Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
After the medicine was fed, Millieâs fever gradually began to subside, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Mike said, âIâll go get some food for Millie. After the fever subsides, maybe sheâll want something to eat.â
âOkay, thank you, Mike.â
As soon as Mike left, I got a call from my mom. âBaby, howâs Millie? What did the doctor say?â
âDonât worry, Mom. Millie took the medicine the doctor gave her and her fever is already starting to go down. But to be safe, the doctor still suggests we stay in the hospital for a night.â
âThatâs great! Thank God! Iâll accompany you guys at the hospital.â
âNo thanks. Millie wanted Mike to stay with her. Mike also wanted to stay. I agreed.â
âOkay baby, frankly, Mike is really good to you and Millieâ¦â
âI know, Mom, but thatâs different. He treats me like his sister.â
âWhen Millieâs fever subsides, remember to give her something to eat, like porridge or something. Something easy to digest.â
âOkay, Mom. Mike already went to buy it.â
âIâm glad Mikeâs there.â
âOkay, Mom. Go to bed early.â
After hanging up on Mom, I went to find the nurse and asked her for help. The nurse was enthusiastic and soon we had a makeshift marching bed set up next to Millieâs bed.
Mike returned just as she finished putting it on. At that moment, Millie woke up.
âBaby, Uncle Mike bought you porridge. Do you want some?â I touched Millieâs forehead. It wasnât so hot anymore, so I asked softly.
âOkay, Mom. But I want Uncle Mike to feed me. Can I?â Millie whispered. She looked at me and then at Mike.
âOf course, Your Highness, itâs my pleasure,â Mike said politely, like a gentleman speaking to a lady.
I couldnât help but laugh, and my heart ached. This harmonious scene of a family of three was so much like a dream. And I wish I never woke up.
Probably because the porridge Dad fed was especially sweet, Millie surprisingly ate a lot. She rinsed her mouth and I got a towel to wipe her face, neck, and hands. Mike talked to her for a while longer, and before long, she was asleep.
âMelanda, are you okay?â Mike looked at me with concern after Millie fell asleep.
âMike, Iâm fine. I always do this when Millieâs sick, so you have to get used to it,â I told him with a deep sigh.
âI canât, baby. It hurts to see you like this. I told you everything would be okay. Weâll all help you. Iâll always be with you. Please believe this and donât worry too much. Youâll add wrinkles to that sweet face,â he said with a smile while looking at my face. I rolled my eyes and smiled.
âRight, thatâs it. Always keep that smile on your face. You look even more beautiful when you smile.â He hugged me tightly and kissed my hair. It felt so good to be back in his arms again. I smelled his pleasant scent and hugged him back, like I had in my dreams countless times.
I would cherish every moment I had with him, because I knew he would never be mine. If only I was who he wanted. I hoped I was who he wanted. In fact, it wasnât his fault. He didnât know how I felt about him. I loved him so much that my heart ached.
What I wanted to do now was cry, scream, and let it out, because I knew I would never be his one and only, and it hurt me. I felt like I didnât love him anymore. I thought I was. No one knew how many times I cried when I left his room that night.
It was on that night that I said goodbye to my long-standing love. That night, I said goodbye to the man who would never see me as a woman. The most painful farewells were those that werenât said or explained.
Leaving him was the hardest thing I had ever done, because I still loved him when I left. I thought coming back would heal me, but it didnât. It just made me sadder.
âSweetheart, what are you thinking?â Mike asked me, probably because I hadnât spoken in too long.
âOh, nothing. Weâre all tired. Letâs rest early. Perhaps Millie will need us again tonight.â
We each fell asleep quickly. I slept on Millieâs bed with Mike on the small bed beside her. Perhaps because I was too tired, I fell asleep quickly.
I didnât know how much time had passed, but I suddenly woke up. Instinctively, I touched Millieâs little face. Her temperature seemed to be much more normal, and I let out a sigh of relief.. Just then, I realized that Mikeâs hand was on meâ¦