Chapter 148
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“ 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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