madelein | ✔

nineteen

"Well, he doesn't look a lot like you..."

Duke muttered while he stared at the boy while Sian was already panicking inside of her. She wondered if Duke already recognized who Tyler really took after.

"We get that a lot," she smiled and reached out her hand on his forehead and rubbed it. His temperature was a lot cooler now.

She carressed his forehead in an attempt to hide Tyler's features from the father, himself, who was clueless and standing in front of his son already. Sian knew he had an idea of whom Tyler took after but he doesn't know it was him.

"Guess he took from his father, huh," Duke said and lifted the corners of his lips into a small smile, "Anyways, is he okay now?"

His voice was lower this time, he knew that his voice should be soft especially around the premises of a sleeping child, who was sick, too. Sian just realized how deep Duke's voice really was.

She nodded and stopped rubbing Tyler's forehead. Her palm then carressed his cheek as she stared longingly at her son. "I guess, the doctor haven't checked up on him, yet."

Duke nodded and pressed his lips. He was already scolding himself in his mind for instinctively drove himself to the hospital, fruit basket in hand, without letting Sian know that he was visiting. It was like an impulse that he has to go to the hospital. He has to. He has to check if Sian is okay...

Technically, she was okay but her son isn't. He still wanted to make sure that she could rely on someone when in times of need like this. What a great way to fool yourself, Duke.

He stared at the boy, whom he assumed was named Tyler, who was sleeping peacefully but the injected IV fluids on the back of his palm said otherwise. He was drawn to the child who currently have the same hairstyle as him when he was still in kindergarten.

"I'm sorry if I suddenly visited," he apologized and decided to stare at the railigs at the end of the bed instead of her face, "I was worried when you suddenly didn't show up at the office today..."

He didn't get a response from her. He thought that she was mad or anywhere near angry at him. Instead, he got the courage to meet her eyes. When he did, he saw her smiling at him. It wasn't that happy smile that he saw on her but rather a smile that showed her gratitude towards him.

"I never imagined the vice president of a company would visit my child," her hands trailed from Tyler's cheeks to his little hands, her eyes never leaving his, "Thank you so much."

Duke chuckled lowly and scratched his nape. It was an impulse of his when he heard that Sian was in the hospital but still, he cared for her and her son's safe-keeping. Besides, she is one of his employees after all.

"It was nothing," was all that he could say and the room went silent afterwards.

His hand gripped the basket, reminding himself that he hadn't had the chance to give it to the woman in front of her. He held out the basket but took it back when he heard her sigh.

"Where are my manners?" she mentally slapped herself and offered Duke a seat. It was the plastic monoblock chair that she was sitting on earlier. "Please, have a seat."

The visitor shook his head, raising his hands, one gripping the fruit basket that he is still holding up until now. Unknowingly, two men snickered at the back of the door, watching Duke's every move.

"No need," he answered and took it upon himself to put down the basket on the table top near Tyler's bed. "You sit beside him."

Sian was silenced and just nodded to her boss' request. She sat back down and held his son's hands in hers. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Duke wiping his palms against his pants and walked towards the sofa where Titus was laying earlier. He sat there, his eyes moving at all directions.