124 Recovery

Michelle teared up as Butter and Scotch ran towards her as she stepped into the yard of their new home. Riley gestured for the dogs to stop just before they manage to topple his wife.

Though limited, the dogs still managed to show their excitement by happily wagging their tails.

Michelle knelt down on the grass to hug a dog on each arm.

Riley sighed but smiled. His in-laws had gone back to Country K for business matters.

Due to her condition, his wife was granted indefinite leave of absence, while he filed for his own leave until they find a companion for her during her recovery.

The dogs started to lick her face. Riley cleared his throat. "Butter, Scotch, that's enough."

Recognizing their names and the stern look of their owner, the dogs went back into their house, disappointed.

"Why"d you stop them?!" Michelle furrowed her brows while pouting like a kid.

"I don't wanna taste dogs when I kiss my wife later." He snickered.

He helped her get up and gently wiped her face with a handkerchief.

They slowly walked towards the front door. When they reached it, Riley looked at his wife.

"Ready?" He smiled.

Michelle chuckled. "Hmmm!" She enthusiastically nodded.

Riley held the brass knob and turned it.

The interior of the house was modern and elegant. The furniture and walls complement each other with nudes and neutral colors.

Michelle smiled. "This house looks like coffee mixes."

She was startled by the arms which suddenly embraced her from behind.

"Your parents knew you'll like the colors."

She looked upstairs. "How many rooms are there?"

Riley held her hand as they went upstairs. "You could count as we go along." He had a warm smile.

They went through three bare rooms and an entertainment area before they reached a two-door room.

Riley had a wide smile.

Michelle was skeptical. "What's in there?"

He placed her hand on a knob, his hand on the other. "Together."

In sync, they opened the doors together which revealed a cozy bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a fireplace.

Michelle was gaping in awe. She had a smile but was teary-eyed. Then she frowned, as if remembering something.

"What's the matter?" Riley saw her expression.

She looked him in the eye. "Riles, what if we can't have children? Will we be the only ones living in this big house?"

He kissed her temple while he hugged her. "You need to recover first. Then we'll talk about it. Right now, I only need my wife."

________________________

When he arrived back from City T, Dan went to visit his father.

Since his father could only blink, Dan began his monologue as he stepped into the hospital room.

"Hello, Dad. It's been awhile. The nurses said you were doing just great. Is that true?"

Victor Zhou blinked once.

"Good, good! ZFC is also good. Don't worry about it. You should focus on your recovery so you could come back." He had a warm smile.

Victor Zhou blinked once again. He was agreeing to it.

Then Dan's face became serious. "Dad, I need to tell you something. Something Mom doesn't know."

Victor Zhou blinked once for the third time.

Dan sighed. "Dad, I married Midori. Y'know, my first and only girlfriend way back in high school?" He was a bit shy on telling this part. "But Mom setup an engagement for me with Chairman Song's daughter. However, the two of us are just faking it."

Dan came closer to the man on the wheelchair.

"Dad, I'm going to be a dad soon." His smile became wider. "Midori's pregnant." he declared.

Suddenly, he saw his dad subtly move his forefinger.

Dan almost burst into tears. He quickly went for the call button. A nurse rushed in, followed by a resident-on-duty.

"Mr. Zhou, what happened?" the doctor asked.

"He...he..." Dan was too shocked to answer.