Desires Die Hard (Anya and Evan) by Beryl Occam
Desires Die Hard Chapter 153

Chapter 153

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Meanwhile, in a hospital in Nordeny.

The doctor had just drawn some blood from Nathaniel. The boy was currently resting quietly in his mother’s arms as they waited for the results of the blood work to be out.

They waited in a tense silence. Ellie was clearly drowning in guilt. “I’m so sorry, Anya. It’s all my fault. I should’ve kept a closer eye on them”

“Don’t blame yourself, Ellie Kids get fevers all the time. It’s not your fault.” Anya honestly didn’t blame her aunt at all. The woman had taken them in and helped Anya raise her children.

She was the reason Anya could get a job and leave for work every day without worrying about her angels.

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“Look at how miserable Nathaniel looks. I feel terrible,” Ellie whispered. She was clearly heartbroken. The woman loved and cared for the twins as if they were her own.

“It’ll be fine.” Anya said to her aunt. She placed her hand over the woman’s hand and squeezed it slightly. Her aunt’s hand was small in her own, her skin lined with the barest of wrinkles. “It’s just a fever, Ellie. Nathaniel’s going to be fine.”

Anya was right. It was just a fever. It wasn’t anything serious. Ellie nodded and tried to calm her worrying heart.

“Mom, it doesn’t hurt. I feel fine,” Nathaniel blurted out suddenly. He had been resting quietly within Anya’s arms while Anya spoke to Ellie when the string of words erupted from his lips clumsily. He was still fumbling with his sentences.

But Anya heard her son loud and clear.

The young woman felt something warm and fuzzy settle in her chest. She gazed down at the boy and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Mom knows. You’re more than fine. You’re amazing. Like Superman!”

“Yup.” The boy nodded. “I’m Superman.”

“That’s right. Nathaniel’s just like Superman.”

While Anya showered Nathaniel with soft praises, Eudora placed her small hand on her brother’s forehead and started mumbling unintelligibly.

Anya and Ellie couldn’t understand any of the girl’s garbled words

But Nathaniel could.

He reached out and placed his own small palm on his sister’s forehead. “I’m okay, Dora”

Eudora heard that and nodded quietly.

The twins appeared to have a language that they shared between themselves. They understood each other perfectly.

Anya held onto Nathaniel and kept waiting. After half an hour, the report for the blood work was ready.

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Anya set Nathaniel down and went off to collect the report. Meanwhile, Nathaniel and Eudora waited by Ellie’s side.

As they waited for their mother to return, Nathaniel stared at the other children in the hospital. They had both their fathers

and mothers with them.

A sliver of envy wormed itself into the boy’s chest.

As Nathaniel learned how to talk, he was also beginning to learn more about the world around him.

He would stare at the other kids. They had a mother and a father.

The sight would drive a dagger of envy into his heart.

Everybody else had a father.

But he didn’t. His sister didn’t too.

Nathaniel didn’t understand why. He wasn’t feeling well now though and his discomfort prevented his mind from dwelling on the thought. The boy set the thought aside and kept waiting patiently for his mother’s return.

After collecting the report, Anya brought Nathaniel and the results of Nathaniel’s blood work to the doctor. The doctor studied the report and the figures indicating Nathaniel’s white blood count. “It’s a viral infection. But from the looks of it, it’s a mild one. You have nothing to worry about.”

Anya released a sigh of relief. “Does he need to be put on the drip?”

The doctor reached for the thermometer and took Nathaniel’s temperature. After a moment, he took a look at the temperature shown on the device. “The fever seems to have gone down but we can’t be sure if it’ll come back again.”

“What do you mean?” Anya seemed a little confused.

“There’s a chance that the fever might go on for another three days before going down on the fourth. Usually, that’s when the rashes break out,” the doctor explained patiently to the young woman. “You should monitor his temperature regularly and try to keep the fever down. If his temperature rises above 100.4, give him kids‘ aspirin.”

“If his temperature doesn’t go down, bring him to the hospital immediately.”

Anya committed the doctor’s advice to memory dutifully.

Anya and Ellie brought the kids home. They couldn’t get much sleep that night. They had to wake up every hour to take Nathaniel’s temperature. If the fever hadn’t gotten worse, they would go back to bed. If it had, they would have to cool him down.

That went on for another three days.

The doctor had been right. The fever went down on the fourth day

The rashes appeared.

After a day, the rashes faded. Nathaniel had recovered.

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Ellie decided to give Nathaniel a treat after his bout of illness. She called Anya and told her niece that she would like to take Nathaniel and Eudora out. They could visit the mall and grab some snacks.

Anya thought it was a great idea. Having gotten their mother’s permission to bring them out, Ellie took the two excited children to a mall in the neighborhood.

Anya had been worried that the MacMillans and the Weltons might replace out about the kids and had tried to keep their existence a secret. That meant that the twins hardly got to leave the house.

That explained why they were overwhelmed by the sight of the enormous mall that greeted them. The children’s eyes widened with awe.

Curiosity shone in their huge eyes as they explored the place.

Nathaniel was the more mischievous and playful of the two.

He wouldn’t stop running around. He was elated.

Ellie held tightly onto Eudora’s hand as she yelled at Nathaniel and told the boy to slow down and stop running.

Nathaniel advanced bravely like an adventurer and found himself in front of the playground. Toys were scattered all over the place. He couldn’t stop himself from grabbing one and playing with it. Another boy appeared out of nowhere then. He was slightly taller than Nathaniel and on the chubbier side. He didn’t seem to welcome Nathaniel at all.

The boy shoved Nathaniel hard. The latter was slightly smaller than the former. The force of the chubby boy’s push sent Nathaniel stumbling a few sides away. Nathaniel didn’t seem bothered though.

He didn’t mind.

In fact, he walked right back to the playground and continued playing.

That was when the chubby boy pushed him again. Nathaniel finally got upset. He got up and began tussling with the other

boy.

Ellie ran forward with Eudora. The look of alarm in her eyes were as stark as day. She tried to pull the boys apart. The chubby boy got upset when he realized that his opponent had somehow gotten an adult on his side. He started yelling at the top of his voice. “I’m gonna yell for my dad. My dad’s gonna beat you up! My dad’s the best!”

“……..” Nathaniel wanted to call his father to his rescue too. But he didn’t have one.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you have a dad?” The chubby boy snatched the toy that Nathaniel was holding on to from Nathaniel’s hands. The look on the boy’s face was one of smugness. “You don’t! You don’t have a dad!”

“…” Nathaniel stuttered. The other boy was right. Nathaniel flushed. A sudden boost of courage surged through his small form. He stepped forward and gave the chubby boy a hard shove.

Ellie couldn’t stop him in time.

The two boys got into a scuffle. After some time, the chubby boy finally pushed Nathaniel away from him with a hard shove. “You don’t have a dad! I have a dad! My dad’s going to kick your ass!”

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Nathaniel stumbled away from the other boy. His eyes welled with tears. He looked on the verge of bursting into tears.

That was when a large and warm hand landed gently on his shoulder. Before Nathaniel could turn around and see who it was, he heard a low, melodic voice sound behind him. “Of course he’s got a dad.”

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