Chapter 195 - You’re My Present and My Only Future

Monday

Damien and Katherine had a better sleep last night. They watched a movie in bed and slept early. That morning, she woke up at six and felt a headache creeping in — that's what too much sleep does to her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that Damien was still asleep with his back facing her. Quietly, she got out of bed, washed up in the bathroom and decided to make some breakfast for them. It was unusual for her to see him not awake at this hour, but because he hadn't slept a wink the day before, she thought of letting him sleep some more.

Walking towards his side, she gently brought the blanket up to cover him but she felt that something was off. His brows were knitted and beads of sweat formed on his face. When her hand rested on his upper arm after covering him with the blanket, her eyes widened in shock after feeling his heat over the shirt and blanket. 

Her hand flew to his forehead and she gasped, "Oh my god, you're burning up."

"Ngnnh…" he groaned.

"Damien," Katherine touched his cheek, "Baby, wake up…"

His eyes lazily opened but he was too lethargic to keep it open. "Mmmm… Do you… need… anything?"

Even at his state, he was still thinking about her. It made her cross her brows. How could he still be thinking about other things at this point? He was already sick!

She sat next to him on the bed and scanned his body, her hand brushing up and down his arm. "You have a fever. I'll take you to the hospital. But I can't possibly carry you… you're too heavy for me. I need you to try walking."

Opening his eyes, Damien shook his head weakly. "I'll be fine, this is nothing. Just grab me a couple of Tylenol. I'll be up in a minute," he muttered just before his eyes closed again.

Katherine went to the bathroom and took out a bottle of Tylenol from the medicine cabinet. Opening the water bottle from the nightstand, she gave him two tablets and helped him take them. "You should take the day off."

"Can't. Meeting at 10." His voice was raspy and was too tired to make full sentences. "Ngnh…" 

"I know, I arranged that meeting. We can reschedule it. This isn't a negotiation, Damien. Stay in bed. I'll get you something to eat." Katherine pushed him back down and tucked him in. The bed was so comfortable that he had a hard time fighting to get up when he could feel his body aching all over. His eyes were burning too that he immediately closed it.

Katherine exited the bedroom and immediately called Caleb who answered her call on the second ring. "Morning, Katherine. What's up?"

"Hi, Caleb. Listen, Damien's sick…" Katherine explained what happened and asked him if he could attend the meeting on behalf of Damien. The truth was, they couldn't reschedule the meeting but she wasn't about to let the preparation go to waste and compromise what has already been planned.

"Hmmm… I actually have a meeting at 10:30.  But it's okay, I'll arrange my schedule and work with Markus regarding this matter. Don't worry about it. You should stay at home with him," Caleb responded.

After they finished their call, Katherine headed towards the kitchen to make Damien some food. Bear sprawled on the floor while she spent an hour in the kitchen making Damien some chicken noodle soup. 

Damien was always the one taking care of her. He was always dependable and always on the go. She always saw him as a strong and capable man but right now, that man was in bed like a baby. It was her time to look out for him.

Their housekeeper Rose already arrived and had taken care of Bear's business. She admired Katherine's personality and the way she was taking care of everything at home, especially Damien and their dog. Seeing how Katherine was worried and busy with Damien's food, Rose was secretly excited to tell all about this to Nana — like she had been doing since she started working in Pearl Gardens.

…

Inside the master bedroom, Katherine made sure that Damien was eating. He didn't have any appetite at all but she didn't allow him to skip a meal. And seeing that she made the effort to make him food, he couldn't say no. 

So even though he didn't want to eat, he finished everything in his bowl and saw her smile because of it. 

His head was pounding in his head and he just wanted to go back to sleep. He rarely gets sick but when he does, it was terrible. He was sick because of stress and fatigue as per Jeffrey's diagnosis when the latter called him earlier.

While Damien rested, Katherine made use of her time by rescheduling the meetings and appointments in his study. She was using his laptop as she made phone calls and arrangements using their synced calendars. A few hours later, she took a break and leaned into his desk chair, sighing and yawning. Her eyes scanned the room and noticed the recording device next to the printer.

She wasn't aware that Jeffrey had given it to Damien and now she wondered if he had listened to it when they got home. Her hand reached out to grab the device but just before she could touch it, her hand balled into a fist. 

What was she going to do? Did she really want to listen to herself? What if she sounded even more horrifying than how she thought it was? She gulped and very swiftly, she grabbed the device and only briefly looked at it before she placed it inside the drawer on her right — out of sight.

She didn't have to listen to it again — everything was still fresh in her mind.

But they had agreed to move on and not let it haunt them. Whatever was in the past… stays in the past. 

When Katherine entered the master bedroom and saw Damien lying on the bed, despite worrying, she had a smile on her face as she laid down next to him. Checking his temperature with the palm of her hand, he was no longer as hot as he was in the morning but he still needed to rest.

She retracted her hand but he caught her wrist and pulled her to him—rather he pressed himself to her, his head resting on her chest while his arm draped across her body. "You are so cool," he murmured, referring to her skin. He was usually concerned about her icy hands and feet all the time but now, he loved it because his body was hot and she was so comfortable.

Softly chuckling, Katherine allowed him to rub himself onto her like a cat. Stroking his broad shoulders and back as she whispered to him, "Don't worry, Damien… No matter who were the people in my past — you're my present and my only future."

Slightly aware of what she said, he responded, "Hmmm…"