A Hospital Visit

Xavier's gaze lingered on William Jackson, a storm of confusion brewing behind his eyes. The older man returned the look with an intensity that bordered on desperation and motioned silently, urging Xavier to follow him out into the crisp evening air. With a stiff nod, Xavier acquiesced, his footsteps echoing William's across the threshold.

The chill of the outside world wrapped around them, but it was the frost in William's confession that cut deeper. "Cathy is a fragile girl," he began, voice low, laced with a regret that seemed to ache in the growing dusk. "She puts on a chilly facade because she thinks I do not care about her."

A heavy pause settled between them, the gravity of the words hanging like a guillotine blade ready to fall.

"Her mother was my life," William continued, his voice rough as gravel, "and when she passed, Cathy... She lost more than a mother. I had to find someone to take care of her, being swallowed by work, ensuring food was always on our table."

William hesi