She knows why Hal would send her this. For people of their status, dignity is more important than anything else. If she had a boyfriend working as a fry cook in a fast-food restaurant, she would become the laughingstock of everyone, dragging down the Fris family with her, and might even be ostracized by certain circles, losing a significant portion of benefit. This is not something true love can solve.
A job as an Agent doesn't sound like a good option either. But if the Agent is the president's trusted aide in charge of taxation, that would be a whole different story. Just with this one certificate, Carol would be enough to make waves in all the circles she is currently in.
However, this also brings a different kind of worry for Carol. She initially thought Hal had chosen to find a temporary job just to relax a bit, and once he had adjusted his state, he would continue with aerospace work.
Yet he sent this certificate, proving that for a long time afterwards, he might intend to stay in the fast food kitchen frying fries.
Carol knows Hal very well. When Hal wants to avoid something, he would do work that is repetitive, even if such work seems boring and unprofitable to normal people, he would spend a lot of time doing it.
Hal has never been a person who is used to evasion. Carol has always believed that Hal's sense of responsibility is the cornerstone of their relationship. So even if he can't be a pilot, even if he plans to work in a fast-food restaurant, Carol doesn't find it a big deal. She knows Hal will certainly find a way to be responsible for her and their future life. The certificate sent is the best proof.
Hal has never been someone who thinks "because I want to fulfill my dream, everyone must step aside for me." Quite the opposite, he is the type who wouldn't set out until everything is arranged and responsibilities are fulfilled.
So even if he is going to follow his heart to work in the fast food kitchen, he will find a way to resolve the pressure Carol will face. He must have already figured out how to cope before making this decision.
Then, since it's not an irresponsible whim, it's indeed worth paying attention to what made him take such evasive actions.
Carol knows that even if Hal has sorted out her problems, this might not be his best scenario, just helpless compromise. It proves his state has worsened to a point where he has no other choice.
While munching on fries, Carol ponders what has worsened Hal's state?
Alcohol and drug issues can be ruled out first. Although many who have experienced ups and downs often choose to numb themselves with these things, Hal is not one of those people. He has never drunk more than a finger's worth of whiskey in his life, drugs are even more impossible, Hal hates all hallucinogenic substances.
After thinking for a bit, Carol feels the problem still lies with the accident. In psychology, there's an effect called "delayed trauma," which refers to the phenomenon where people don't feel extremely sad during or after a disaster occurs.
This is actually a result of the brain's protective mechanism combined with hormones. When faced with life-threatening disasters, the body first saves itself. Dopamine and adrenaline surge, people would not only not feel sadness, but may even feel excited because only this way can they be spirited enough to rescue themselves.
The duration of this state varies from person to person. Some may collapse immediately after escaping danger, while others maintain it longer, even up to several years.
While hormones haven't dissipated, they behave similarly to ordinary people, without experiencing flashbacks or nightmares. Yet, once the state passes, the collapse is abrupt.
If something else goes wrong in between, the two would compound, possibly making it worse than those who erupt immediately.
Carol thinks that right now Hal is in this situation. The traumatic stress disorder from the accident has erupted months later, plus the news that he cannot fly again; under the dual impact, his psychological state is precarious.
Thinking of this, Carol can't sit still, she throws down the pen, grabs her coat, and drives off. Soon she arrives in front of the fast-food restaurant, pushes the revolving door and walks in, clearing her throat: "Anyone here? I'd like a large order of fries."
Her voice is very recognizable. Seconds later, Hal rushes out like a golden retriever, tightly hugging Carol.
"What did I say? My fries taste amazing, sold out long ago, you should have come earlier."
Carol laughs, nudging him, saying: "When do you finish work?"
"Soon, I can leave a little early since I've already passed the interview, tomorrow is the official start of work."
"Let's go." Carol takes Hal's hand, gets in the car, and drives all the way to the seaside, finding an outdoor seat at a bar to sit down. As soon as they sit, Carol notices something off; Hal seems a bit distracted, which is unusual.
Previously, they were both very busy, and finally having a chance for a date, both would be very engaged, eager to keep looking at each other. But as soon as Hal sits, he zones out.
"Hal? Hal?… Darling?"
Hal snaps back to reality, looking at Carol, and seems very guilty, saying: "Sorry, I might be a bit tired."
Carol shakes her head: "No, you were staring at the beach just now. Why?"
Hal blinks, he hadn't realized, he turns his head again, actually from his sitting position to stare blankly, he ought to focus on the sea, but to look at the side beach requires a ninety-degree turn, which is quite a strain, yet he subconsciously went to look there just now.
