After her rebirth

Katniss froze for a second, then quickly pulled her hand back, looking at Nathan like he was just some random guy. "You having an episode or something?"

She'd been treating Nathan for five years now. She'd gotten him back to good health. In theory, even if he stopped the meds, he should just be a bit weak, not have such a big issue. So yeah, she was confused.

Nathan coughed a few times, his face pale, and half-sat up against the pillow.

"Don't you hate us the most? Why are you asking about me now? You worried about me or something? Or did Mom and Clara send you?" Nathan looked at Katniss, waiting for her answer. Katniss touched her sharp chin, "Nathan, you've got quite the imagination. No wonder you're in the design department."

"What do you mean?" Nathan frowned.

"I came to the hospital to see Saskia, not you. Don't get any ideas. I just happened to pass by your room. When I came in, there was no one else here but you," Katniss said with a slow, teasing tone.

"I'm not here to treat you. I just wanted to see how long you'd last without my meds. Now that I've seen it, I'll have a better idea for other patients. Thanks, I'm out." With that, Katniss left without looking back. She figured Nathan must be fuming.

But to her surprise, Nathan's delicate face showed no anger. Instead, he watched her leave with a complex, hard-to-read expression.

Katniss left, and the room quickly fell silent.

Just like Katniss said, a long time passed, and no one else came to see him.

Where were Elodie and Clara?

Why hadn't a nurse come by?

The room was so quiet it was creepy. Nathan was almost driven mad by the endless silence. He couldn't take it anymore and struggled to get out of bed to find Elodie and Clara.

Just as he got up, the door creaked open.

Nathan looked over, full of surprise and hope.

But standing at the door was a stranger, "Hey, are you Nathan Manners? I'm the caregiver Clara Manners hired for you. She has an important ball to attend and asked me to check if you need any help." Nathan didn't hear the rest of the words.

He stood there, lips curling into a mocking smile.

The caregiver's voice seemed distant, like from another world. She called his name three times before Nathan snapped out of it.

His voice was a bit dry, "Clara went to a ball?"

Noticing his odd expression, the caregiver cautiously explained, "Yeah, actually, it was Desmond who arranged for me to come. Need any help?"

Nathan swayed, steadied himself, and shook his head. "No, you can wait outside."

"But you don't look well. Should I call a nurse for you?" the caregiver asked again.

"No need!" Nathan's voice suddenly turned harsh.

After sending the caregiver away, Nathan felt like all his strength had left him and collapsed back onto the bed.

The endless silence swallowed the room again.

Nathan pulled the blanket over his head and closed his eyes tightly.

He remembered the past when he was sick and would stay in the hospital for a long time but never felt lonely because whenever he woke up, Katniss would always be there, busy around him. Back then, he had a bad temper and always felt that others' care was mocking his frail body, making him feel less than human.

So, whenever he woke up and saw Katniss, he would instinctively curse at her and tell her to get out.

How did Katniss respond back then?

She had said, "Nathan, you're awake. Feeling uncomfortable? I'll call the doctor."

"You've been out for days. You're weak. Eat something. I made it just the way you like. It's delicious."

"Nathan, don't be mad. I'll leave right away. Getting all worked up isn't good for your recovery. I'll go tell Mom and the brothers you're awake."

Nathan's head throbbed, and under the blanket, he wore a self-mocking expression.

It seemed that when Katniss first came back, he had the intention of being a good brother. But when did their focus shift solely to Clara?

Why did they increasingly hate Katniss?

It seemed it had always been this way, or maybe not.

After Katniss had been looking after Saskia in the hospital for several days, Micah came to take over Katniss's shift after finishing his work at the police station.

With a stern face, he urged Katniss to go home and rest, leaving the rest to him.

Facing Micah, Katniss always felt a bit guilty and didn't dare to argue with him, so she obediently packed her things and went home.

On top of that, Maximilian's treatment couldn't be put on hold, as it had already been delayed for several days. Today, she had to resume the acupuncture treatment for his leg; there was no room for further delay. When she got home, Mira looked at Katniss's thinner face. "Oh, how did you lose so much weight? All the weight you gained before is gone."

Katniss touched her face. Did she lose that much weight?

She didn't really feel it.

"Where's Maximilian?" Katniss looked around but didn't see anyone.

Mira checked the time and said, "Mr. Hamilton should be getting off work soon. He'll be back shortly."

Katniss was taken aback and looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost eight o'clock, and Maximilian wasn't off work yet?

Maximilian had been so busy, and a few days ago, he even went to the hospital because of Saskia. Katniss felt even more guilty.

It seemed she was always causing trouble for Maximilian.

While she was lost in thought, Mira suddenly grabbed her hand and frowned, "It's cold outside. Look at your red face and cold hands. Go upstairs and take a bath. I'll call you down for dinner later." Katniss rubbed her hands and smiled slightly. "Okay."

Then she went upstairs to her bedroom to take a bath.

During her stay at the hospital to care for Saskia, it had been difficult to take a bath, and since it was winter, she hadn't bathed in several days.

Katniss sniffed herself and found she smelled not good.

After her bath, Katniss wrapped herself in a bathrobe and went to the walk-in closet to find some pajamas.

She usually wore her own, but she just realized her pajamas were missing, probably taken by Mira to be washed.

As she looked through the closet, Katniss's face turned red. There were many pajamas, but most of them were sexy silk nightgowns that she couldn't possibly wear! They were likely anticipating some intimate moments.

But she and Maximilian weren't a real couple!

Blushing, Katniss finally found a cute pajama set, fluffy and warm.

After putting it on, Katniss realized how adorable it was. It was a bunny outfit with big ears on the hood and a little tail on the back.

Remembering she needed to do acupuncture for Maximilian, Katniss went to the bedside table to find her acupuncture kit.

Suddenly, Katniss felt someone tug on the tail of her outfit.

She quickly turned around.

Maximilian was sitting in his wheelchair, looking down at her white outfit. "What are you wearing?"