33. I'm Worried!

A woman came down from the wooden staircase and looked at the visitors. "What can I do for you sir?" she asked, looking at the unconscious woman in his arms. "What happened to her?" she inquired. "My wife suddenly passed out," Alpha Callum replied. "Oh, let's bring her upstairs to my house, so I can help you revive her," the woman offered kindly. "Is it alright?" Alpha Callum asked. He doesn't want to impose himself on the owner of the house. "Yes, please. My house is always open to anyone who needs my help," the woman said kindly. "Thank you," Alpha Callum lifted Clarice's unconscious body and carried her upstairs to the living room of the wooden house. "Bring her to my room, sir, and put her on the bed," the woman ordered. Alpha Callum obeyed and gently lowered Clarice's body onto the wooden bed. "Why did she pass out?" the woman started asking questions. "You guys are not from here, right?" she asked. "Yes. We came from the city. We are here to visit our son and bring him back to the city. But when we arrived at the house near the river it was already deserted. And when we asked the old man sitting on the rocking chair outside your house about what happened to the people living in the houses near the river... he told us that they all died when the river overflowed and flooded the houses, killing everyone," Alpha Callum explained morosely. "Oh, that's not true..." the woman said, correcting the false information given by her dementia-afflicted father. "What do you mean?" Alpha Callum asked, confused. "Yes, it's true that there are people who died during the heavy flooding, but many people survived," the woman explained. Hope surged through Alpha Callum's heart. "May I know the survivors' names?" he asked excitedly. "Um, who are these people you are looking for? Tell me their names. Maybe I know them," the woman asked curiously. "The couple's names are Marina and Carlos, and the little boy's name is Caden," Alpha Callum said. The woman smiled. "They are alive. They survived the flooding!" Alpha Callum smiled in elation. His heart was overflowing with happiness. "May I know their whereabouts?" he asked excitedly. "The survivors are currently staying at the basketball court while village officials are still debating where to relocate them. They are not allowed to go back to their houses near the river because flooding might occur again in the future," the woman elaborated further. "Madam, can you take us to the basketball court, please?" he asked politely. "Sure!" the woman replied. "I'm sorry for the false alarm. The old man outside is my father. He has dementia. Please forgive him. He didn't mean it," she apologized. "It's okay. It's not his fault at all." Alpha Callum finally understood the reason why the old man gave them false information. Clarice stirred, and her eyes flew open. Remembering what had happened, she flew into Alpha Callum's arms and began sobbing hysterically. "Please tell me, our son is not dead yet. I can't accept that Caden is already dead! I just can't!" she sobbed. Her distraught voice filled the room. Alpha Callum rubbed Clarice's back gently. "Shh, stop crying. I have good news for you. Marina and her husband, including our son, are still alive. They are currently housed in the basketball court, waiting for relocation," he said joyously. "Is this true?" Clarice's eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Our son is still alive?" she asked, not wanting to be disappointed again. "Yes, ma'am, they are safe and alive," the woman interjected. Clarice finally noticed her surroundings. She was currently lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. "Where are we? Whose house is this?" she asked, looking at the woman. "It's Madam's house. The old man outside the house was her father, suffering from dementia. He wasn't telling us the right information. It was Madam who told me that Marina, Carlos and Caden are one of the lucky ones who survived the flooding," Alpha Callum explained. "And she is willing to accompany us to the basketball court to see them," he added. Clarice smiled at the woman. Huge relief washed over her. "Thank you so much, Madam. I feel relieved now," she said in a grateful tone. Tears of happiness shimmered in her eyes. "Don't mention it. I'm glad I can help you, guys," the woman said with a smile. A few minutes later, the woman's sister arrived to take care of her father. The woman boarded the car and accompanied the couple to the basketball court where the temporary evacuation center was being held to house flood survivors. The basketball court was packed with tents and a bit noisy. The couple approached the officer in charge of the evacuation center and inquired about Marina and Carlos. The official accompanied them to tent #5. Alpha Callum and Clarice entered the tent and saw Marina, holding a weak looking boy in his arms, which was Caden. Her heart was beating rapidly in fear. What's going on