THEA
I smiled as I walked into the cafe where I would be meeting my bestfriends, Celine and Tony. The thought of finally meeting them again was really exciting me. I hadn't met them for nearly 2 years ever since they moved to NYC. We facetimed every once in a while but it wasn't the same with meeting them in person.
Arthur surprised me this morning by saying he had talked to Tony and Celine the other day that they were in town for a few days. He noticed I had been weary being in the house all day so he suggested I should go out and spend the day with my bestfriends. And he would take care of the kids while I was away.
I spotted the two of them and my smile turned into a huge grin. They hadn't changed much. Celine cut her beautiful blonde long hair short, Tony had grown a beard. It was definitely a new look on him, I had never seen him having beard.
Celine was the first to notice me, she beamed as she pulled me into hug. "Thea! I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you too, Celine." I pulled away and hugged Tony next to her. "Missed you too, Tony. You grew a beard."
He chuckled. "Yeah, wanted to try a new look."
"That suits you, really."
We all sat down and ordered lunch. After the waiter left to take our orders, we were lost in a conversation.
"So, how's life in NYC?"
Celine and Tony had been dating for nearly 3 years. It still didn't sit right with me how they found love after so many years of being bestfriends, not to mention the years of gap of losing contact to each others but I was glad that they found love.
Tony had proposed to Celine a few months ago, though they haven't decided when they were going to get married.
"Seriously, I still can't believe that you two are together now. It's just.." I trailed.
"Unexpected?" Celine asked.
"Crazy?" Tony asked.
I chuckled. "Unexpectedly crazy, yeah that's the words. I'd have never thought that you two would find love."
Not when Celine was in a serious relationship with Harry, her ex-boyfriend, for 6 years. And definitely not when Tony told me he was engaged once. But here they were, fate brought them together.
"I don't either, but it happened." Celine smiled as she looked at her fiancé. "I guess a part of me trusts him with my heart."
Tony growled. "A part of you? Woman, you're gonna marry me sooner or later. You should've trusted me 99%."
I hid my grin. "Why the 1%?"
"That 1% should probably watch out for when I do crazy things, like.. super crazy," he gave us a knowing look. "Remember when I told you I would pet a grizzly bear when I see one next time? Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
Celine and I burst into laugh. In all seriousness, Tony was crazy enough to do crazy things. The man has no fear but dragonfly. One time, a dragonfly landed on his nose, he freaked out and knocked over a library's antique vase. After the whole mess, he claimed he was just surprised that something landed on his nose, but it turned out he looked into the dragonfly's terrifying eyes from up close. He had hated dragonflies ever since.
"I would love to see you try, but at the same time I don't want to lose you from trying to pet a grizzly bear." I said in between my laugh.
Imagine your bestfriend was crazy enough to pet a grizzly bear?
"Yeah, I would hate to see that pretty face has a massive scratch from trying to do so, though it sounds tempting." Celine grinned while she nudged his arm.
"Very funny," he shook his head. "Anyway, how's my nephews?"
Tony and Celine had met Josh and the twins a few times. Let's just say, Tony had a soft spot on them, especially Aaron. The first time he saw them, Aaron ran straight into his arms. That's Aaron for you, he loves everyone he sees.
"They are all good. You guys better come visit them in the house if you have time."
"Of course, we will stop by after this."
Just as he said that, my phone vibrated on the table. It was a video call from Arthur, I answered instantly. Instead of Arthur's face, it was the twins who appeared on the screen.
"Mummy!" they said in unison.
"Hey babies, how are you?"
Hearing them, Celine and Tony scooted over so they could see the screen too.
"Look who are with mummy now.." I pointed my phone at my bestfriends. The twins instantly beamed with joys.
"Uncle Tony!"
"Aunt Celine!"
"Hey guys!"
I chuckled as both Aaron and Alaric fought their way to dominate the screen. I let Tony and Celine spoke to them as I finished my lunch. I heard Aaron asking them when they were going to visit them, and Tony promised them to stop by when we got home.
After a while, Tony handed me back my phone and Arthur was on the screen now. He was sitting on the floor in the twins's bedroom, hair tousled up from playing. I smiled at the view, even at 32 he still looked the same when we first got married.
"Hey there, you look a mess."
"Yeah, the kids won't let me off. I was basically attacked with pillows and toys."
I chuckled. "You guys must have had so much fun without me."
"Oh we definitely have." he grinned.
I rolled my eyes playfully. "Have you guys eaten lunch?"
"We have. I ordered takeaways just an hour ago, we just finished eating now when Aaron asked me to call you."
