Chapter 152 Who Says He Doesn’t Have a Dad?
In the late hours of the city hospital, little Henry lay in his mother's arms after the doctor had taken his blood, awaiting the results.
As they waited, Hellen couldn’t help blaming herself, “Violet, I'm sorry. I should have taken better care of them.”
“Hellen, don’t say that. Kids get fevers; it’s not your fault,” Violet Devereux reassured her, always grateful for Hellen’s support and help in raising her two little ones. If it wasn't for her, how could she have taken her new job so smoothly?
“But seeing Henry in pain breaks my heart,” Hellen confessed. She had come to love these children as her own nephew and niece.
“It’s okay,” Violet said, gently squeezing Hellen's weathered hand. “It’s just a fever, nothing serious.”
Relieved it was only a fever, Hellen nodded.
“Mom, I’m not hurting. I’m tough,” piped up Henry from Violet’s lap in the middle of their conversation, his speech still developing, not yet as clear as other kids his age but perfectly understandable to Violet.
A warmth spread in her heart, and she bent down to kiss his forehead softly, “Mom knows you're tough, just like a superhero.”
“Yeah.” Henry nodded with conviction. “Just like a superhero.”
“That’s right, our Henry is as awesome as a superhero.”
After Violet praised Henry, his sister Nicole reached to touch her brother's forehead and began to babble something incomprehensible to both Violet and Hellen.
Only Henry seemed to understand.
He touched Nicole's forehead gently, “Brother’s okay.”
Nicole nodded obediently, reassured by her brother's gesture.
Indeed, there's a special kind of communication between children.
Violet held Henry for another half hour until the blood test results came back. She went to collect the report while Henry and Nicole stayed with Hellen.
During their wait, Henry noticed other kids accompanied by both parents. A faint envy stirred inside him. Now that he was able to express himself better, his understanding of the world around him matured.
Seeing those kids with their moms and dads sparked a new desire. Why did they all have fathers? Why didn't he and his sister have one?
Henry couldn’t figure it out. He wasn't feeling well, so he didn’t dwell on it, simply waiting for his mom to come back.
Violet Devereux handed the report to the doctor, who glanced at the white blood cell count and remarked, "Looks like a slight viral infection, but nothing too serious."
"Does he need some medicine to bring down the fever?" Relieved it wasn't serious, Violet asked the doctor.
After checking Henry's temperature with an ear thermometer, the doctor said, "It's dropped a bit, but that doesn't mean it won't spike again."
"What does that mean?" Violet was puzzled.
"It's likely roseola, common in young children. They usually have a fever for about three days, then it breaks, and a rash spreads across the body," the doctor patiently explained. "Keep a close eye on his temperature at home, and you can use physical methods to reduce it. If it exceeds 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, give him Tylenol."
"And if the high fever persists, remember to bring him back immediately," the doctor added.
Violet listened intently, taking mental note of his advice.
After she and Hellen brought the kids home, they barely slept that night, waking up hourly to check his temperature, applying a cool compress if he felt hot.
This went on for a full three days.
As the doctor predicted, the fever broke on the third day and the rash appeared.
By the next day, the rash had faded, and he was completely recovered.
With Henry fever-free, Hellen called Violet to let her know she wanted to take Henry and Nicole to the local mall for a special outing.
With Violet's approval, she took the two energetic little ones to the nearby mall for some fun.
The kids were rarely seen in public to protect their privacy from the Devereux and Hall families.
At the sight of the opulent mall, the toddlers' eyes widened with wonder.
They looked around curiously with every few steps, especially Henry, especially Henry, who was a bit more rambunctious, was having the time of his life hopping around joyfully.
Hellen, holding Nicole’s hand, kept calling after him to slow down.
Henry pressed on until he reached the children's play area, where the sight of a bubble ball attraction was too tempting to resist, though a larger boy nearby didn't seem to like sharing and shoved Henry aside. But he was slight, so he just stumbled back a few steps, undeterred.
He didn't hold a grudge and went back to playing.
When the bigger boy pushed him again, Henry frowned and a scuffle broke out.
Hellen rushed over with Nicole, trying to intervene as the little chunky kid, emboldened by having an adult ally, defiantly yelled, "I'm gonna call my dad to beat you up! My dad is super tough!"
"I... I..." Henry wanted to call for his dad, but he didn't have one.
"What do you mean? Don't you have a dad?" the chunky kid snatched the plastic ball from Henry's hands with a vicious glint in his eyes and sneered, "You obviously don't have a dad."
"I..." Henry's face turned red with shame and a newfound courage he didn't know he had surged within him, pushing him to shove the bully.
As Hellen tried to intervene, the boys scuffled, and finally, the chunky kid shoved Henry away with force, taunting, "You don't have a dad; I do. I'll get my dad to finish you off."
Henry staggered back, on the verge of tears.
But then, a gentle hand suddenly patted his shoulder from behind, and before Henry could turn to see who it was, a deep and pleasant voice rang out, "Who says he doesn't have a dad?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
