Chapter 217: Sick
By the time Vivian finished dinner, the sky outside had turned completely dark.
The rain was still falling, a steady PATTER PATTER. As Vivian went upstairs, she passed a window and stopped to watch the rain outside.
With the rain, the air seemed to have cooled down considerably. At noon at The Sunstone Palace, she had almost felt a hint of summer, but now it was as if they had returned to the pleasant days of spring. It was very comfortable.
It was just that... the breeze made it a little chilly.
"ACHOO."
Vivian let out a small sneeze. Deciding not to stand there any longer, she hurried up the stairs.
At that moment, a faint, helpless sigh came from behind her. Julian walked over, took off his oversized loungewear coat, and draped it over her shoulders.
"If you like watching the rain, just watch it, but how did you end up catching a chill? Are you getting sick? Should I brew a packet of herbal cold medicine for you later?"
Julian followed behind her and, after speaking, casually closed the window.
Vivian shook her head. "I just sneezed because of the wind. I’m fine! There’s no need for cold medicine. I’m in great health!"
Perhaps it was true that one should never jinx catching a cold. Right after she said that, she sneezed again.
"ACHOO."
Uh-oh. Vivian instantly felt a wave of guilt. She rubbed her nose and quickly made her way to the second floor.
The moment she stepped into the bedroom, Yuumi jumped down from the cat tree, trotted over to Vivian’s feet, and rubbed against her ankles.
For a kitten, this was a way of marking their scent on their owner. It meant this particular human belonged to her, and no other cat could lay claim!
Of course, it was also a sign of a kitten’s trust and affection!
Vivian had years of experience with cats. Seeing her little Yuumi rubbing against her feet melted her heart completely!
She looked at the adorable kitten, crouched down, and gently stroked her head.
Seeing this, the kitten let out a soft "MEOW," then tilted her little head to nuzzle against the back of Vivian’s hand.
"Such a good girl!"
Naturally, Vivian couldn’t resist a kitten’s charming antics. She scooped Yuumi up, and the two of them settled onto the sofa.
Julian trailed behind. He had gone to fetch some hot water, thinking Vivian might be feeling unwell after sneezing.
But now, returning with the hot water, he suddenly realized she probably had no use for it anymore.
With a kitten in her arms monopolizing all her attention, how could she possibly remember his hot water?
Julian pursed his lips and set the hot water down in front of her. Seeing Vivian open a can of wet food for Yuumi, he drawled, "Ms. Shaw already fed her a can today."
"It’s fine!"
Vivian didn’t even glance at him. Just as Julian suspected, her mind was entirely focused on the kitten!
Still holding the cat, she told Julian, "Ms. Shaw is Ms. Shaw, and I am me. Besides, it’s nighttime. If people can have midnight snacks, kittens certainly can too!
"I’m going to play with Yuumi for a bit. Julian, go do your own thing!"
Go do his own thing?
Julian blinked, let out a helpless sigh, and had no choice but to turn away.
He didn’t actually have anything to do. Right now, his top priority was keeping Vivian company. However, seeing that she didn’t need him at the moment, he couldn’t stay even if he wanted to.
"Then I’ll go take care of some work," he said, settling for the next best thing. After speaking, he stood there and waited for a moment. Seeing that Vivian’s eyes were still glued to Yuumi, he could only leave.
What else could he do if he stayed?
A grown man like him actually had a lower status in this house than a tiny kitten!
Vivian held Yuumi, intently watching the kitten eat.
Yuumi was almost two months old now and looked much bigger than before. Vivian still remembered how tiny the kitten had been when she had performed chest compressions on her.
It had been a chilly night. She had been afraid the kitten would freeze, and equally terrified of using too much force and crushing her fragile body.
Fortunately, Yuumi’s vitality was incredibly tenacious. She had pulled through and was perfectly healthy now.
"Eat up, Yuumi, and grow up fast!" Vivian gently patted the kitten’s head with a doting smile. She then snapped a few photos of Yuumi and sent them to Eleanor Rhodes.
Eleanor, who had just finished dinner herself, quickly replied.
"Vivian, the photo studio just sent over my solo pictures and our group photos. They all look amazing! Ugh, it’s so hard to choose!
"Yuumi has grown another size! Her coat looks so shiny and sleek. She’s beautiful! Truly a kitten meticulously raised by you!"
Seeing Eleanor’s approval, Vivian nodded in profound agreement and typed back, "Of course. I did save her, after all. By the way, Eleanor, you mentioned earlier that the hospital is hiring and holding interviews. When are the interviews?
