Chapter 3
"Aaaaaahhhhh!" A roar and a crash are heard from the room where the occupants stayed. The couple stood up and approached it. Both of them peeked inside and saw the blond crying while the other one is embracing him in an attempt to soothing the emotional teen. "I'm hopeless!" The blond cried.
"Listen to me!" The messy haired teen commanded softly. "This is just a set back." He no longer continued when he felt someone is watching them. He looked at the door and noticed the elderly couple. He did not let go of his friend while watching the couple. "We are fine," he declared. "Sorry about the mess." He looked apologetically towards the broken plate scattered in the floor. "We'll ask our friend to…"
"No need for that." The old woman approached them gently. "You're a guest in my home, I'll help you with this." She kneeled into the floor and began picking up the pieces. "You can help me dear by placing it in the tray." She told the blond. The boy nodded and smiled gratefully. He leaned over and placed the broken pieces of porcelain into the tray.
The old man observed the blond boy's actions and noticed the stiff movements and the grimace without expression. He looked sideways and noticed the stoic reaction of the messy haired teen. It would seem, the boy too, is sick just like his friend. At that moment, the three teens he sent on an errand came back. He walked out of the room and met them halfway in the living room. The cobalt-eyed boy's eyes narrowed sharply and hurriedly went into the room. "What happened?" The old man heard him asked. He turned back to the other two standing in the living room.
"How was your errand?" Walter asked.
"It went fine." The Chinese one answered. "The items bought are still in the truck. We will move them into the greenhouse.
Walter nodded. "Thanks. We'll do that after lunch." He nodded towards the door. "Please assist them to the dining room. I think we all need to talk." He walked away towards his study.
Lunch is a quiet affair for forty-five minutes. Marie kept on glancing back and forth from the boys to his husband. She kept at it for three minutes then caught her husband's eye. She cleared her throat. "Ehem!" She stood up. "I'll get dessert." That caused the teens to look warily at the old man.
Walter leaned back in his seat and gently tapped his fork in his placed. "I know someone who can help the two of you." He stated calmly, while looking at his plate. "If you want to have more information on her, I have newspapers." He stopped talking when Marie came back to the table to place distribute the dessert plates and spoons. She went again to the kitchen. "She's a doctor, knows how to be discreet, and she helped us too." He went silent again when his wife returned with the dessert. He watched idly when she went again to the kitchen. "It's your decision. I will give you the newspapers after we've eaten." His wife returned again and settled at the table.
"I hope the dessert is okay." She asked anxiously when she noticed that no one started eating.
"We haven't started yet." Walt answered while he handed his plate. "Cut me a piece." His wife took his plate and smilingly plate a piece of the peach pie onto the plate and handed it back to him.
She smiled widely when she noticed five plates were extended to her. "One at a time boys."
Three hours after lunch was served. The messy haired boy and blond boy were found sitting in the living room near the fireplace reading the newspapers handed to them two hours ago.
"What do you think?" The blond boy asked his friend. "Her area of expertise is what we need the most."
"I agree." His friend kept on scanning the article about the doctor.
They heard the kitchen door opened and the voice of their friend called into them. "Guys! Want a drink?!" He shouted.
"Please!" The blond answered back. Within a few moments their friend walked into the living room carrying a tray with three glasses full of lemonade. "Man! So much work in the greenhouse." He stated. "Here you go." He handed each teen their glass. He placed the tray in the table and took a drink of his lemonade. "Mmmmm…this tastes good!" He leaned over his blond friend and look at the newspaper he is reading. "Is that her? She looks like our age." He commented.
"She is." The messy haired youth told him.
"What!" He exclaimed.
"She's been in her profession for three years." The blond remarked. "She started by the age of twelve, with the supervision of her uncle."
"Her breakthroughs are renowned within the confines of the cooperative hospital she and her uncle built." The messy haired youth stated. "She declined the propositions made by Romefeller, OZ and the Alliance when they proposed to build a hospital for her to manage."
"At her age?" The cobalt eyed teen asked incredulously. "What made her say no? It's an opportunity for her to develop."
"In her interview, and I quote, 'I'm where I'm needed most'." The blond replied. "It would seem her patients are varied."
"Then you two okay with it?" The cobalt eyed teen asked quietly.
"Yes." Both of his friends answered firmly.
"Walt is hoping the two of you would consider." He smiled brightly. "I'll inform him." He walked away from them happily and later the two heard the kitchen door open and close once again. The two were left behind in the silent house.
"It's been three months." The blond replied. "Do you think she can cure us?" He fell silent. "Especially you." He quietly said. "I'm always worried that you have overexerted yourself. You're injured more than I."
"I'm glad that the internal injuries were averted. As for the…." His friend's voice faded away then cleared his throat. "We let her do the check up first before we ask the dreaded questions." The messy haired boy said.
The blond boy nodded. He looked around the living room restlessly and sighed.
"What?" The messy haired youth asked him his eyebrows rising.
"When is dinner?" He asked abashedly. "I'm hungry."
His friend just snorted. "Me too." Both them grinned sheepishly.
The kitchen door opened again and the voice of Marie called. "You boys hungry?"
"Yes!" The blond boy shouted.