Chapter 270 Matthew Falls ILL
Quentin might've looked all cold and aloof towards Matthew, but deep down, he was stoked to be sharing such a cozy moment with the kid. He hugged Matthew tight, feeling like the world was just perfect.
Quentin was a light sleeper, especially with restless Matthew next to him. The kid's feet kept kicking him awake all night. He'd look at the snoozing Matthew, feeling both annoyed and helpless.
Tonight, another kick woke Quentin up. He found himself teetering on the edge of the bed, with little Matthew sprawled out, hogging all the space.
Quentin shook his head, chuckling to himself. He was about to pull the blanket back over Matthew when he noticed red bumps all over the kid's arms and face.
He blinked, thinking he was seeing things. But nope, a quick flick of the light confirmed it—Matthew was covered in rashes, and his face was flushed. It looked pretty bad.
Panicking, Quentin shook Matthew awake. "Matthew, wake up!"
Matthew groggily opened his eyes, seeing Quentin's worried face. "Daddy, I'm so sleepy. Can I sleep a little longer??"
Quentin helped him sit up, saying, "Matthew, you're sick. We gotta get you to the hospital."
Matthew started to wake up more, scratching his arm. "Daddy, why do I have so many bumps on me?"
Quentin didn't waste time explaining. He scooped Matthew up, rushed downstairs, and got him into the car, speeding off to the hospital.
He'd already called ahead, so when they got there, they whisked Matthew straight into the examination room.
Quentin paced outside, heart pounding. What was wrong with Matthew? How did he suddenly break out in rashes? He felt like his heart was gonna leap out of his chest.
Even though Matthew was his biological son, Quentin hadn't been around much. He'd never really been involved in raising him.
Standing there, waiting, Quentin felt a wave of anxiety. For the first time, he felt like a real dad, desperate to take away all of Matthew's pain.
He kept glancing at the examination room door. Those ten minutes felt like an eternity.
The door stayed shut, so all he could do was wait, feeling more helpless by the second.
Finally, a doctor came out. Quentin rushed over. "Doc, how's my kid? Is he gonna be okay?"
Quentin's anxiety spiked again. He'd never felt so scared and helpless. Trying to compose himself, he reminded himself that the doctor hadn't provided any explanations yet.
The doctor looked at him seriously. "The blood test results are in. Your son has hives. It's not a serious issue."
Quentin couldn't believe it. "Not serious? He's covered in rashes, he's super sleepy, and he's burning up. How is that not serious? Are you a real pediatrician?"
The doc got Quentin's worry and tried to calm him down. "Look, Mr. Robinson, hives are super common in kids. Trust me, he just needs some rest and plenty of water. He'll bounce back on his own."
Quentin shot the doctor a skeptical look. If anything happened to Matthew, this doc was gonna hear about it.
Feeling the heat from Quentin's glare, the doctor started sweating bullets. He really hoped Matthew would get better soon so he wouldn't have to keep explaining himself.
Still not convinced, Quentin called in a bunch of other pediatricians. They all said the same thing. Finally, Quentin started to relax a bit. He stayed by Matthew's side, heart aching at the sight of those rashes.
'How could such a little guy go through so much?' He thought about Lauren. 'From the time Matthew was born until now, he must've been sick a bunch of times. How did Lauren, being so delicate, handle it all? Did she feel as scared and helpless as I do now?'
He found himself admiring Lauren a bit. Raising Matthew alone must've been tough.
Lauren and Jessica were similar, both raising their kids solo. And Quentin saw a lot of himself in Matthew. He had a lot of regrets about his own childhood and didn't want Matthew to go through the same stuff.
Quentin felt his heart warming up. Becoming a parent truly shifts a man's perspective. He began pondering ways to ensure Matthew's life was filled with happiness and freedom from worries.
As Quentin watched Matthew, lost in his thoughts, dawn crept up on him.
Luckily, the red rashes on Matthew's body started to fade, just like the doc said. Quentin watched him with concern, unable to look away.
The noisy hospital corridor seemed to jolt Matthew awake. He struggled to recall the events of the previous night, only remembering his arrival at the hospital and a nurse drawing his blood.Seeing Quentin sitting there, Matthew felt more at ease and asked, "Daddy, why didn't you rest?"
Quentin's eyes were full of tenderness. "You got sick. I gotta take care of you."
Matthew's face was glowing, not looking sick at all. He looked at Quentin proudly and said, "I feel much better after a good sleep."
Quentin sighed in relief. Matthew had really scared him. He'd grilled the doctor with questions last night. Without the doc's assurance that hives weren't painful, he would've been even more freaked out.
"That's good," Quentin said, adjusting Matthew's pillow and helping him sit up.
"Daddy," Matthew said, looking at Quentin seriously like he had something important to say.
Quentin stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
Matthew's eyes filled with tears. "I miss Mommy so much. She always took care of me when I was sick. I'm happy you're here too, but I haven't seen Mommy in eight days. I was scared you'd be mad, so I didn't even dare call her!"
Hearing Matthew's words, Quentin felt a pang of sadness. For a three-year-old, a mom is the most reliable person, especially since Matthew had always been with Lauren.
Now that Matthew was sick, it was natural for him to think of Lauren in his weakest moment.
Quentin didn't feel jealous. Instead, he reflected on how he shouldn't have treated Matthew so coldly these past few days.