"Do you need me to accompany you? I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t been able to go out trapping cats with you. Are there still many kittens waiting for adoption?"
Eleanor quickly replied again.
They chatted about the pet hospital for a while. Vivian thought she should make a trip back there on Monday.
She was a co-owner of the hospital. After the incident with Wendy Wynn, the business had taken a hit. Now that they were preparing to reopen, they needed to interview new doctors.
As an owner herself, Vivian had experience with interviews and could lend Eleanor a hand.
"Then it’s a date. Thank you, Eleanor!"
Eleanor thanked her and added, "Vivian, I’m going to go catch up on my shows now. Let’s chat later!"
"Okay." After sending a final sticker in reply, Vivian took a cat teaser wand out of the drawer and started playing with Yuumi!
Yuumi was still young and incredibly energetic.
As they played, the sight of the kitten darting around and meowing was absolutely adorable. Vivian never grew tired of it and completely lost track of time.
Gradually, Vivian began to feel drowsy. Overcome by a wave of fatigue, she leaned back against the sofa and hugged a small throw pillow.
The moment she leaned back, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Perhaps the exhaustion of the day had caught up with her, leaving her incredibly sleepy.
She wondered if she would catch a cold sleeping here on the sofa with the window still open outside.
This thought flashed through her mind just before she drifted off, but drowsiness ultimately won the battle, and she quickly fell asleep.
Her sleep was restless.
She lay in a daze, not quite dreaming. Her consciousness hovered near the edge of wakefulness, yet remained shrouded in a heavy fog. Before long, she struggled to wake up, her head spinning with dizziness.
"Why did you fall asleep here? Your face is a bit red. Did the wind give you a chill? Are you feeling unwell? I drew a hot bath for you; you can go wash up now."
When Vivian opened her eyes, she found Julian standing in front of her.
His brows were knitted as he crouched beside her, his gaze extremely serious as he stared at her intently.
"I..."
Vivian had no idea when she had fallen asleep. As she sat up, she noticed the teaser wand lying beside her. Yuumi had returned to the nearby cat tree and was batting at a suspended toy ball.
Seeing Yuumi instantly jogged her memory.
She had just been playing with the kitten. She had gotten a little sleepy while playing and couldn’t help but doze off on the sofa.
"I fell asleep!" Vivian realized belatedly. She offered Julian a slightly apologetic look and tried to stand up to take her bath. However, perhaps she had stood up too fast, causing a sudden drop in blood pressure, and her head spun dizzily.
She had experienced this before.
As a woman, she lost blood and energy every month. Sometimes, after crouching or lying down for a long time, standing up abruptly would cause her body to struggle to adjust, and her vision would go black for a moment.
Usually, it only lasted a few seconds before she gradually recovered.
Since reaching adulthood, Vivian had paid close attention to nourishing her blood and energy, occasionally buying donkey-hide gelatin to eat. Over time, these spells of dizziness had stopped happening.
She certainly hadn’t expected to suddenly feel dizzy again now! However, the moment she swayed, Julian reacted the fastest.
He immediately rushed over and supported her. The seriousness in his eyes was replaced by worry as he asked, "What’s wrong?"
Vivian quickly shook her head. She was just about to say she was fine when Julian’s hand covered her forehead.
Instantly, his expression turned grave again.
Without waiting for her to speak, he swept her up into a princess carry and carried her toward the inner room.
Vivian struggled slightly. Still unaware of the severity of the situation, she mumbled, "What are you doing?
"Didn’t you say the bathwater was ready? I was just about to go wash up, so why are you taking me back to bed?"
Hearing this, Julian looked down at her.
He clearly had no idea what to do with her. He let out a sigh and explained, "You have a fever. Can’t you feel it at all?
"You really are..."
He trailed off before continuing, "It’s my fault, too. I saw you playing with Yuumi, so I went to handle my own business. You never called for me, and I never came looking for you.
"Later, when I realized it was getting late, I felt a bit unsettled. I took a shower and found you were still lying there. At first, I thought you were pretending to be asleep, but when I walked over, I realized you weren’t.
"Your face was red, which I assumed was just from the wind, but it turns out you have a fever. Alright, no bathing for now. If you really want to wash up, I’ll bring you a basin of water.
"Just lie down and rest. Tell me if you’re hungry, and I’ll go get you some medicine. No running around tonight. You have to listen to everything I say, understand?"