Professor Layton and the Rewound Repercussions –Part 17—

"Don't you ever go home?"

Layton looked up from the textbook he had been editing. "Oh, you're awake. Good evening, Clive."

Clive struggled to sit up. The professor reached out a guiding hand, but was quickly swatted away. "I'm fine, thank you."

"How did the surgery go, my boy? I haven't yet asked."

"As well as could be expected, I suppose. I never dabbled much in medical studies." Clive gingerly brushed his fingertips against his side, wincing. "However, I did see a fair share of corrupt hospitals in my time as a journalist."

"Positive thinking, Clive."

"Hm." Clive pushed his pillows higher on the bed and leaned back, folding his hands in his lap.

"You're looking well."

"Am I? I suppose it is less…stressful here."

"I'm glad. You needed a vacation from that dreadful place."

"I wouldn't call this a vacation, professor. I'm still very much under observation." Clive's eyes flicked to the heavyset man standing off in the corner of the room. "Even in this condition, they feel I'm a risk."

"It's their job to be careful."

"It's their job to pay attention to those who warrant it." Clive gave a sudden laugh, cutting it off quickly. "Hng—Though, I suppose, I do warrant it. Sometimes I forget myself."

"Be careful, my boy," Layton warned, flipping the page of his book.

"Have you ever tried regulating your breath, professor? It's more difficult than it seems."

"Shall I call the nurse?"

"I'm afraid only time will fix this." Clive massaged his side gently. "And I would prefer if you didn't call her. She's rather frightening."

"She's just a sweet young girl. A little overly enthusiastic, perhaps, but—"

"Professor, do you know what I found in that basket of fruit? A lock of human hair." Clive shivered. "I can only hope it was hers."

"Well, that's…that's a rather unique approach." Layton frowned, adjusting his hat.

"'Unique approach'? Yesterday, she told me my skin was looking nice!"

"Well, comparatively I suppose so. You've gained some colour back in your cheeks since you came. Perhaps that is what she was referring to."

Clive put his face in his hand. "Professor, you're far too positive."

"Nonsense! You're just far too negative, my boy." Layton smiled and marked his book with a red pen. "Goodness, I wonder who wrote this? I was told to review the text, but…some of these sentences are ridiculous."

"Textbooks are generally ridiculous, professor."

"So say many of my students, yes." Layton nodded, furrowing his brows. "Looking through this, I'm suddenly inclined to agree with them. How can you study from this? It's not even linear, and this is an archaeology textbook. If anything, history courses should be linear. You can't expect someone to learn things properly if they aren't in order."

"I sided with the Englishes, myself. At least there are no skewed timelines to bother with." Clive chuckled.

"Skewed timelines, indeed. Perhaps if you took a history course or two, you would have been dissuaded from the whole Future London charade."

"It was a good ruse, though, wasn't it? I had you fooled for at least a little while."
"Indeed you did. The architecture was brilliant on your part."

"Everything seemed rather green, though, didn't it? Oh well. I suppose it's been destroyed now. I would have hoped for it to find some sort of use after the fact, though I suppose my hopes are in vain now."

"You haven't heard? It's being converted into inexpensive housing units for students with classes in London."

"Oh?" Clive raised his eyebrows in surprised, turning rather pink. "I'm…I'm glad."

Layton winked. "Sometimes it pays to be positive, my boy."