“Take the bed with Jerry. Be careful not to roll over him.” She pushed herself away from Hansen’s embrace.
Hansen was stunned. Confused, he asked, “Where are you sleeping then?”
“I’ll just sit over here. Go to bed. It’s already late. You’ll have to keep an eye on Jerry just in case his temperature rises at night,” Jenna urged him while stifling a yawn.
What? How could he allow a woman to sit on the floor while he slept on the bed? That was not what a gentleman supposed to do.
Hansen’s face instantly darkened. He insisted, “No, I’m afraid that won’t do. Here’s a suggestion, you could hug me to sleep while I sleep next to Jerry.” He caressed her earlobe and smirked, “Don’t worry, my body is definitely more comfortable than the bed.”
Jenna immediately realized that he had no intention to leave. He just wanted to sleep with her, didn’t he? Sara’s words suddenly rang in her ears. Jenna’s eyes turned cold, and her heart tightened.
“No, hurry and go to bed. I’m not going to sleep with you.” Jenna replied decisively. Hansen was a little taken back by her rejection.
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep well knowing that you are sitting on the cold hard ground like this. Furthermore, it is chilly tonight. What if you catch a cold too? Who’s going to take care of Jerry? What kind of gentleman would I be then?” He was still trying to be a gallant gentleman at this moment. He even managed to twist his words so that they would make sense.
Jenna still refused to let him have his way.
The two of them were locked in a stalemate. However, Hansen refused to give in. “Either you sleep with Jerry on the bed, or you’ll sleep next to me. There are only two options.”
How was she even supposed to choose? Jenna was in a daze. She recalled what Sara said before and she gradually became upset.
“What do you think? Have you made up your mind?” Hansen asked gently when he noticed that Jenna looked slightly down. She lowered her head, seemingly in distress. Hansen panicked. He did not dare to force her too much.
If she didn’t want to sleep next to him, he would just sit in front of the bed for the whole night!
He was willing to do anything as long as he could keep them by his side.
Besides, it was only for one night. It wouldn’t be a big deal, would it?
It was getting late. They were both tired.
Jenna knew that the only other option was to sleep on the bed with Jerry as Hansen would definitely stop her from sleeping on the floor the entire night. She took a while before finally making up her mind. She stood up, moved Jerry to the side, and climbed onto the bed.
She almost fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. Seeing that she was finally willing to go to bed, Hansen took the blanket and gently covered her with it. He then turned to check on Jerry’s blanket. He placed his forehead on Jerry’s to test his body temperature. Then, he tucked the corners of Jerry’s blanket before sitting next to the bed.
Jenna blinked her eyes. All of a sudden, the scene at the small island cave flashed in her mind again. That year, they hugged each other to keep warm. Even though it took a lot for them to pull through that night, it was undeniably quiet and warm.
For some reason, this moment felt strangely similar to that night.
The only difference was that Jerry was between them.
However, their relationship was still so uncertain.
The night became colder.
It was early spring, and the wintry breeze was still chilling. Jenna heard Hansen sneezing in the middle of the night. Her heart tightened. She could not bear for him to sleep on the floor like that. He did not even have a blanket.
“Hansen, go back to the hotel.” She persuaded him groggily.
“No. I’m staying behind to accompany you.” Hansen was very persistent.
Jenna knew that she couldn’t change his mind. She closed her eyes for a moment. After a few minutes, she whispered with her eyes wide open, “Come on up. Let’s sleep on the bed together.”
Her voice was soft and gentle. Jenna thought that he did not hear her but he stood up unexpectedly and said, “Okay.” She felt the quilt being lifted, his long arms pulling her into his embrace. His whole body had already slid under the blanket.
That was fast! Jenna smiled wryly.
Jerry did not occupy much space on the bed. It felt just right when Hansen lay down next to her as the bed was just next to the wall. Jenna did not have to worry about Jerry rolling out of the bed. She placed some clothes beside the wall of the bed so that he would not knock into it.
Jenna could feel his chest burning rapidly the moment Hansen hugged her. With that kind of intimacy, it was inevitable that passion soon filled the room. She wanted to escape, but Hansen held onto her tightly.
The desire that had stayed dormant within him for so long was slowly ignited. He could feel his lips drying by the second, his Adam apple bobbing. He resisted his impulse as he hugged her tightly.
“What do you want to do?” Jenna whispered.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything. Just lie down next to me and don’t move.” It seemed that Hansen was trying his best to control himself. His voice was a little hoarse. There was nothing he could do in such an environment.
Jenna thought that Hansen couldn’t possibly do anything bad. She eventually grew tired and sleepy as she lay in his warm arms. She dozed off moments after, not wanting to think anymore.
