Chapter 10

10. "Pupils trembling"

At the hospital.

I had already lost consciousness by the time I was taken to the hospital.

When I woke up again, Watson told me it was already the next day.

The unpleasant smell of disinfectant in the hospital made me frown instinctively.

Facing death for the second time, I was able to take it much more calmly.

It was just that the sensation of weightlessness was so strong that I found it hard to get used to. Besides, the river water had been so cold that, within three or four seconds of falling in, I had already felt a bone-deep chill. The cold made my chest ache.

"Lanny, it's so good that you woke up."

Watson smiled with relief as he said this.

My heart warmed in turn.

I was truly grateful to have someone care about me like this in a foreign land.

"Thank you."

Watson smiled and quickly asked, "By the way, are you hungry?"

I nodded.

Watson soon brought me ripe bananas, probiotic yogurt, and jelly. "You're very weak right now. It would be better to eat some easily digestible food slowly."

Watson didn't speak again until I had finished eating, letting me eat at my own pace without worry. I gradually drew strength from the food, my spirits recovered, and my head began to clear considerably.

"Mr. Watson, how did you get away?"

I was very curious about that, and concerned too.

I had been too busy looking after myself to spare it a thought at the time. Looking back now, Watson, who had fallen into the villains' hands, had been in the greatest danger. Once I fell into the water, the thugs wouldn't have jumped in after me to kill me.

Watson's situation had been different.

One against three.

Not only were all three armed with sharp weapons, but they also killed without batting an eye.

Yet Watson lived up to his military background. He showed no lingering fear of the danger he had faced, even though he did say, "It was quite dangerous at the time."

He said it had all been part of Sherlock's plan.

"..."

Not surprising in the slightest.

Watson went on to say that Sherlock had realized the criminal gang hadn't been behind the explosion. Terrified of their secrets getting out, they would be watching the area. If they discovered we had found a lead, they would surely seize anyone who was isolated and kill them to silence them.

Sure enough, just as Sherlock had thought, they had targeted Watson and me as a pair.

Sherlock had then led the police team in capturing all three of them without trouble.

"The truth about the case has finally come to light." Watson breathed a sigh of relief.

The truth had come to light?

I couldn't help being taken aback.

But instead of rushing to ask, I instinctively surveyed my surroundings with caution first.

I had experienced Sherlock's tricks too many times already; he loved setting traps.

As a result, I couldn't shake the feeling that, when Watson said that, Sherlock was actually hiding out of our sight and secretly watching us.

Before responding, I first asked where Mr. Holmes was.

Watson said Sherlock had come to the hospital too, but had gone to see the doctor. He didn't know when Sherlock would be back.

This time, I only had to see whether Watson was lying.

Seeing that he was telling the truth, I relaxed and went on

to ask, "Did Mr. Holmes say anything about this case?"

"What was he supposed to say?" Watson asked curiously. "Did you think of something?"

At this point, Watson also reminded me that Inspector Lestrade was waiting for me to wake up so I could help him take a statement about the case. Then they could prepare to close it.

At the very least, the charge of attempted murder against the three of them was going to be settled.

Close the case?

I felt that the case wasn't as simple as I had previously imagined. I had originally thought that the main culprit was impulsive and reckless, while some of the others had contributed ideas, which was why this serial murder case had both careless and meticulously planned elements.

Granted, the thugs had indeed put some thought into tricking us into the depths of the alley. But if they were working as a team, how could they possibly have everyone hanging around near the crime scene together?

You shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, right?

They definitely had accomplices.

Could it be that the police thought they could force a confession out of them anyway, and the other accomplices would show up sooner or later? But what if all three of them were expendable pawns? Besides, the circumstances of the explosion still hadn't been clearly explained.

The whole affair was still shrouded in mystery. It wasn't yet time for the clouds to part and the sun to shine, or for a clouded mirror to become clear again.

Before I could think any further, I remembered the three men's cold, resolute killing intent. My arms stiffened. I had better not get involved any further.

There were police here, as well as Sherlock and Watson.

I'd leave it to them!

I should focus on figuring out how to move out of Sherlock's apartment sooner.

I decided to switch to a lighter topic and asked, "Did the doctor say when I can leave the hospital?"

I actually felt that I could leave already.

I hadn't suffered that many injuries, and the cut on my palm had been bandaged. My spirits had also recovered after eating my fill.

Watson said, "It would be best to stay in the hospital for another day of observation. Once we're sure you're all right, you can leave."

I trusted Watson's judgment.

I was about to nod when I suddenly realized a very serious problem.

The ambulance fee.

The emergency treatment fee.

The hospital stay.

