"OK, OK! You got me." Kevin twisted the corners of his mouth heavily. She had been acting matured the past few days and he almost forgot her real age. He had been too comfortable thinking that she could do everything without him needing to worry. Bad, it was just now that he realized he was wrong.
What? Does it taste bad?" Leena took a tentative look at the empty bowl then shot Kevin with a questioning glare. If it really tasted terrible, how could he drain the bowl without even pausing for breath? It did not make sense at all!
Didn't you taste it?" Kevin put his coat on and wondered, 'Isn't she supposed to taste whatever she's cooking?'
"No, I didn't. Did I put too much sugar in it?" was Leena's puzzled reply. She just put a small amount of sugar. The soup shouldn't be that sweet.
I should have left some for you." Kevin said adoringly and shook his head. She might have anticipated this thing unconsciously and skipped tasting it. Lucky her! She just spared herself from drinking a terrible soup.
"Is it really that bad?" The lady cocked her head innocently. She could just imagine how the soup tasted like based on how Kevin looked.
"What do you think? You put two big pieces of ginger? How much soup were you cooking? Were you looking forward to making enough to fill our bathtub or just our casserole?" The man gave her a side glance in a defiant manner. He aimed to make her understand what was wrong when he suddenly sneezed twice. Shoot! It seemed that he did catch a cold.
"Uh! Well! I thought the more I put, the better. Isn't it?" It was then that Leena decided to use her most powerful weapon and flash her sweet smile at him. It was so effective that Kevin was instantly caught on a phase where he couldn't rebuke her anymore.
"Hey, never mind. Let's go downstairs. It's probably dinner time." There was no more discussion needed since her smile already captured him. His hand gently reached to comb her beautiful hair. He then took her hand and guided her out of their room. It was to their surprise when they met Nathan, who was coincidentally just walking out of the study at that same time.
Dad." Kevin greeted with a low voice. He never complained a bit even if his father just punished him. He was so casual with how he moved as if nothing happened.
Did you finish the running?" Nathan asked in an unnatural tone. He was silently worried about him though he wouldn't say. He wondered if he had been too harsh on him. He was his son after all and not one of his soldiers. Just like what Shannon said, this was their home and not the army base.
"Yes!" Kevin had already been used to his strict father, thus, he did not feel anything unnatural at all. It was Leena who had sensed the slight changes in Nathan. The old man looked like he was masking his concern with his solid voice. It came to Leena that Nathan loved Kevin regardless of how strict he was. It was probably because he wasn't accustomed to expressing his feelings thus his voice sounded unnatural to her ear.
"Kevin, are you alright?" Claire also walked downstairs. She was a bit surprised to see a refreshed Kevin. She had imagined her brother lying on the bed and quivering under the quilt.
"Are you expecting that I'm not alright?" Kevin cast a side glance at his sister coldly. He then looked at Louisa before focusing his attention on Leena. He carefully watched how the expression on her beautiful face changed.
"No, I'm not. I'm just curious. Plus, who are you by the way? You are the youngest and most promising Major General in S city. I doubt it if this rain even affected you." Claire was smiling as she teased and praised his brother at the same time.
"Stop flattering me anymore. It doesn't work on me," replied Kevin and rubbed his nose. He was getting a bit uncomfortable and couldn't help sneezing.
"Did you catch a cold?" Worry laced Leena's voice when she turned to Kevin. He had sneezed back in the bedroom but she had not taken it seriously at that time. It was different now because he had been doing it randomly for a while. It made her uneasy.
"No, I have a strong body. Don't worry." Kevin smiled to comfort her. It was unfortunate that his promise did not last long because his fever was confirmed in the evening.
Leena didn't have any clue that he was that sick until the heat from his burning body woke her up. She worriedly reached out to feel his temperature and immediately drew back. She moved and turned the bedside lamp on in a rush.
Kevin, wake up. You said you're strong, right?" Leena shook his body slightly as she attempted to wake him up. Her anxiousness was being blown up with every second that passed by.
"What should I do? We're not in S city now and I can't just call Tom to come here." She didn't think of asking help from her parents-in-law and automatically thought of Tom who was far away. He was honestly the first person that came into her mind. They had known each other for years and he had always cared for her as their doctor.
She never had any experience in taking care of someone sick. She was panicking and was in a complete mess. She ran to the bathroom, took a wet towel to make a cold compress, then carefully placed it on Kevin's forehead. She knew she needed to lower his temperature.
It was to her depression though that her attempt didn't work and Kevin started convulsing in a minute. It made her run downstairs in a hurry without even wrapping herself with her coat. Her palm was beginning to get cold due to how anxious she was.
Leena did not have the time to be polite anymore as she was in an emergency case. She stood at their parents' room and knocked on the door continuously. It was their place and they were more familiar with it if they needed to find a doctor for Kevin. She didn't care anymore if her actions were rude. She would wake them up no matter what as Kevin needed help.