Yuna Inspired: Our Virtual Family

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"Daddy Hugo!" Lucas exclaimed when Hugo opened the door for him. He leaped into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to speak to your mom." Hugo walked Lucas back into the house, closed the door behind him, and locked it. "Where is she?"

"She's cleaning." Lucas ran to sit on the couch and grabbed the remote. "Have you seen this where the dinosaur lost her baby and she had to find it?" It was the animal discovery channel, and he was extremely obsessed with it, especially with dinosaurs.

"I haven't. How did the baby get lost?" He joined the boy on the couch. "Did another dinosaur get it?"

Lucas shook his head and with his eyes lowered in sadness, he explained, "The mommy dinosaur didn't want the baby because it was injured and too small. But later, the mommy dinosaur missed the baby and went back to search for it." He puckered his lips. "I feel sad for the baby because his mommy didn't want him."

Hugo winced at the young boy's empathy. The story sounded quite similar to a situation he knew, and feeling uncomfortable about it, he fidgeted in his seat as the boy continued.

"Why can't the mommy love the baby, or did the baby do something wrong?"

Although they were rhetorical questions from a little boy, Hugo felt obliged to answer, but he couldn't find an answer.

Because it was a sensitive subject for him.

"Hugo." Hana popped out from the hallway with latex gloves, a surgical mask, and a vented goggle. Her hair was in a high bun, and she had on a polo shirt and loose denim ankle-length jeans. "Sorry, I didn't know that you're here." She went to the kitchen to dispose of her latex gloves. "If you haven't eaten, I've made dinner." She went to the sink and washed her hands. "I made ketchup and miso stir-fried pork and cabbage, and for dessert, there are sweet potato mont blanc cupcakes."

"Thanks, but I had dinner with Kevin and his friends already."

She stepped out of the kitchen with two yellow cupcakes in her hand. One of the cupcakes didn't have a swirled frosting like the other. She gave the one with frosting to Hugo. "I'm sure you have room for dessert."

He took it and thanked her.

"Lucas, want to share with mommy?" She took a bite and gave the rest to her son.

Hugo bit a part of the cupcake, and his eyes expanded with wonder. "Where did you buy this?"

"I made it with the sweet potatoes you brought last week. Is it okay?"

"It's delicious. I've said it in the past and I'll say it again, but I think you should open a bakery. Or a restaurant. Anything related to food because you're very creative with your cooking. You're not afraid to try different things. Like your toast and marshmallow combination I had for breakfast that one time."

"Thanks, but being a pediatrician's probably better for me." She gently patted Lucas on the head, and Hugo understood and knew why.

It was because of Lucas's Kawasaki disease.

She became a pediatrician for Lucas because she didn't have a dream career. The only thing she knew and was confident about was, sadly, anything related to babies. But she didn't want to have anything to do with babies because she was tired of being around them after having been a virtual mother to her nieces and nephews. Her decision changed when after she left Logan and had to change colleges because she and Lucas had moved cities. She and Hugo talked about her future and when she told Hugo of it, he brought up the subject of being a pediatrician. It may be dealing with kids and she might not want it, but he had advised her that to end a fear, you had to face it.