"Okay, thanks. Got it."

After the nurse left, Brendan continued to moan in pain. Deirdre felt a mix of worry and speechlessness. Just moments ago, he seemed fine when they were arguing about who was at fault. Why did Brendan's condition deteriorate as soon as she was about to leave?

"The nurse mentioned that the pain is normal, and there's no way to alleviate it. I'll have to endure the discomfort," Brendan said softly. "Indeed, if I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have intentionally taken the hit to protect someone. Now that I'm in pain, that person is being heartless toward me."

Deirdre was at a loss for words. This was going too far! She couldn't comprehend when Brendan had become so pretentious.

"What do you want me to do now?" Deirdre was troubled. "It's impossible for me to feel your pain on your behalf."

Brendan looked up at her. "You can't experience the pain for me, but you can at least do something to distract me from it."

"Do something… to distract you?" Deirdre was