Chapter 298 High Fever
Fiona was almost fully recovered.
After Darwin had left, she decided to discharge herself from the hospital.
Returning home, she received a vehicle inspection report sent by Darwin.
"If the investigator is thorough enough, determining the cause of Anniston's death might prove challenging. It will probably be closed as an accidental case," Janna said, removing her reading glasses.
Fiona shared the same thoughts.
The person she suspected had lived among the European elite for years, likely witnessing all sorts of dirty tricks. It wouldn't be surprising if she had learned a thing or two herself.
Now, she just needed some crucial evidence before going directly to Darwin with her suspicions, but...
"Mommy!"
While speaking, Chicago ran over, pitter-pattering with little feet.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Fiona moved to embrace Chicago.
But Chicago sidestepped.
Her brother had informed her that morning that mom had hurt her knee recently and shouldn't be picked up.
"Mommy! I saw Darwin on TV!" Chicago's little face was flushed with urgency, "The news lady said Darwin's mom drowned, waaah, what do we do Mommy, Darwin's mom drowned!"
Fiona frowned and strode toward the living room.
The TV was already off, and Burl stood there like someone who had committed a grave sin, "Sis, I was just watching the news. How was I to know... that the international news channel would broadcast something like that..."
Chicago came running out after them.
Burl hurried over and picked up the sobbing Chicago, "Sweetie, Darwin's mom was a bad person, and she wasn't nice to Darwin, so there's no need to be sad. Stop crying, and Uncle will take you out for some delicious ice cream, okay?"
"Burl!"
Fiona was at her wit's end.
"What now?" Burl asked, confused.
Fiona simply didn't know what to say.
Fiona felt helpless; Burl hadn't lied, but he shouldn't have said such things to little Chicago.
"Uncle's a liar!" Chicago cried before Fiona could explain, pushing at Burl's face, struggling to avoid his embrace.
"Sweetie, Uncle didn't lie. If you don't believe me, ask Mommy," Burl tried to reassure her.
"Lies! All lies! There's no mommy in the world who doesn't love her baby. Uncle's a liar!" Chicago's sobs grew louder.
Fiona walked over, took Chicago from Burl, and signaled him to leave quickly. Burl, looking disheartened, reluctantly trudged upstairs, looking back with every step he took.
After Fiona soothed Chicago for a bit, she finally stopped crying. Chicago wiped her tears and, with a choked voice, said she wanted to call Darwin.
Fiona, checking the time, knew Darwin would be busy and suggested, "How about we call him later? Darwin might be tied up with something right now."
Chicago nodded through sniffles and then hugged Fiona's neck, crying softly. In her mind, nothing in the world was sadder than losing a mother. Without her mom, she couldn't imagine going on. To Chicago, her mommy was more essential than air itself.
In the evening, when Fiona figured Darwin would be available, she let Chicago call him. The phone connected, and Chicago Ashton began, "Good evening, Darwin, did you have dinner?"
Darwin's voice came through with immediate laughter, "Good evening, Chicago. Yes, Darwin had dinner. What about you?"
After a slightly formal exchange, the father and daughter began to chat. Near the end of the conversation, Chicago mentioned something significant, "Darwin, Mommy said since I received your gift, I need to give something back. I'm already preparing it—next time we meet, I'll have something for you!"
"Great, thank you, Chicago. Darwin is looking forward to it."
"Mhm!"
"Good night, Chicago. Sleep tight," Darwin said.
"Good night, Darwin!"
"Good night, Chicago."
With the call ended, Chicago, like a little adult, let out a long sigh of relief.
"Do you feel better now?" Fiona pinched her little cheek gently.
Chicago nodded and then quickly shook her head, "Happy and sad—at the thought of Darwin being without a mommy in the future, I feel very upset."
Fiona softly stroked her head. "Chicago, would you like Darwin to be your daddy?" she whispered.
Chicago's eyes lit up instantly, "Is that possible?"
Taking creative liberties, this English version captures the essence of the original text while adjusting cultural references to fit an American context. The dialogues are natural and simple, ensuring the translation feels like it was written by a native English speaker, and potential misunderstandings for American readers have been removed or reworded.
"Maybe." Fiona said with an enigmatic smile.
"Would Mommy be happy though?" Chicago hesitated before asking cautiously, "I really like Darwin, but I like Mommy more. I just want Mommy to be happy. Uncle Burl said there are so many men in the world, and Mommy has to choose one that makes her happy!"
Ah, Burl again...
She was tempted to march upstairs, grab Burl by the ear, and show him the impact of what he'd been teaching the child!
"Little one, you've got a lot on your mind!" Fiona tapped her nose gently, " Off you go for a bath with Wendy. Mommy's going to check on your brother."
Charles hadn’t come downstairs since she returned.
Fiona approached the study, knocked, but there was no answer. She pushed the door open gently and found the room empty, which puzzled her.
Normally, if Charles wasn't in the living room reading or playing games, he would be in the study.
After closing the door softly, Fiona went to the children's room. On Charles's bed, she saw a fuzzy little head.
"Stayed up late again, huh?" she murmured to herself.
She planned to leave, but then, realizing she hadn't seen Charles for several days, she went back and kissed his forehead. As she did, her smile faded.
Frowning, she felt his forehead again.
Burning hot.
"Charles!" Fiona quickly lifted the covers, picking him up and calling his name.
Charles did wake up.
Lying on Fiona's shoulder, he looked weak: "Mommy, when did you get back?”
"Son, you've got a fever!" said Fiona, stroking his back with concern, "When did you start feeling unwell? Why didn’t you tell anyone?"
Eyes closed, Charles said, "I felt sleepy after breakfast. I didn't feel sick..."
Fiona carried Charles downstairs.
Burl, hearing Fiona's voice, hurried down as well.
"What's wrong?"
"Charles has a fever," Fiona said gravely.
Burl rushed over, "Sis, let me hold him. You need to be careful with your knee."
But Fiona wouldn’t let go.
Once in the living room, Janna and the others hurried over.
Burl grabbed the ear thermometer in a panic; it read 103.1 degrees.
Fiona's face turned pale in an instant.
"Charles, honey, Mommy is taking you to the hospital right now!" As she spoke, she carried Charles toward the elevator.
Just then, as they passed the main entrance, Dagmar walked in.
"What happened to Charles?"
He didn’t even remove his shoes as he rushed forward.
"He's got a high fever, 103.1 degrees, I'm taking him to the hospital now."
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