Sick (1)

Valentina is sick and fainted today. Whenever you're done with important things at work, come home ASAP. Luca is fine. I'm currently handling the situation.

When he received the message from Alaïa, Kaiser felt as if his heart had stopped. He hadn't felt that kind of panic in years, since Luca was injured years ago.

He felt as if his whole body had fallen into a fog and He truly didn't know how he had completed his work for the day before rushing home.

As he strode through the house, Alaïa's voice stopped him.

"You know she coughed up blood."

"She did what?" he couldn't help but shout before lowering his voice.

"Blood Kai, she coughed up blood." Alaïa sighed as she pushed her short hair blue hair back. That was one of the most shocking things she had seen in her life, someone coughing up blood out of nowhere. In fact, her hands were still shaking a bit from the shock. Honestly, she didn't know how she had held it together today. From messaging Kaiser to comforting Luca and keeping him occupied, to calling the doctor. Her brain had just gone on autopilot as she performed those actions. Now that things were calm and Kaiser was here, she felt as if she could unburden the responsibility onto somebody else.

"Where is she? Did you send her to the hospital? Which hospital? What did they say? And where's Luca?"

"She and Luca are both upstairs. She didn't want to go to the hospital. And Kaiser…she asked me not to tell you about this."

"What do you mean?"

"Before she fainted, she asked me not to tell you. I'm assuming you didn't know about her…condition?"

"Of course not!" he replied coldly. Although he knew her body was a bit weak, he didn't know it was to this extent. If he had known, he would have stuffed her full of supplements and gotten the best doctors to treat her…ailment. Whatever it was.

"Then continue pretending not to know. If she wanted to tell you, she would have especially since she said this is a regular occurrence and just how her body is." Alaïa sighed before getting up.

"Your doctor has come and gone and given medicine to reduce the fever. He left some notes as well for her to up her nutrition since she's a bit anemic, but I didn't read the private ones. HIPPAA and all that. Respect her privacy Kaiser or this will go very bad for you. I've done my part and I'm heading home. I'll check in again tomorrow."

She did her best to caution him, but seeing as Kaiser dashed up the stairs without responding, she had a feeling he hadn't heard a word she said.

"Sigh. Why couldn't you just fall in love like a regular person? All you do is give me stress and gray hairs." She muttered as she walked away.

***

Kaiser immediately dashed up the stairs as Alaïa finished her words. Although he knew Valentina was fine after the doctor checked on her, his heart couldn't stop racing.

What kind of god-forbidden condition caused somebody to cough up blood?

Calming himself down, he gently opened the door to her room, trying to make no noise as he let himself in.

On the bed, two people were fast asleep. Luca was curled up into a ball on the blankets, the corners of his eyes red as he lay beside Valentina while touching her face.

And Valentina was lying there with a towel on her head, her body fully hidden under her heavy blanket. Her face was flushed a bright red and covered with droplets of sweat and her breathing came out in heavy huffs. The bright green eyes that were usually curved in cheerful laughter or a seductive smile were shut. He had never seen her so still.

"Valentina." he couldn't help but whisper as he slowly approached her. When he touched, the towel on her head, he could feel that it was dry, the water burnt up by the heat he could feel coming from her body.

He quickly wet it in the bathroom before gently placing it on her head.

"Dad?" a soft husky voice called out to him.

"I'm here."

He saw Luca slowly sitting up, his large green eyes filling up with tears.

"Mom- Auntie Val is sick. She won't wake up." Luca softly sobbed.

Kaiser gently picked up his son, softly patting his back in comfort. He wasn't used to comforting people, but seeing his son cry, he did his best.

"She's fine. She just needs some rest. I'm here now and I'll take care of her so don't cry okay?"

"Is she going to die? Is she going to leave me?" Luca cried in a heartbroken manner. Kaiser felt his heart break a little more.

"Not at all. She's just a little sick like when you had a cold. Don't cry, Luca." Kaiser gently patted his back as he carried his son out of the room. He took Luca into his bathroom and gently placed him on the sink counter.

"Dad…hic…hic"

"There, there." Kaiser comforted him as he gently wiped Luca's face with a hot towel.

As the boy slowly calmed down, Kaiser squatted down to his eye level and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

"Good. You need to take care of your body so you can take care of your Auntie Val okay?"

"I patted her head and sang Twinkle, Twinkle," Luca reported. It was the song Valentina sang to him the most.

"Good job. Now let's go to sleep and I'll take care of the rest okay? When you wake up tomorrow, Auntie Val should be feeling much better."

"…okay." although reluctant, the boy nodded.

"Good boy."

After patting Luca to sleep, Kaiser quietly let himself back into Valentina's room. He pulled a chair right beside her bed, staring at her sleeping Valentina.

"Valentina Salazar. What are you hiding in that pretty head of yours." Kaiser sighed as he stared at her flushed face as her breath came out in labored puffs.

"What the hell happened to you and why are you acting so different than what's reported? It's almost like you're a different person."

"Well, it's not as if you can answer me when you're sick like this. You need to become well so I can understand what secrets you're hiding. Hurry and get better Valentina. You have many people worried about you."

Kaiser sighed again before getting up to wet the towel, using it to gently wipe the sweat from her face before placing another cool towel on her head.

It looked like it would be a long night.