Neptune

Chapter 48 | The Cure

C A S S I E

Aiden finishes the cream soup that I feed him. He grins after taking the last spoon of his dinner, and a smile touches my lips as I put the bowl back on the tray.

"It tastes super delicious," he says.

I feel relieved that he's back to his cheerful self. It's like the accident never happened. How can this be possible?

After I help him drink the water, he sighs in satisfaction. "I'm so full."

"That's good to hear," I say tenderly. "Because after this, you need to rest again and recharge your energy," I remind him even though he doesn't look sick anymore.

I help him lie back on his bed and pull the cover over him. Aiden smiles as I stroke his hair, while Luke watches us with the same smile on his face.

"I'll teach you how to swim," Luke says to Aiden. "Next time, you won't have to be afraid of drowning."

"I'm not afraid of drowning." Aiden pouts, irritation in his voice.

"So, you're not afraid of water?" Luke challenges him.

"No way," Aiden says. "Water fears me, not the other way around."

Wow. That's some spirit for a boy who was drowning. I watch him intently, while Luke playfully raises his eyebrows at Aiden.

"Can't you see it?" Aiden insists. "I was choking from drinking too much of it. It was nasty. It felt horrible, and I was angry," he says in disgust, and my heart beats faster, unable to hear him going through the pain anymore. "But then the next thing I knew, I was floating toward the surface and...bam! I was back on the ground. How cool was that?" Now his voice is filled with enthusiasm.

I stare at him blankly—I never thought that he would remember the accident that way. But it's definitely a good thing.

Amusement crosses Luke's expression.

"I see," he says, playing along with Aiden. "So, you're saying that we have some kind of a superhero in the house?"

"I'm a Poseidon," Aiden states, passion laced in every word.

And I can't help but chuckle lightly.

"Still, a Poseidon should know how to swim," Luke says. "You'll have a swimming lesson with me from now on, every weekend. Understand?"

Aiden's lips form into a thin line, contemplating whether he should agree or not. Maybe he wonders why a Poseidon should learn how to swim, because he should rule the water.

Nevertheless, he answers in a small voice, "Okay."

I kiss his temple. "That's my boy."

Aiden grins, while I adjust the bed cover closer to his chest.

"Sleep tight, Aiden," I soothe, brushing my fingers against his hair, praying that he won't have any nightmare like I did.

Aiden closes his eyes, looking contented as I keep stroking his hair. I feel like I could do this every night—wishing him good night and sweet dreams before he goes to bed.

It feels so natural to me. How strange.

When Aiden starts to drift off, Luke's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. "You should eat too. You need to recover too, Cassie."

I look at my dinner prepared on the rolling food tray and sigh before pulling it closer to me. As he said, I need to recharge my energy too.

When I quietly finish my meal, the sudden pain in my head attacks me again, and I feel like throwing up.