Aria checked her watch again as she waited for Noah. She had expected him to be at the hospital in the morning. But to her surprise, it was past lunchtime, and his whereabouts were still unknown. She had already informed Ivy about Joshua's condition, and when she had called her two hours ago, they were yet to leave the mansion. 'Where are they?' She wondered, clasping her fingers.

Her phone was dead, and Aria had to go all the way to the reception or her office to make a call. Though she wanted to enquire his whereabouts, her laziness got the best of her, and she sat beside Joshua, who was now in the VIP ward.

His condition had improved significantly overnight, and they had shifted him to the VIP ward for his recovery. His breathing was stable, and his face had gained color. Unable to control her impatience, Aria got up and started to walk back and forth, taking a look at her watch frequently. Though she wanted to go to the reception, she did not want to leave Joshua alone, not when there were Jared's men lurking around them. She had to be careful. Noah's men were keeping an eye on them in secret, but she did not want to take any risks.

"Can you stop walking already? You making me dizzy." Joshua mumbled, watching the girl move around in anxiety.

"Oh, you are awake." Aria stopped pacing around and approached him. "Good afternoon. How do you feel now?"

"Lethargic." Joshua groaned and tried to move even though pain shot through his body.

"Do you want to sit?" Aria queried, and when the man nodded, she helped him to sit. "Other than lethargy, do you feel anything else?" She checked his vitals, making sure that everything else was alright.

"My shoulder aches."

"That is a given as you were shot. Anything else?"

"How about weakness?"

"You lost a lot of blood. So, you are bound to be weak. You need to rest more." Aria replied, adjusted the pillow behind him.

"Am I going to die?" Joshua asked out of the blue, and Aria stopped writing on the notepad. If not for the mischief lingering in his eyes, she would have assumed him to be serious.

"Joshua, your level of jokes has reduced after you got shot." She sassed and continued with her task.

"Can't help, Aria. My humor ran in my blood, and due to the blood loss, I lost my humor too. So, I am yet to adjust to the unknown blood coursing through my body." He came back strongly, and Aria glared at him.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were? Not only were you shot, but you also suffered from hemophilia. Do you know how critical your condition was?" Aria could not control her anger, and she burst out, stunning Joshua. "Don't pull this stunt ever again. Otherwise, I will not allow you to marry my sister."

Joshua was about to apologize to her when her last words stopped him. "What? No. You cannot stop me from marrying my Ivy." There was a swift change in his voice, and Aria was all too familiar with it. It was how Noah behaved when he went possessive over her.

"Oh, I can. You should have seen the way she had broken down seeing you struggle to live. If you do this to her again, I will not allow you to be with her." Aria huffed, and Joshua had the sudden urge to laugh after seeing her cute expression.

"Aria, are you trying to guilt-trip me the first thing I wake up?"

"So what if I am? And how do you have so much energy considering how weak you are?" Aria frowned in confusion. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you something?" Even before the man answered, she poured a glass of water and handed it to him.

"What can I say? Maybe I am just strong." Joshua shrugged and took the glass with a smile.

"Says the man who was feeling weak just a moment ago."

"Touche, Aria. Touche. By the way, where is my darling? Why isn't she here yet?" His word of endearment made Aria raise her brows.

"Darling? Since when did you start to show off your love?"

"Since the time I said a quick hello to death. I realized how short our life is. Anything could happen in the next instant. Since I have come back, I should do things I always wanted to, and this is one of them." Joshua said with pride, licking his lips after emptying the glass.

"I see." Aria took the glass back from him. "Your darling is yet to arrive. I called her two hours ago, and they were yet to depart then. Maybe they are on the way."

"Well, call her again. I want to see her. She must be going berserk on not seeing me. I cannot keep my love waiting." Joshua winked at her, and Aria was surprised to see the drastic change in him. It was as though he had become a new man. But at the same time, he was not.

Joshua noticed the girl's gaze on him, and he shook his head at her. "Aria, what are you waiting for? Call her."

His voice brought her out of her reverie, and Aria's face scrunched up. "My phone is dead, and I will have to go to the reception to call her. Don't worry, she will be here soon."

"She better be." He mumbled under his breath. Joshua wanted to see Ivy first the moment he woke up. But both times she had been absent. Though he understood the reason for her absence, he could not hide his displeasure. The moment he had been shot, her face had flashed before him. It was then he realized how important she was for him, more than he had thought her to be.

"You are unbelievably talkative, given your situation. I must say I am surprised. "Are you sure you don't want anything? What about some soup or porridge? You must be famished by now."

"I am not hungry, yet. I will wait for Ivy."

"You are in luck then. I have asked her to prepare some soup for you. You will get to taste it."

"Yes. Good job, Dr. West. I am craving Ivy's food." Joshua applauded her, and Aria shrugged as though it was not a big deal.

"Ah, yes. Your parents visited in the morning. They will visit again in the evening." Aria did not forget to inform him about them, and Joshua nodded with his lips pursed. He sighed lightly, worrying about what laid ahead for him. His parents would nag him for sure for ignoring his life, and Joshua had no choice but to put up with them.

A commotion attracted Aria and Joshua, and they looked at each other in confusion. "What is happening?" Joshua questioned, taking a look at the door.

"I have no idea. Let me take a look." Aria opened the door to the ward only to find Amber quarreling with the guards stationed outside Joshua's ward.

'What the heck!' Aria cursed in her mind. 'Why is this troublesome woman here again?' She was just about to close the door when Amber noticed her.

"You," She pointed at her, making Aria stop. "Ask these men to step aside. I need to meet my boyfriend." She commanded, and Aria raised her eyebrows at her, seeing her audacity.

"Look, Miss. This is a hospital. There are some protocols you will have to follow, and one of them is to not disturb the patients. Please mind your manners." Though Aria had the urge to kick the woman out of the place, she controlled herself.

"You," Amber narrowed her eyes, observing Aria closely. She found her to be familiar. But she could not remember where she had seen her. "How dare you! Don't you know who I am? You cannot stop me from meeting my boyfriend. Now, ask these men to move away before I complain to the authorities about your disrespectful behavior."

"Oh, please do. I would like to see who the authorities will support." Aria was amused by the girl. She was completely insane, and Aria wondered how Joshua had put up with her when he was dating her. "I would like to know if they will support a madwoman on the loose."

Aria's words made the guards laugh, and Amber glared at her. Aria was covering the entrance to the ward. So, Amber could not see anything behind her. "Look, the man inside the ward is my boyfriend, and you have no idea how powerful he is. Step aside before I get you suspended from your job." She threatened, donning an arrogant expression.

Aria was just about to retaliate when Ivy beat her to it. "Why is the crazy woman here again?"