After the collision test, everyone returned to the hotel to rest.
Raj slept on the floor for another night, and when he woke up the next day, it was inevitable that his back would hurt again. He endured it by himself and said nothing.
"The collision test is over, and the rest are lectures and talks. You can participate or not," Raj said with a smile to Paige. "I heard that it's the Alpine skiing season. If you want to go, you can explore the slopes on your own."
Skiing is a very popular sport. In the vast mountains, enthusiasts rush down through the white snow, enjoying the thrill of speed and passion. This wonderful feeling makes people unable to stop. According to surveys, there are as many as 110 million ski enthusiasts around the world, and the global ski equipment market has reached 5.7 billion US dollars.
"No, I'd rather learn more," Paige waved her hand decisively.
She came to Geneva this time not for skiing, but for learning knowledge and broadening her horizons. This ALICE experiment had attracted the top scholars and professors in the field of physics from around the world. They held lectures and talks here, exchanging their experiences with their peers and discussing cutting-edge research.
What a rare learning opportunity for her. It was as if a little mouse had fallen into a rice bowl—she could eat as much as she could if she seized the opportunity. If she missed this chance, she didn't know when the next time would be.
"Well, good choice," Raj laughed approvingly.
"Raj, aren't you going skiing either?" Paige asked curiously.
Raj also waved his hand. Learning to ski—there would be plenty of opportunities for that in the future. He also wanted to take advantage of the gathering of so many top experts and scholars to communicate with them more extensively.
On the one hand, it would improve his professional level, and on the other hand, it would expand his network of contacts in the physics community.
"Skiing can be done at any time, and I prefer to learn more knowledge," he said with a smile.
Seeing that he had the same thoughts as her own, Paige couldn't help laughing.
In the next two days, they were busy attending various exchange meetings during the day, often not returning to the hotel to rest until late at night. It was exhausting but exhilarating work. Raj still slept on the floor every night. Because the sleeping environment was so poor, he suffered persistent backaches that never fully recovered.
At noon on the third day, he and Paige had lunch in the restaurant of the test center. After eating, Raj yawned and stretched, trying to relieve the tension in his muscles.
Suddenly, he heard a crackling sound from his back, and his whole body froze immediately. He bent over there, unable to move, his face contorted in pain.
"Raj, what's wrong with you?" Paige asked quickly when she saw this, alarm rising in her voice.
"Hurry up, call an ambulance," Raj said with trembling lips, his face pale.
He felt a sharp pain radiating from his back, as if his spine was broken, which scared him terribly. Paige hurriedly called for medical services, her hands shaking as she dialed. After a few minutes that felt like hours, the medical team from the base rushed over, carefully positioned Raj on his side on a stretcher, and quickly carried him to the infirmary.
Paige was deeply worried about Raj's condition, so she followed closely behind the stretcher.
At the infirmary, after a detailed examination by the doctor—including careful palpation and range-of-motion tests—he finally came to a conclusion.
Raj only had an acute back sprain, not an actual fracture of the spine.
After hearing the news, Raj couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh of relief, the tension draining from his body.
The doctor then used infrared radiation therapy, massage, and other techniques to give him physical therapy. After the treatment, his pain was relieved immediately, though a dull ache remained.
"Thank you, doctor. I feel much better," he said gratefully.
"Raj, are you really okay?" Paige asked with deep concern. The scene just moments ago had really frightened her—she'd never seen him in such pain.
"I should be fine," Raj said, moving tentatively. Sure enough, his waist and back didn't hurt as acutely anymore.
"Doctor, how did he get this condition, and what should he pay attention to in the future?" Paige asked with concern.
"It should be caused by long-term fatigue and poor rest, combined with sleeping in an improper position," the doctor analyzed, looking at Raj over his glasses. "You must take proper rest in the future and don't work too hard. And make sure you sleep on a supportive surface—a proper bed, and no stramineous physical activity for a week if possible."
After hearing from the doctor that Raj's illness was caused by poor rest, Paige suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Sleeping on the floor every night—of course he wouldn't be able to rest well. And the reason why Raj slept on the floor was entirely to take care of her, to give her the bed. Otherwise, she would be the one lying on that stretcher today.
"I understand, doctor. Thank you," Paige nodded solemnly.
After leaving the infirmary, Paige insisted on sending Raj back to the hotel.
"You still have two important lectures to attend later, so don't send me back. I can manage by myself," Raj declined politely, though his movements were still careful.
"How can I do that? Raj, you were injured this time because of me. I should take care of you," Paige shook her head firmly.
Raj's injury had just been treated, and it wasn't certain if it would recur. How could she let him go back by himself?
"No, really, I'm fine. I'll just lie down and rest when I get back. I don't need special care," Raj waved his hand and smiled reassuringly. "But those two lectures are very important—Professor Weinstein is speaking on quantum chromodynamics, and Dr. Mueller on heavy-ion collisions. You must go listen and take detailed notes. When you get back, you can tell me everything."
"This..." Paige was still hesitating, torn between concern and opportunity.
"Please, go. Knowledge is more important than babysitting me," Raj encouraged her with a genuine smile. "I'll be fine, I promise."
Hearing his insistence, Paige had no choice but to reluctantly nod her agreement.
Raj returned to the hotel by taxi, lay down carefully on the bed, and had a proper rest for the first time in days. He even ordered room service for dinner, enjoying a quiet meal while reviewing his notes from earlier sessions.
In the evening, Paige came back from the symposium, her notebook filled with detailed observations.
"Raj, how is your injury? Has it flared up again?" she asked with concern the moment she entered the room.
"Don't worry, it's fine. The rest really helped," Raj waved his hands from where he sat on the bed.
"Then I'm relieved," Paige nodded, then said with determination, "But you can sleep on the bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor."
"I rested for most of the day. My body is fine now. I can sleep on the floor again," Raj protested.
"Absolutely not. Let me sleep on the floor. I already caused you to get hurt," Paige insisted firmly, her tone brooking no argument.
Seeing her resolve, Raj could only nod his head in acceptance.
After washing up, the two went to bed separately, exchanging quiet goodnights.
The moment she lay down on the floor, Paige realized just how uncomfortable it truly was. It was so stiff and inflexible, completely unforgiving against her body. The thin carpet provided almost no cushioning. It really wasn't easy for Raj to have slept here for three nights in a row.
Only now did she truly understand why Raj had suffered a sprained back. She had learned through conversations between Howard and Raj that he came from a well-to-do family in India, which meant he had probably never slept on a floor before in his life.
Sleeping on such a hard surface, who could sleep comfortably? Who wouldn't get sick? And Raj had slept for three nights in a row. Even after being injured, he had still insisted on taking the floor. This kind of quiet consideration and selfless gentleness really moved her deeply.
Thinking of everything Raj had done for her, she felt warmth spreading through her heart and moisture gathering in her eyes.
The hard floor somehow became less unpleasant in that moment.
"Since Raj could sleep on such a hard floor for me, then I can also sleep on such a hard floor for him," she whispered to herself in the darkness. With that thought comforting her, she eventually drifted into a surprisingly sound sleep.
But the next morning, she too woke up with back pain and couldn't help pressing her hands against her lower back and stretching carefully, just as Raj had done.
"No wonder he beat his back when he got up early those mornings. Now I understand completely," Paige realized, wincing slightly as she stood. The experience had given her a profound appreciation for what Raj had endured in silence for her sake.
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