Chapter 1312
Jared insisted, “Dr. Bozzelli, have this apple. Please don’t refuse!”
Thomas waved his hands repeatedly. “Jared, you eat it. I have no appetite right now!”
“Then let me peel a pear for you. I remember pears are your favorite!” Jared continued.
“Save it for yourself, Jared. I really can’t stomach anything right now,” Thomas replied.
“How about some grapes or peaches? The fruits this season are sweet and juicy,” Jared persisted.
Thomas, growing impatient, shouted, “Enough! I said I didn’t want to eat. Why are you being so insistent? You’re never this attentive normally!”
Jared was stunned by the outburst, and tears of hurt began to well up in his eyes again. “Dr. Bozzelli, you’re refusing everything. Are you disgusted with me? Are you disgusted because my hands aren’t clean enough? Because I used my hands to scratch… down there?”
Thomas’s face twitched as he silently cursed, “This damn kid knows exactly why, so why the hell is he still trying to make me eat?”
However, he could not bring himself to reopen old wounds, especially with his favorite student. So, he chuckled and said, “Jared, let’s just leave the past in the past. You always overthink things. I like you very much; how could I ever be disgusted with you?”
Jared held up the apple, looking expectantly. “Good, since you’re not disgusted, please accept this token of respect. Don’t worry, I’ve washed my hands with hand sanitizer ten times. They’re completely clean with absolutely no bacteria left.”
Thomas’s expression did not improve; in fact, it became darker. He thought, “This young fool must have had his brain fried by the rabies fever. I’ve told him I didn’t want to eat any, yet he kept insisting.”
After all, Jared had dug in his asshole. Even if he used hand sanitizer a hundred times, Thomas thought the mental barrier was simply too much to overcome.
Malcolm tried to mediate. “Thomas, just eat one piece. I can see that Jared’s intentions are genuinely sincere, so don’t make the kid worry. Just take it and eat it!”
Francesca chimed in, “Yes, Dr. Bozzelli, Jared really needs your approval right now. Just take it and eat it to put Jared’s mind at ease.”
Thomas, fuming, turned his head and huffed, “Fine, I’ll eat it. But Malcolm and Fran, you two will join me. The three of us will ease Jared’s mind and help him release his stress together, okay?”
If he had to do it, they would all have to do it together.
Malcolm suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Oh my! I just remembered Ms. Garcia called asking about the situation. I need to go call her back right away.”
Then, he bolted out of the room.
Francesca’s eyes darted around as she forced a smile. “The Grand Medical Summit is coming up soon, and I need to study every minute I can. So sorry, Dr. Bozzelli, Jared. I can’t stay any longer. I’ve got to go!”
With that, she excused herself, running even faster than Malcolm, as if escaping for her life.
The hospital room suddenly became quiet—to be precise, it was deathly silent. Only Thomas and his beloved student remained, staring at each other awkwardly.
Thomas racked his brain, debating whether to escape or not. If he stayed, could he actually swallow an apple peeled by hands that had been scratching an ass?
Meanwhile, Jared wore an expression of utter despair and dejection, as if mourning the death of a loved one. He knew it—these people might comfort him verbally, saying it was nothing, just a small issue. Yet, in reality, they all thought he was a pervert, that he was dirty.
Jared wished his life would just end there and then.