147.Chapter 147
“But why?” Michael asked.
“Because…” Teresa looked into his innocent eyes and did not know how to explain that the person who would be performing his examination was Cheryl’s brother.
“Mommy, what are you thinking about? Let’s get in line. It’s almost our turn,” he said.
Teresa let him pull her along. Her brows knitted in worry. If Donald saw Michael and the document folder with his name on it, she would be in big trouble.
Teresa could handle Cheryl, but she had no leverage over Donald.
Teresa was out of her wits when she heard a voice call her name. She turned around to see Jennifer, who was wearing a white coat, and suddenly felt calmer.
“I brought Michael for his checkup,” Teresa said, “but…” Her gaze drifted toward Donald, who was not far away.
Jennifer immediately understood her. She bent over and patted Michael’s hair. “You don’t need to line up anymore, Mike. I’ll get my colleague to do your checkup.”
Teresa’s brows relaxed. “Thank you, Dr. Nelson.”
Jennifer smiled gently. “No need to be so formal with me. I’ll talk to my colleague first and ask her to do the physical examination for Mike alone.”
“I really appreciate it,” Teresa said.
Teresa felt particularly indebted to Jennifer, as Jennifer had helped her a lot.
A female doctor was assigned to examine Michael. She did oral, vision and cardiopulmonary function tests. She was very patient, and Michael cooperated well. She even measured his height.
He was three feet three inches tall and weighed 31 pounds.
“May I have the document folder?” said the doctor. “I’ll write down his details.”
“Sure.” Teresa handed over Michael’s file. On the cover, it read: [Child’s Name: Michael, Mother’s Name: Teresa.] However, the space for the father’s name was blank.
The doctor glanced at Michael and felt sorry for him for not having a father at such a young age.
She said, “Michael, right? He’s a handsome boy. Looks like he’s growing quite fast. Boys his age usually stand around three feet one to three feet two, so he’s a bit above average in height.”
Teresa frowned slightly. At that moment she thought of Jonathan. She was not short; and Jonathan, who stood at six–1 Successfully unlocked.
Michael had been tall since he was younger, so it must be genetic.
When she took him out, people sometimes mistakenly think he was over three years
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old.
The doctor looked through the records. “Michael’s growing very fast. Don’t stop giving him vitamins A and D. Remember to give him the vitamins during the day and calcium at night. He needs more calcium in his diet, or he’ll get leg cramps and pains.”
“Okay.” Teresa hugged Michael by his shoulders, nodding earnestly. “I’ve been giving them to him all along.”
“Also, give him plenty of protein. Meal, eggs, fish, all that good stuff. He’s a bit thin. Look at his skinny arms and legs. He needs more nutrition,” the doctor added.
Guilt filled Teresa’s eyes. “Yes, I understand.”
Michael looked up at Teresa’s face. Seeing her sadness and self–blaming expression, he said, “My Mommy takes good care of me. You’re the best Mommy ever.”
The doctor smiled.
Jennifer, who was standing nearby, also smiled while looking warmly at her sensible. nephew. “Michael’s handsome and well–behaved, and he loves you so much. You’re really blessed.”
“Thank you.” Teresa smiled and reached out to pat Michael’s soft hair. But she still felt a little sad.
After leaving the hospital with the report, Teresa and Michael went to the mall. They bought lots of health supplements for children–even fish oil. They already had calcium tablets at home, but bought more to stock up.
Once home, Teresa attempted to cook ribs for Michael, but failed miserably. Not only were the ribs inedible, but the pot was burnt too.
Looking at the indescribable dark mass on the plate, Michael took a bite out of courtesy. Bleh… It was impossible to swallow.
Michael sighed helplessly, “Mommy, I really don’t know what to say.”
Teresa cleaned the dust off her face and sighed. “I’m sorry, let’s order some food. I’ll have it delivered from a restaurant.”
Michael shook his head. “Don’t waste money recklessly every day. I’ll just have some plain gruel and some calcium supplements.”
Feeling a twinge of heartache, Teresa said, “I’m not spending money recklessly. I make a lot of money now, and the doctor said you’re a bit thin. You need to eat vegetables and more meat for protein/You need to eat well every meal.”
“I’ll be good and eat well. It would be nice if someone could cook for us.” Michael sighed.
Teresa thought, ‘Yeah, if only Jonathan was here right now. At least he could prepare a delicious meal for Michael…‘
Michael shared the same thought as Teresa. “Mommy, we could find Mr. L-
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He paused for a moment, worried Teresa might get upset, and rephrased. “We should find a handsome and rich chef to cook for us. It’d be best if he could also make kid’s meals.”
Teresa chuckled. “The chef who meets those requirements is on a business trip. I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”
“Really?” Michael felt disappointed. “That chef didn’t even tell me.”
“That’s because I took your phone, otherwise he’d definitely tell you,” Teresa comforted. Michael nodded. “Then let’s wait for that chef to come back and cook for us.”
Teresa was sad and could not bring herself to say no at this moment, so she agreed.
At night, Jennifer came looking for Teresa.
When Jennifer saw her leaving the hospital with a guilty and self–blaming expression, she knew Teresa would overthink once she got home. Worried about Teresa, Jennifer came to check on her.
When Jennifer entered the house, she smelled something burned.
Teresa sheepishly confessed that she tried to make braised short ribs. She had followed the recipe precisely, but it turned into a burnt mess at the bottom of the pot and she hadn’t had the time to scrub it yet.
really have no talent for cooking, Teresa sighed.
“Silly girl, you’re destined to enjoy life.” Jennifer gently comforted Teresa and rolled up her sleeves. “I’ll cook for you. I haven’t had dinner either.”
Teresa said, “No, I’m always troubling you.”
“It’s no trouble,” Jennifer said as she thought, ‘Why should you be so formal with family?” Soon, Jennifer had cooked two dishes. Seeing that Teresa had bought steak, she also stewed the steak and drizzled sauce over it.
With the food and plates laid out, Jennifer picked a small piece of steak and handed it to Michael.
He said politely, “Thank you, Ms. Doctor.”
“You’re welcome,” Jennifer patted his head. “Eat up.”
Teresa asked a little anxiously, “His cousin didn’t see me today, did he?”
Jennifer smiled. “No. Otherwise, would you be eating so peacefully now?”
“True that.” Teresa smiled.
However, she had no appetite. It was not because Jennifer’s cooking was bad, she just had something on her mind.
Once Michael was asleep, Teresa and Jennifer sat down to chat.
Teresa finally revealed her true thoughts. “I don’t know how long I can keep this a
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secret. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I was wrong not to tell Jonathan about Mike. I
feel like it’s time to tell him.”
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