THE WAY WE STAY

Chapter 9

JANE'S P.O.V.

"Daddy...?"

We were in the living room with the second cup of coffee, staring cluelessly at the unattended TV show. Calista suddenly stood by the room door, swept her eyes repeatedly, probably tried to get better sight after waking up.

"Hi baby," Riley stood up and pick her. "Are you hungry?"

She cutely pointed at her tummy, which made me chuckle.

"What about spaghetti for tonight?" He kissed her cheek.

"But Cassandra is not awake yet." Calista pointed at her sister.

"Hmm?" I quickly stood up, not letting any second go wasted that could make Riley worry. "Let me check on her. You might want to-"

"We'll be in the kitchen." He nodded and carried Calista away.

I took a deep breath and started examining the little one's condition. She was still weak. That much amount of blood must have drained her whole energy. I learned that nosebleed could also cause mild fever. And I was right, Cassandra just caught a fever, though not overly high. Before telling Riley, I checked her exact temperature and texted Kim right away. I was afraid that tonight we might have to go to the hospital instead of enjoying the spaghetti.

"Kim," I answered her call.

"Is it getting worse?" She asked the important questions right away.

"She's warm. I think it's mild but she's still looking pale. And she hasn't waken up yet since this afternoon."

"She must feel sore all over her body." Kim cleared her throat nervously. "What do you think about taking her to the hospital?"

"I can talk to Riley about it." I nodded. "Any concern I should tell the doctor about?"

"I don't think so. It's just the combination of extreme heat and probably unfit condition that makes her weak. But hospital is a good idea after all."

"I'm gonna check with him and let you know when we're on it."

"Keep me posted, okay? Take care."

"Thanks Kim, bye."

I took a hand towel from the drawer, soaked it in a lukewarm water, and put it on her forehead. Cassandra moved a little, but still hugged her teddy bear tightly with closed eyes. Soon as she fell back to sleep, I made my way to the kitchen and found them boiling spaghetti.

"Hey,"

I smiled, tried to talk but stopped right away. Being their teacher, I knew the twins were always so smart at catching conversations with other people. For four-year-old kids, they were always above the average. For sure, Calista would understand my every word about Cassandra if I ever talked in front of her. So I clued Riley to have a few steps away from her.

"Is she okay?" He whispered nervously.

"Please don't panic. But she has a mild fever." I tried to smile. "I've talked to Kim and it's best to get her to the hospital. Maybe she needs a little prescription to get better."

Riley fell on his knees, almost crying. Calista definitely saw that. She walked slowly to her Daddy and have his head in her embrace. I stroked Calista's hair and kneeled with them.

"Cal, what do you think about grabbing some chocolate tonight?" I pinched her cheek.

"Chocolate?" Her doe eyes literally got bigger. "Yes!"

"We can go with Cassandra too!" I giggled with her. "Would you change with me?"

"Uh-hmm!" She excitedly took my hand. "Can I wear a very red dress like you, Miss Jane?"