"Oh, what did he ask for me? Is he not feeling good?"
"No, don't worry, darling. He's fine. Go have fun as long as you want, okay?"
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "I'm sure, darling. We're fine. I'll put the twins into bed for nap after this."
"Okay then. Give them a kiss from me, please."
"Will do," he said as he stood up. "I'm gonna hang up, okay? I love you, my darling."
I smiled. "I love you too, babe. Bye."
He ended the video call as I put my phone on the table. Both Tony and Celine grinned at me, I looked at them in question.
Celine beamed. "You both are so in love, I'm so happy for you Thea."
"Thank you. I really do love him so much, he and the kids are my source of happiness."
I do feel grateful everyday for the life and the family I have. While Arthur and I sometimes had our little fights, we always had our way to make up and forgive each others. And no matter how different our life turned to be after we had kids, we never forgot to show each others love. We were not only focused on the kids, we focused on ourselves too.
"Hey, wanna do something fun?" Tony asked as soon as we finished our lunch.
Both Celine and I looked at each others. When Tony said something fun, it only meant 1 thing: trouble.
__________
Turned out, Tony's 'fun' idea was not actually a trouble. In fact, it was fun and exciting.
Once we left the cafe, we headed to the park where we usually hung out when we were young. We laid down on the grass and reminisced our high school memories. It was nice to remember the good days during our friendship years ago.
Then Tony started petting any dogs and cats that walked past us, even the one Great Dane who ran with its owner. It was the biggest dog I have ever seen in my entire life, I was a bit scared when it approached us but the Great Dane was so gentle with us.
"What do you think about adopting a Great Dane when we get home?" Tony asked Celine while he pet the dog.
Celine looked unsure. "Uh no offence, but I'd rather we adopt a smaller dog, like a Pomeranian, a Poodle, or a Cihuahua."
"Jesus, woman, Cihuahuas are evils."
I laughed. It was true, Cihuahuas are known to be one of the most aggressive dog breeds ever. I was almost attacked by one back in high school, and I was not a fan of it.
"Okay, no Cihuahua then."
My phone suddenly vibrated in my jacket's pocket. I pulled it out to see that Elisa had called me, I immediately answered it.
"Hey, Ma. How are you?"
"Thea, where are you?"
I frowned as I heard her tone of voice and instantly became alert with the panic behind her voice. "I'm outside with my friends. Are you okay?"
"It's Arthur and the kids. They got food-poisoning. Come over in the hospital."
My heart raced at the mention of my kids and my husband got food-poisoning. I thanked my mother in law and told her I would be there as soon as possible.
I ended the call and told my friends that I had to call it a day. I told them the kids and Arthur were rushed into the hospital.
"Come on, we'll come with you to the hospital."
We abandoned the park immediately and called a taxi. I told the driver the name of the hospital and so he drove.
The drive was quiet. I closed my eyes and held my hands, silently praying for my family to be okay. I was beyond worried. Food-poisoning could be dangerous, especially that the kids were still so young and their immune systems haven't developed fully.
We finally arrived in the hospital, I paid for the taxi and quickly rushed inside to the room Elisa had told me. We found the room, Celine and Tony stopped behind me.
"We will wait for you, we're not leaving you, okay?"
"They're gonna be okay, Thea. Promise."
I nodded my head, grateful that they were here with me. I opened the door and the first thing I saw was my kids and my husband, laying down on each of their beds. Elisa was nowhere to be seen.
Aaron, Josh, and Arthur were sleeping, Alaric looked over as I walked in.
"Mummy.."
Tears swelled in my eyes as his hands tried to reach me. I immediately got to his bed, carefully pulled him into hug. My baby looked scared.
"I'm here, baby. I'm so sorry." I kissed his forehead, tears began to fall from my eyes.
"Mummy, my stomach hurts."
My heart broke as he said that. I ran my hand over his flat stomach, hoping it would lessen the pain. He looked so pale.
"It will get better, baby, I promise."
Alaric just nodded his head then closed his eyes. I kissed forehead one more time before I moved to Aaron's bed just beside him. He was peacefully sleeping, but he looked pale just like Alaric. I kissed his forehead and caressed his cheek.
Josh was awake by the time I moved to his bed. He looked pale too but smiled as he saw me.
"Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, I'm a tough guy."
I smiled at his words and kissed his forehead. "I know you are. But you will tell me if you feel sick, promise?"
"Promise. Dad's the worst though," he jerked his head towards Arthur. "He threw up a lot in the house."
I looked over to see my sleeping husband, my heart broke, once again, seeing as he looked awfully pale. I moved to his bed, cupping his face gently before planting a soft kiss on his lips.