Jenna was jolted awake by the sound of crying and vomiting in the wee morning. She opened her eyes and looked at the dimmed table lamp. Jerry had thrown up on the bed and his mouth was stained with vomitus. Frightened, she immediately scrambled to her feet.
“Jerry, Jerry!” Jenna noticed that Jerry’s face was red when she got out of bed and turned on the lights. He was crying and his vomitus stank.
Oh, no! Jerry was getting a fever again. How could this be?!
Jenna was so anxious that she picked Jerry up instinctively and ran towards the doctor on duty.
“Yes, he has a fever again. We need to inject him with medication to reduce his temperature.” The doctor on duty immediately instructed the nurse to administer the injection and prepare the IV drip after examining Jerry.
“Doctor, why is he having a fever again?” Jenna probed anxiously.
“Madam, he has pneumonia and one of its symptoms is fever. It takes quite a while to cure this disease. The infectious period is long and the fever would return from time to time. However, this disease is also very common among children so it’s not difficult to treat it. Don’t worry, everything will be fine,” the doctor explained patiently.
Jenna finally heaved a sigh of relief. She turned around and noticed Hansen standing behind her and listening carefully to the doctor. He looked solemn.
Jenna returned to the ward with Jerry in her arms after the injection was administered. The nurse quickly came over to fix the IV drip onto Jerry’s arm.
The nurse on duty at night seemed inexperienced. It took her a few tries before the drip was successfully inserted into Jerry’s arm. Jerry was in so much pain that he started bawling.
Jenna looked at the injection marks on Jerry’s hand and felt as if her heart had been torn apart.
Hansen remained silent and he looked visibly distressed.
Jenna was no longer sleepy after the nurse left. She just stared at Jerry in a daze with her red and swollen eyes.
Hansen took out his cigarette box reflexively from his pocket. He suddenly paused just as he was about to reach for the cigarette. He remembered that Jenna had asked him to quit smoking and he swore that he would do it no matter what it took. Jenna would definitely be upset if he were to start smoking again. All of a sudden. the impulse to smoke disappeared miraculously.
It was quiet and dark in Jenova City. The air was humid and the rain was endless.
The spring breeze was chilling, and Hansen could feel his body trembling.
He walked over, picked up Jenna in his arms, and went back to bed.
“Jenna, the medical equipment in this small town is too lacking. Let’s go back to A city. I will get the best team of experts from A city’s hospital to treat Jerry. He would only suffer more if we stay here, and you’d be even more miserable.” Hansen held Jenna tightly in his arms and took a quilt to cover her tightly. He was afraid that she would feel cold, so he inched closer to her and whispered to her ear.
“No, I won’t return to A city,” Jenna replied without a second thought, all while still in Hansen’s arms. She was about to get up when she felt Hansen pulling her back.
“Why?” Hansen growled.
Why? The hurt on Sara’s face and the words that she said at that time, all flashed in Jenna’s mind over and over again.
She curled up in Hansen’s embrace and closed her eyes tightly. His steady and powerful heartbeat was inexplicably calming. Even her soul seemed to have calmed down a lot. However, at this moment, his words made her heart beat faster.
“Hansen, you promised me that Jerry would belong to me, didn’t you?” Jenna muttered.
Hansen was stunned. He then said, “Of course. Jerry is yours. He belongs to you. You’re his mother. This is a fact that no one could change. At the same time, Jerry also belongs to me. He’s our child.”
Up until this very moment, Hansen couldn’t understand what Jenna’s thoughts were. He could sense the attachment and dependence of the woman in his arms on him. However, why did she refuse to go back to A city with him then?
“No, Jerry is my child. I’m not going to leave him.” Jenna was firm in her words. Only God would know what would happen to her and her mother if Jerry were to leave with Hansen. She could not afford to lose her child. She held onto Hansen’s sleeve tightly as she poured her heart out.
Just as Sara had said, she was already 28 years old. She could no longer afford to play such games with him. Hansen was a man with reputation and power. If he wanted women, many young and beautiful women would fall head over heels just like she did before. Unfortunately, she could no longer invest herself in such frolics. She needed stability in her life.
She needed to be firm.
“Hansen, Jerry’s illness is very common, and it would just take some time for him to heal. I believe that this small town will be able to nurse him back to health,” Jenna insisted stubbornly.
“Are you saying that you aren’t willing to follow me back to A City and you’d rather raise Jerry alone in this sort of place?” Hansen finally understood what she meant. His words were cold, but his heart was filled with indescribable pain. For so long, he had been waiting for her and looking for her everywhere. Even though he had found her and begged her to return in every possible way, not only did she refuse to be with him, but she also wanted to take Jerry with her.
“What the hell? Do you think that this is fair to Jerry?”
Jenna bit her lip as she listened to Hansen’s words, which were gradually devoid of warmth. She didn’t object. He was right.