"I..."
"I'm not asking you to explain," Carol says, "You don't have to answer me, but you need to figure it out yourself. Your current state is obviously not right. If you feel the problem is serious to this extent, then we should first go see a doctor."
Hal thinks about it. He realizes something is off, both physically and mentally, he has some issues. Perhaps, as Carol suggested, he really should go see a doctor.
By this time, Carol has already taken out her phone and made a call. She made an appointment with the doctor, then says, "Tomorrow morning at eight, I'll come pick you up. Remember, don't eat breakfast."
Hal nodded. Carol saw he looked unwell and seemed dazed, couldn't help but hug him, rubbed his head, kissed his cheek, and then said, "Don't worry, I'll be with you."
The two sat in the bar for a while, then got in the car, wanting to go home. But shortly after, Bruce's call came.
"I see you've booked a comprehensive check-up at Metropolitan Hospital. Hal, are you okay?"
"I don't know," Hal replied truthfully, "I feel a bit awful, but I don't know why."
"Don't go to Metropolitan Hospital, come to the Batcave. After all, you're a superpower user, ordinary hospitals might not detect the issue. My equipment is more comprehensive here."
Hal glanced at Carol. Carol heard their conversation, she nodded too. So Hal said, "Okay, we'll come over tomorrow morning."
The next morning, the two arrived at the Batcave together. Hal was like a puppet, Bruce told him what to do and he did, instructed him to lie on which machine and he lay on it, told him what actions to take and he took them.
All the checks took four or five hours. After sleeping, Hal actually felt much better, but after this check-up, he again felt he might be beyond saving.
However, when Bruce focused intently on his examination report for a dozen minutes, Hal felt a bit unsure who was beyond saving—could his issue be so big that it warranted Batman's prolonged inspection?
The result was indeed monumental. Bruce glanced at Hal, then said, "You're dead."
"...What?"
"Out of scientific concern and respect for modern medicine, no matter what, I can't call you alive." Bruce added, "You are currently dead."
Hal's face went blank; he didn't know what expression to make. Carol was very surprised, she said, "What? Did Hal turn into a ghost?"
"No, to be precise, he's a moving corpse." Bruce said, "Ideally, he should be dead. But he can move and has consciousness, possibly due to some scientifically inexplicable events."
Hal almost immediately thought of the scene where Savage Wolf killed him. He said, "So, the revival wasn't successful..."
"Then you wouldn't be standing here." Bruce said, "Should say it wasn't completely successful. Issues during revival might have prevented you from fully coming back to life, you're still a corpse."
Hal opened his mouth, then said, "Then what to do?"
"The Mother Box's technology level is too high, possibly involving Cosmic Origin Power. How it works, I can't fully understand. This issue needs thorough investigation, might take some time."
"But... but..." Hal gestured, sometimes pointing at Bruce, sometimes at himself.
"Also out of scientific concern, you and I both know that if a program can run normally, it's best not to tamper with it." Bruce said, "Maintaining status quo is the best choice. After all, you're just a bit weak and mentally drained. Of course, if you really can't bear this, maybe you could go into the hibernation pod..."
"Then I'll stay dead." Hal quickly stated, "I think by a corpse's standard, I'm quite healthy, no need for any treatment. I'll go back to fry fries, goodbye."
Hal grabbed Carol and ran swiftly. Carol was still a bit worried, she looked at Hal and said, "Is it really okay?"
"I think Bruce makes sense," Hal said, "Since my current state can be maintained, best not to tamper with it. I trust Batman's abilities; he should be able to find a solution soon."
"Moreover, I can't overreact, or Victor might feel very guilty. I know he did his best at the time, turning out this way is not anyone's wish. No need to trouble others unnecessarily."
Carol nodded then said, "But this situation still warrants concern. I'll talk to my dad, put the company's matters aside; during this period, I'll stay with you."
Just as Hal was about to say something, Carol interrupted him, "You can't refuse. Otherwise, if anything happens to you, I would definitely blame myself terribly. This is for my sake."
Hal gently kissed her, smiled at her.
In the Batcave, Bruce put down the examination materials. Shiller was sitting on the sofa nearby, an almost empty bottle of red wine placed on the left-hand side, precisely the one they selected carefully before the Christmas Eve party.
The dark bottle shone with jewel-like luster under the light's illumination. When Clark just walked into the hall, Bruce took this bottle from the wine cabinet. Shiller said, "Are you sure it's this bottle? It's quite expensive."
"It suits Hal's taste; he won't refuse."
"How much to add?"
"It's up to you."