Maria turned over and held Bob's little hand. "Bob's fever scared me just now, because it reminded me of Arthur." So that was why she overreacted.
James' gloom started to ebb away and his eyes softened. He took her hand in his.
Maria continued in a soft voice. "One night when Arthur was three months old, he had a fever like Bob does now, but worse. His temperature was 39.5 degrees Celsius and he started having seizures. At the time, the maid wasn't present, and Dad wasn't at home either. Judy definitely wasn't going to help me."
It was the first time she had ever encountered such a situation and was on the verge of breaking down.
She had called for the ambulance in a panic, watching helplessly as Arthur writhed and vomited.
Fortunately, two minutes later, the seizures stopped and she finally heaved a sigh of relief.
James held her hand tightly and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where was I back then?"
She shook her head. "I'm not sure, maybe in the office -but I didn't dare to call you. I was afraid that if you didn't pick up, I'd be more disappointed."
Her words broke his heart. James got up and sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her. "Mia, I'm so sorry."
He owed her and Arthur an apology.
'Mia...' Maria smiled to herself, snuggling into his embrace. It was nice to hear him call her that.
His voice sounded above her head. "Let's have another child. Give me a chance to make it up to you, okay?"
She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, but she said nothing.
Why did he have to make it up to her? Was it because he felt guilty about Arthur? But Arthur was gone already. What was the use? Arthur would never be able to feel the love of his father.
When James didn't get an answer, he didn't say anything more. Nevertheless, he was determined to make it up to her, one way or another.
He had never considered Maria in his plans for the future. But things were different now.
Just then, a nurse came in with a basin of water and a towel to wipe Bob's frail little body. Maria took them both from her and wiped Bob herself, with James helping on the side.
Seeing how careful and tender the woman was towards the baby, he once again regretted that he didn't see her do these things for their son when he was still alive.
James didn't sleep a wink that night. Maria, on the other hand, had bouts of slumber. She would toss and turn, waking up every now and then whenever the baby stirred. To Maria's disappointment, Bob's high fever hadn't gone down yet.
Early in the morning of the next day, as Maria was finally falling into a deep sleep, a nurse came in to draw some blood from the little boy.
Maria suddenly woke up when the nurse wheeled in some instruments.
Then the nurse said, "Sir, please carry your son, and ma'am, please hold up his little hand."
James and Maria exchanged glances, but neither spoke up to correct the nurse. Instead, they simply did what the nurse asked them to do.
Truth be told, Maria didn't speak up because Bob was indeed James' son. James, on the other hand, kept silent only because Maria did, too.
The moment the needle pricked Bob's finger, the baby started to stir uneasily. After a few seconds, he finally realized he was in pain and opened his mouth wide, howling piteously.
Maria held his little hand tightly to comfort him. "Shh, everything will be okay. Good boy, don't cry!"
Fortunately, the nurse was fast and was able to draw the blood she needed in a jiffy.
When it was over, Maria held a cotton swab and pressed it on Bob's pinprick wound, while James patted the baby's back gently. The two of them made a great team.
While packing up her stuff, the nurse said pleasantly, "You two seem to love each other so much. I've seen many babies here at the hospital, but they're only ever accompanied by their mothers. Your child is lucky to have both his parents accompany him."
Touched beyond belief, Maria was at a loss for words.
"Thank you," said James flatly.
The nurse smiled. "You're welcome. Anyway, the doctor said that the test would be viewed as urgent and the results would be available sooner. Please don't worry. Also, please feed the baby some antipyretic later."
"Okay."
When the nurse was gone, Maria turned to the man holding the baby. "Why didn't you explain to her?”
Raising his eyebrows, James retorted, "Why didn't you?"
Maria opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Why would she have to explain? The baby was indeed theirs!
"Since you like him so much," James started to say, pausing for a moment, "why don't we adopt him?"
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