Hearing Claire talk that way, Gerard's heart sank. There was nothing he could do to change the fact. All he could do was try and make the future brighter. He smiled bitterly about her enthusiasm. He could do nothing else, except shaking his head sadly.
Claire, are you close to Gerard?" Belinda asked. She saw Gerard and Claire talking back and forth. They seemed to know each other.
"Not too close. We only met once. Why?" Claire smiled gently. She felt nervous in front of the gang. Edward, Duke, and the rest of them were so different from her friends. Everyone here acted in a decent and elegant way. They were comfortable around each other. They even teased each other. They were nothing like her friends. Those friends of hers could only bully other people and let their parents clean up their mess. Her friends were rude, to boot.
"Oh! I see! I thought you were old friends, considering the way you were carrying on." Belinda smiled as she looked at Claire and Gerard. Then she turned to Daisy and whispered in her ear.
Slow down, Kevin! You know what too much spicy food does to you!" There was worry in Leena's tone. Lee told her about Kevin's issues with indigestion. Spicy food seemed to be the trigger.
Don't worry, babe. I can take care of myself." Kevin comforted Leena, or at least tried to. He knew his limits well, and no one was more careful about his health than him.
"Leena's right. I would have forgotten about your indigestion problem if she didn't mention it. Kevin, you really should take care of yourself. No more tummy aches. And remember to take the pills with you. It's not good to forget them." After all, Daisy had worked with Kevin for several years. She knew about all his quirks, including his health issues. Sometimes, it was impossible to ignore.
"Oh, is it serious?" Tom looked at Kevin curiously. Kevin looked strong and ought to be healthy, at least as far as he was concerned. But, of course, he couldn't know everything.
'No, just a minor stomach ulcer. Nothing serious." Kevin replied casually. He had a devil-may-care attitude about it. But the truth was, he didn't know how serious it truly was. He didn't have regular checkups at a medical center. The ulcer might have gotten worse thanks to his unhealthy habits.
"Hey, stop by sometime. We could check it out. Pain is a sign that something is wrong." Tom wouldn't care so much about Kevin, but this was the man who was to spend his whole life together with Leena. Tom wanted Leena to have a healthy and long lived husband to take care of her. That was why he said this.
Okay, I'll go if I have time. Thanks, doctor." Kevin knew it would be rude to refuse, so he said yes.
"Ha! It looks like we're in the same boat! You're afraid of Tom, too! That's why you always remind yourself that he's a doctor." Belinda found it funny that Kevin called Tom "doctor." After all, they were all family now. There was no need for Kevin to be too formal.
"Well, am I scary?" Tom looked at Belinda and asked, laughing as he did so. He didn't understand where her fear came from. Why would anyone be afraid of him? His job was to save lives, not take them.
"No, you're not scary, Tom. But no one likes going to the doctor," Leena answered Tom's question. She felt the same way Belinda did.
"Okay, so all of you have 'doctorphobia'. Nice." Tom knew Leena was always reluctant to go to the hospital and he knew why. But why did Belinda not want to go?
"Not me. I'm not afraid of you at all. I'm just a busy man. Who has time for doctor visits?" Kevin said in a confident way. He was a soldier. After all the things he had suffered from, he was not afraid of a doctor at all. A needle here and there, and cameras, MRIs, X-rays. None of that came close to getting shot.
You'd better get checked out by a doctor soon. If you don't feel like it, do it for Leena." Duke glanced at Kevin coldly. 'For Leena's sake, Kevin really needs to take care of himself. He can't avoid hospitals his whole life,' he thought.
"You're right. I'll check my calendar and figure out when I can make it." Kevin knew it was Leena that Duke really cared about. Duke didn't give a fig about him, but he knew Kevin made Leena happy. And her happiness was all Duke wanted.
"Men are way more complicated than women. If we care about someone, we just say it. But you guys don't. You rationalize a lot to hide your true feelings. You explain things too much, and end up looking foolish." Belinda rolled her eyes at Duke. Even though he was her husband, she still couldn't understand why he was so indirect. Why couldn't he just come out and say things, instead of beating around the bush?
Duke squinted his eyes and looked at Belinda. 'Good. She must have forgotten how much of an animal I am in bed. That's why she said that. Well, tonight she'll know. She'll pay for mocking me.'
"Belinda, have some fish! It's brain food." Leena made fun of Belinda. She wondered why Belinda was razzing Duke so much tonight.
"Thanks, I -- Hey! Are you implying I'm stupid? I'll make you eat those words later!" Belinda said that in a huff. 'Leena and Duke are really family. One teases me at home, and the other makes fun of me in public. Did they reach an agreement to bully me? Like sister, like brother...'
Implying? No. My bro was unhappy. Yet you kept teasing him. I'm not sure what you'd call that," Leena said in an innocent way. 'What's wrong with just stating the truth?'