Arthur rarely got sick, he took a good care of his health. The worst he got sick was having a high fever that one time. Seeing that he was here, in the hospital bed had me worried.
As if he could feel me kissing him, his eyes slowly opened. A smile playing on his face as he saw me.
"Darling.." he brought his hand to my cheek, stroking it gently.
"Hey my love, I'm so sorry for what happened. I should've been there."
"It's not your fault, darling, don't blame yourself."
I closed his hand with my hand. "What happened?"
"I think it was the takeaways, I'm not sure," he let out a sigh. "It started when I was playing a video game with Josh, I felt nauseous. Then I heard Alaric crying. I went to check on him to find him clutching his stomach like he was in pain. Aaron on the other hand, threw up on the floor, and I think that was what triggered me, I started to throw up as well. I didn't really remember what happened during the time, I was busy throwing all stomach out, Josh walked in telling me his stomach hurt too. I told him to call my mum, and within 20 minutes, mum and dad came and brought us all to the hospital."
I couldn't imagine how they felt at the time. I was lucky I wasn't there, but I felt bad too that I wasn't there to watch over them.
"I'm so sorry. What did the doctor say about all of you? Will you be okay?"
"I don't know, really, I was still so nauseous I couldn't exactly hear what the doctor said."
I sighed, rubbing his hand with my hand. "How are you feeling now? Are you still nauseous?"
He shrugged. "A bit, but I'm sure I'll feel better now that you are here."
That made me smile. Even when he was in pain, he still managed to make me feel so loved and appreciated.
I rested my forehead against his. "I'm so worried about you and the kids."
"We're going to be okay. I promise."
"Good. Now go to sleep, okay? Get some rest. I'm gonna go find your parents and asked what the doctor said." I stood up and tried to pull my hand away but he tightened his grip.
"Just stay here, please. I need you."
I just nodded, he needed me so I would be here for him. He scooted over to give me some space on the bed, I carefully slipped under the cover beside him, he instantly wrapped his arms around me.
"Feel so good when you're here." he mumbled as he closed his eyes. He looked tired and in pain.
"I'm not leaving you, ever."
"Good."
We didn't speak again for the next few minutes. I listened to his steady breaths. He was still pale, weak, and tired. This was by far the weakest I had seen him, physically. I ran my hand through his hair, it helped him to fall asleep.
After a while, he finally fell asleep. I carefully got down on my feet, making sure I didn't make a sound. The kids were all asleep too, so I quietly left the room, letting them have some rest.
I closed the door behind me to find Tony and Celine were still waiting. I had forgotten that I left them here. They stood up from their seats as they saw me.
"Hey, how are they?"
"They are sleeping now, they look better. I didn't know what the doctor said, I need to find my in laws."
"That's good to hear, Thea. I'm glad they are good now."
I nodded. "Thank you. I'm sorry for making you guys waiting. You can leave now if you want, thank you for being here with me. I really appreciate it."
"You are our sister, of course we will be here for you."
They pulled me into a group hug. I was glad that they were here, I needed them to be here with me. After bidding their goodbye, they left the hospital and just then I saw my in laws came back.
They filled me in with the informations about the kids and Arthur. The doctor said that they all had to stay overnight under observation, thankfully the doctor had let the kids and Arthur to room in together so it would be easier for him to monitor them, and for me to take care of them.
While my in laws visited Arthur and the kids, I took this chance to go back home to bring some cloths and the kids' bottles for them. I took a quick shower and got changed into a pair of sweatshirt and joggerpants. After making sure the house was locked, I left to the hospital.
ARTHUR
When I woke up, Thea was nowhere to be seen. But instead, my parents were here, watching the kids.
I sat up on the bed and grabbed a glass of water from the night stand. I was still a bit nauseous but I certainly felt much better now.
"Where's Thea?" I asked my parents.
"She came home to bring some cloths for you and the kids, she'll be back soon."
I nodded my head and looked over at my kids. Aaron and Alaric were sleeping, Josh on the other hand was awake and just stared at the ceiling.
"You okay, buddy? Is your stomach still hurt?"
He glanced at me and shook his head. "I'm fine, Dad. I just hate hospital."
I gave him a sympathetic smile. The last time Josh visited the hospital was when Jessy passed away 2 years ago. My son was no longer crying over her but he was still grieving. It was hard for him to be in the place where it took his mother's life.
Soon enough, Thea walked in the room carrying bags in her hands. She met my eyes, giving me one of her warm smiles as she placed the bags on the sofa. She greeted my parents and Alaric instantly woke up by the sound of her voice.
