When Leena woke up, it was almost noon. When she opened her eyes, she was not prepared for the blinding sunlight coming through the window. She didn't expect the weather to be so pleasant today, since it had been raining last night.
Turning to her side, she reached out to touch Kevin's forehead. It still felt a bit warm, but was much better than last night, when he was burning hot. Fortunately, it appeared that he would get better soon.
Leena got out of bed quietly and walked over to the bathroom to freshen up. After that she went downstairs, wanting to make some porridge for Kevin. She knew he would be hungry when he woke up. However, much to her surprise, she didn't have to worry on that matter. Shannon had already asked Maud to cook some porridge for her son, and it was still warm in the pot.
"Leena, eat some snacks. You must be hungry. Lunch will be ready in a minute." Shannon looked at Leena's tired face and felt sorry for her. She must have stayed up late looking after Kevin, or she would not have been this tired after a morning's sleep. She truly was a good wife and daughter-in-law.
"I don't need snacks. Thank you, Mom. I will wait for lunch. I was about to cook some porridge for Kevin but since you already did that, I will go and see if he is awake or not. He should come downstairs and eat something before taking his medicine." Leena smiled gently at her mother-in-law. She didn't want to eat first, although she was indeed hungry. Leena was still worried for Kevin and wanted to make sure he was well.
"All right, lunch is almost ready. Go ahead." Shannon smiled back at her daughter-in-law, her eyes full of appreciation. She was happy that Leena was so considerate and cared so much about her son.
Kevin had woken up the moment Leena left the room. Although he was still quite tired, he did not feel as weak as he had been this morning. He got out of bed and moved to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Right when he was about to go downstairs, Leena, who was running upstairs in a hurry, knocked into him.
Leena, where are you running to?" Kevin backed up a few steps to steady himself and Leena, so that they didn't end up on the ground. Being ill really sucked. He felt tired and weak. If he had not been sick, he would not have needed to retreat his steps to balance the two of them. Right now, he didn't even have the strength to support Leena by himself.
"Ah! Kevin, you are already up. Sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?" Leena touched her nose, feeling a bit embarrassed that Kevin had seen her like this. She looked up at Kevin with eyes brimming with delight. He was better! That made her very happy.
"I am not so fragile that I'd shatter like glass. One knock won't break me." Kevin patted down her hair which had become a bit messy. It was probably because she ran upstairs and knocked into him.
"But you are still ill. Oh, come on, go downstairs and eat some porridge. You must be starving. I will go to the bedroom and bring your medicines to you after you finish it." It looked like Leena took Dr. Pei's instructions very seriously. She insisted that Kevin take his medicines at the right time.
"No need to get them. I'll just come upstairs again and take them later." Kevin didn't wait for her reply. He just took her hand and pulled Leena with him. The two of them went downstairs together. He didn't want to listen to her ridiculous excuses anymore. He only wanted her by his side.
Kevin's cold had hit him quick, but it also abated rapidly. Before they left for S City, Kevin had almost fully recovered and returned to his normal self. There was something unusual about their journey this time, as there were two additional people in the car with them. One was Louisa, and the other was Claire, who had pleaded to come with them and was determined to get what she wanted. Shannon didn't allow her to come with them at first, but Claire was very good at persuading her. Her mother had to finally relent and let her go in the end.
The three women sat in the backseat of the car. It was quite obvious that Leena felt left out. She seemed very bored and didn't want to start a conversation with the other two. She looked outside the window and watched the scenery pass by. Beside her, Claire was having a good time, talking and laughing along with Louisa. They were chattering about wanting to go shopping when they arrived in S City. Girls would be girls! It was normal for them to talk about such things. Leena had a small smile on her face as she listened to them. However, she didn't interject.
"Leena, here, drink some water." Kevin handed the bottle of warm water to Leena, who was sitting in the backseat. His mother had given him the bottle before they left. She told him to keep it with him, since he had just recovered from his cold and shouldn't be upsetting his stomach again. She had put the large bottle in his car.
"I'm not thirsty. You should be the one drinking more water. You only just got better. You are not even fully recovered yet." Leena frowned. She did not want to drink the warm water Kevin's mother had specifically prepared for him.
"That's all right. There's plenty of water. I see that your lips are chapped. You must need it. Just drink some!" Kevin almost begged her. He could tell how lonely Leena felt on this journey, since the two women who sat beside her didn't talk to her unless it was to mock her. There were a lot of people in this car, and he was sitting in the front, so it was not a good time to say something reassuring to her even though he so badly wanted to.
"Her lips are not chapped. Kevin, you are being unfair! Why don't you ask Louisa and me to drink the water too?" Claire pursed her lips. She was being childish again. She really did not like seeing her brother getting affectionate with Leena. In her opinion, Leena didn't deserve her brother at all. She hoped Leena would leave her brother soon, so Claire could help Louisa get Kevin.
"Claire, are you thirsty? Here, have some water." Upon hearing Claire's words, Leena immediately handed the bottle of water to her. She was not angry at her. After all, she had spent some days with Claire, and was used to her sarcasm. Leena was still her usual kind and considerate self.