The medication.

How was I going to pay for all of it?

What was I going to do without money? "Um, Mr. Watson, do you know how much I need to pay?"

If it was too expensive... could I tell the hospital I was willing to donate an organ to cover the medical bills?

I could live with one kidney...

As soon as Watson heard that, a warm smile spread across his face, and he reassured me, "It's already been paid for. Don't worry about it."

The moment he said that, Watson became an archangel in my eyes.

I hadn't expected Watson to be such a mature, reliable adult. I had only saved him once, blocking an assassin for him, yet he was willing to pay my medical bills.

"You're such a good person."

I didn't know whether he minded having his hand grabbed in gratitude, but right now I really didn't know how else to express my thanks besides saying thank you.

"You don't have to say that..."

Watson looked terribly embarrassed, but he really did have the personality of an angel. No wonder Sherlock would come to regard him as a close friend later on. People as warm, kind, sincere, and considerate as him were so rare.

I didn't want Watson to be out of pocket. "

I'll definitely pay you back. I don't have a job right now, but as soon as I find part-time work, I'll pay you back immediately. Until I've paid you back, you can ask me to do anything."

I couldn't help continuing, "We haven't even known each other for twenty-four hours, yet you've been so kind to me."

I was truly grateful that this world had a good person like Watson, who could help someone in a desperate situation.

Before I could get a reply from Watson, Sherlock's voice came from the doorway. "All he did was pay your medical bills for you, and you're this grateful?"

Sherlock's sudden voice was like a bucket of cold water poured over me.

"..."

Watson was practically the person who had given me a second life.

Sherlock had no understanding at all of the gratitude of a poor person like me.

"In China, we have an old saying: a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. What I just said was only the bare minimum."

Sherlock took no notice and even smiled.

"..."

I could feel the vast cultural differences between Sherlock and me, the solid barriers between our ways of thinking, and our entirely unrelated emotional perspectives.

After holding Sherlock's gaze for two seconds, I gave up.

Right now, all I wanted was to continue nurturing my relationship with Watson, the person who had given me a second life.

Sherlock, however, didn't oblige me. Seeing me look away, he asked, "All the expenses came to 2,118 pounds. How do you plan to pay it back?"

I didn't yet know what the job market was like, and I had no way to get money from home, so I asked Watson, "Could I borrow it for six months? I'll pay back the interest too."

As soon as I finished speaking, Watson opened his mouth.

I knew Watson was short of money himself, or he wouldn't have gone looking for a roommate.

I immediately promised, "During that time, whenever you need me to do anything, just tell me. I'm very good at housework, cleaning, cooking, changing light bulbs, and replacing water pipes. I can also run errands, buy things, or deliver things for you."

Honestly, this was the first time I had ever owed someone money.

I only hoped the person who had helped me wouldn't end up losing out.

After all, this was the huge sum of 2K pounds.

As Watson listened to me, he kept glancing in Sherlock's direction, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Was he thinking of asking Sherlock to stop me from paying him back?

"You really don't have to be so polite," I said earnestly to Watson.

As soon as I finished, Watson seized the opportunity to quickly say, "No, that's not it."

What wasn't it?

At the same time, Sherlock held out a stack of papers to me.

Catching sight of the numbers in the bottom right corner of the first page, I knew it must be the hospital bill.

It showed that the charges had already been paid.

Then my attention was quickly drawn to the name of the person who had paid. I blinked once, then again, and finally looked at Watson in bewilderment.

Only after Watson made sure I had seen the payer's name did he patiently explain, "I was willing to help too, but I couldn't come up with over two thousand pounds on such short notice. Fortunately, Sherlock helped."

"..."

It was as if someone had seized me by the throat. I was instantly struck silent.

"Lanny, it's actually Sherlock you should thank most." The innocent Watson even guided my gaze toward Sherlock Death Holmes and said in a tone that suggested "we all have bright futures ahead of us," "Not only did he save you, but he also paid your bill."

I froze.

No one got up early unless there was something in it for them.

Sherlock was definitely not the kind of person who would save someone unless it was part of achieving his goal.

My heart trembled, and my fingers instinctively clutched the bill.

Wearing a reserved, polite smile, Sherlock said, "Mr. Lanny falling into the water was originally my mistake. I'm willing to take full responsibility and require nothing in return. But Mr. Lanny is so insistent on repaying kindness..."

He paused, and his deep, elegant, cultured voice once again rang in my ears like a cheerful, lilting violin melody.

"I deeply appreciate your expression of gratitude, and I graciously accept it as you expect."

My pupils trembled uncontrollably.

Could I still move out of 221B Baker Street?!