with her son? This is not what she envisioned herself seeing. Marina was surprised to see her cousin enter the tent. Alpha Callum stayed outside the tent because of the tight space inside. Clarice rushed to her cousin's side. "Marina, what happened to Caden?" she asked anxiously, noticing her son's pale face. He was sleeping at the moment. Tears glistened in Marina's eyes. "He has a high fever right now. It's been happening for a week now. His fever is on and off. It's usually very high in the evening. I don't know why. We have already given him medicine, but he still has a fever. We can't bring him to the hospital because we don't have money. We lost everything to the flood," she cried in despair. Clarice hugged her cousin, sympathizing with her dire situation. "Worry no more, we are here to help and get you out of this misery. I'll take care of my son from now on," she said, lifting her son's sleeping form in her arms and planting a kiss on his hot forehead. A mixture of worry and relief gripped her heart. "Caden is sleeping right now, he will wake up later," Marina said, teary-eyed. Clarice took a few steps towards Callum and put Caden in his arms. "Hold our son for me. I just need to talk to my cousin for a minute," she said. "Why does his body feel hot? What's wrong with our son?" he asked worriedly. "He got a high fever and, despite the medicine they gave him, he's not getting well. One week of recurring high fevers is making me worried. We need to bring him to the nearest hospital before his fever turns serious," Clarice said anxiously. Alpha Callum planted a kiss on his son's forehead. "Son, from now on, we will take care of you. We will keep you safe, away from danger," he whispered, his words overflowing with love for the son he finally met and held lovingly in his arms. For a moment, his worries and fears melted, and he was overjoyed. Holding his son in his arms made his heart swell with pride. Back in the tent, the two women can be seen talking to each other. Clarice hugged her cousin tightly. "Stop crying, don't be sad anymore. We have come to help you and your husband, so worry no more. By the way, where is Carlos?" she asked when she couldn't find him inside the tent. "He's trying to find a vehicle so we can bring Caden to the hospital," Marina replied, tears glistening in her eyes. Clarice sighed. "Worry no more, we've got everything covered. We have bought you groceries and will also give you money, so you can start anew. We will help you construct your house. We will return here after bringing Caden to the hospital, okay?" "OK. Thank you so much!" Marina nodded her head, very much relieved. "Who is that guy? I never saw him before?" Marina asked curiously, looking at the guy holding Caden in his arms lovingly. "He's Caden's father. He is the one I told you about before," Clarice answered. Marina smiled. "Finally! I'm happy for you, cousin." The women hugged each other. "Thank you so much for taking good care of my son for a long time. I truly appreciate it," Clarice said gratefully. "You're welcome. Caden is a good boy. It's a pleasure raising him. Go now and bring him to the hospital so that his high fever will finally stop. I'm deeply worried about his on and off fever, which never seems to stop," Marina said worriedly. "I'll tell Carlos about you when he comes back." "Alright, we're leaving now. But you have to come with us to the car because we will give you the groceries and the money," Clarice said. "OK." Marina followed her cousin to the vehicle. Clarice removed five bags of groceries from the trunk of the car and put them on the ground in front of her cousin. Then she took the thick envelope filled with money from her bag and gave it to Marina. "This money can help you and Carlos start your lives again." Marina gladly accepted the money because she badly needed it. "Thank you so much for the help, cousin. I appreciate it very much." "OK. We're leaving now, heading to the nearest hospital so Caden can finally receive the right medicine for his condition." Clarice looked at her companion. Alpha Callum walked towards Marina and said, "Thank you for taking care of our son. We appreciate your kindness and hard work in raising our son on our behalf," he said sincerely. Marina smiled. "The pleasure is mine, sir. Caden is a joy to raise," she said. "Guys, go now to the nearest hospital," she said urgently, worrying about Caden's worsening condition. The couple boarded their vehicle. Alpha Callum started the engine. "I'll return after a few days to inform you about Caden's condition," Clarice said, waving at her cousin through the car's window. Marina nodded her head. "See you soon. Take care and drive safely, guys." Alpha Callum drove the car, speeding on the path heading back to the open highway, leaving Lashpar Village behind. "Where shall we go now? To the nearest hospital or back to the farm and let Grandpa treat our son's fever?" Clarice asked Callum.