as they itched to reach out and tame that wild hair, but he managed to contain himself.
"I am sorry. I wasn't laughing at your name," Seth apologized again, but Aspen gave him a look like he didn't believe him. Why would he when the boy started laughing the moment he heard his name? When Seth saw that disbelieving look, he gasped as though he had been misjudged and, with a hand holding his chest, he said, "I am telling the truth!"
Aspen still did not believe him and relaxed on his seat after confirming that Seth was indeed fine. He was quite tense when he heard Seth crying in pain.
Seeing that he was back in the doghouse, Seth pursed his lips and fell back on the bed. Aspen was the first and only person he had seen since he woke up this morning, and he tried to make a conversation since he was bored, but he was treated like he was air by this icebag of a man called Aspen.
With his eyes fixed on the ceiling, he spoke, "I really wasn't laughing at your name. I was laughing because of how worried you were when I acted like I was in pain. You looked really funny, which was why I laughed." He explained, but even after that, he was still ignored. So he continued speaking, "I really like trees, and the Aspen tree is my favorite. Its warm and vibrant colors make me feel warm on the inside, and the sound of their quaking leaves is therapeutic for me, and I could watch and listen to those leaves moving for many hours."
While Seth was talking about his love for the Aspen tree, Aspen was getting irritated, thinking that Seth was talking too much, especially when he was supposed to be resting. The boy had been talking nonstop since he woke up, and Aspen's pitiful ears had to go through the pain of listening to him rambling about random things for hours unending.
"Keep quiet and take a rest. You will need the energy for later."
When Seth heard this, he felt like crying. All he wanted was to talk to someone, but the person reminded him that he was terminally ill. "You are so mean…" Before he could say more, the door opened, revealing a livid Berry who had been eavesdropping on them.
Berry had been listening and was happy and enjoying himself, thinking that Aspen was about to get a new friend. But when he heard Aspen telling Seth to take a rest and all that, he lost himself and pushed open the door, ready to lash out at Aspen for being so insensitive.
But before he could say a word to Aspen, Seth's hateful gaze was already piercing holes in his body, leaving him feeling breathless. "It's rude to enter a stranger's room without knocking, you know that, don't you?"
Berry was stupefied, and his words got stuck in his throat. He knew that it was wrong to enter without knocking, but this was the first time someone was telling him this with such hatred that he shivered. Seth's glare was enough to send the bells in his head ringing and telling him to run for his dear life.
Aspen also felt the hate in Seth's voice, and even he was speechless. This was because Seth had been talking and joking with him for so long that he would never have expected that kind of disdain in his tone. Now this was the voice that matched his face.
"I'm… I am sorry… I was in a hurry… so I made a mistake… sorry," Berry stuttered badly, so even he was surprised that he was intimidated by an eighteen-year-old boy who was sick and in a hospital receiving treatment.
"I don't accept your apology. Leave."
Berry almost fell to the ground from the blatant disrespect. He could accept being corrected, but this kid was just being rude.
"Look here, Seth…" he was in the middle of scolding the boy and showing him his place when Aspen stood up and blocked his view of Seth.
With a quiet voice, he said, "Seth is a patient. You can't raise your voice at him."