Between Aaron and Alaric, Alaric had been the closest to Thea. He always looked out for her with everything. He always asked for her whenever he needed something, whenever he felt something. While Alaric also loved to come to me, he went to his mother more. I was beyond happy that my son loved his mother so much, he was only 5 years old but I could see the adoration he had for her.
I watched as Alaric tried to reach his mother. Thea carried him up in her arms, she kissed his cheek and whispered something in his ear, causing him to giggle. I smiled at the view.
Thea had done so well with raising the kids. Ever since she resigned permanently from her job, she had spent her time being around the kids. Taking care of them, playing with them, loving them, teaching them how to sit, how to stand up, how to walk, everything. She had dedicated her time to love and to raise them. And while I knew she was drilled sometimes, she never let it get to her with the kids.
It's impossible to not love this woman even more. She had managed to capture my whole life and heart in her hands. She had grown even more mature but her heart stays the same. And I happened to fall in love with her each days, every day for years. There was no day when I didn't think of how lucky and blessed my life that she came into my life. There was no day when I didn't tell her I love her each days. That woman deserved to be loved and appreciated every day, every time.
My thoughts were interrupted as Aaron shrieked. "Mummy, I wanna throw up."
Thea quickly got to his side of bed, taking a bucket under the bed and placed it in front of him. She helped him to sit up and instantly Aaron threw up into the bucket.
I closed my eyes as bile began to rise in my throat, I was beginning to feel nauseous again.
"Mummy, my throat burns."
"I know, baby, I'm so sorry. Here just drink some water, okay?"
I opened my eyes and watched as Thea brought a glass of water to his mouth. Aaron cried on his bed while his mother running her hand on his stomach to lessen the pain. Alaric started to cry too as he saw his twin brother crying.
My chest tightened to see my kids in pain, I would definitely sue the restaurant where I had ordered for takeaways. This was unacceptable.
"Come on, let's get you changed."
Thea placed the bucket into the toilet before taking a spare bowl and filled it with warm water. She left the toilet and opened one of the bags she brought here and took out some cloths. She brought them to the bed then soak the hand towel.
She pulled Aaron's top, carefully not to twist the IV line before tossing his cloth on the floor. She squeezed dry the hand towel before wiping Aaron's body with it. After she had done, she used another dry towel before putting a clean cloth on him.
She did the same thing to Alaric and Josh while I kept watching her. She kept going to the toilet back and forth to change the water. She looked tired, and I felt helpless that I couldn't help her. My parents had just left a while ago as there was only one person who was allowed to stay overnight, and visiting hours was up.
By the time she had done, the kids had fallen asleep. She washed her hands in the toilet before putting all the used cloths into the bag.
"Darling, come here." I called her just as she zipped up the bag.
"Are you okay?" worry laced in her eyes as she approached my bed, and instead of her sitting on the side of the bed, I pulled her against me so she was sitting on my lap. "Hey, you are still hurting!"
I wrapped my arms around her waist, burrying my face on the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent.
I fucking adored her so much. She was the most amazing woman I have ever met in my life, whom I was proud to call her my wife.
"You did so well, my darling, thank you for everything you did for the kids. I'm sorry I'm being useless in this bed."
I felt her hand caressing the back of my head. "You don't need to thank me for anything, Arthur, I'm just doing what a mother will do to her family when they are sick. And don't say anything about being useless. You're not useless, okay? You are sick and you need to rest. Let me take care of you and the kids, you don't have to worry about anything. I'm here for my family."
Fuck, it feels so good to hear that from her. I was not sentimental but I could cry hearing her say that.
"If only I could fuck you right now, I would." I whispered low enough so the kids wouldn't hear, even though they were sleeping.
But better be safe than never, right?
I earned a chuckled for that. "The only thing you need to do right now is to go to sleep."
I hummed. "When I'm finally out of this bed, sooner or later, I will make love to you nice and slow. You deserve to be devoured 24/7."
Her giggle vibrated on my lips. "You are shameless! Stop thinking about sex and try to recover first."
I lifted my head to see her beautiful face as she smiled at me. I brushed her lower lip with mine before capturing her whole lips. She let out a soft whimper as I slipped my tongue inside her. I was so turned on, if only we were not in the hospital, with our kids in the same room with us, we would have continued this kiss into another activity.
She was the first to pull away, resting her forehead against mine. Her lips swollen from the kiss.
I pecked her lips one more time before slipping my arm around her back. "Stay here with me."
"I'm wherever you want me to be."
"Good. I love you, my darling."
"I love you too, my love."
*****