It'll Come Naturally

The moment she stepped out, she already saw Kevin asleep on the bed. She sighed as she approached the bed and started to carefully dress Kevin up without disturbing his sleep.

When Leena finished dressing Kevin up, her eyes fell on the scars Kevin had on his body. It hurt her to see him like this but, when she saw Kevin asleep blissfully, tears started to fall down her cheeks slowly.

She stretched her hand and caressed his cheek. She always remembered how he said goodbye when he had to leave her for a month to attend to the army. She had missed him dearly as he could not be there during their child's birth. She smiled silently and thought, 'Look at how much you've changed, Kevin. I'm really worried about you.'

People say that women should be strong and independent and live a happy life, even without a man by their side. But, Leena needed Kevin. Even if she had a son to accompany her, she still wanted Kevin by her side.

Leena then went to the dining area and cleared the table. After that, she went back to the bedroom, took Kevin's hand and wrapped his arm around herself. She closed her eyes. 'At least, you're here now. That's all that matters.'

Morning then arrived, the sun illuminating the land, and the birds sang a song to whoever was up and awake. At the dining area, the table was set and filled with food to eat. The first one awake, Shannon hummed in satisfaction, "Looks good! Now, let me check up on Richard."

Shannon climbed up the staircase and went to the bedroom where Leena and Richard would be. Before Shannon could even open the door, she saw the door open and there stood Kevin at the other side.

Kevin's eyes widened as he was surprised. "Mom? Why are you here?"

Shannon was surprised as well. She was a light sleeper so there was supposed to be no way that she hadn't woken up at Kevin's arrival. "When did you come back?" she asked and looked at Kevin from top to bottom. "I didn't know you already returned."

"I just arrived last night. It was late and I didn't want to wake you up," Kevin responded. Shannon saw that Kevin was already in his military uniform and about to head back to the army base. She looked behind him and saw that Leena and Richard were still fast asleep. Kevin looked back at earlier events. He seemed to have remembered that Leena had tried to wake him up to help her tend to their son but, Kevin had been too exhausted to even respond.

Kevin then passed Shannon, closed the door quietly and started to walk towards the hall. Shannon immediately tailed after Kevin, clearly angry with what was happening. "Where are you going?" She stomped and started to grumble as she waited for Kevin's response. 'He just came back and now he's leaving again!' she thought.

Kevin then responded, "I'm just going to the army base. I'll be back quickly." Shannon stopped at her tracks and looked at Kevin as he proceeded to the hall. When Leena gave birth to Richard, he hadn't been there to accompany her. He felt very guilty and decided to ask his superior for a two-day leave to be with his wife and son.

She exclaimed, "I made breakfast! So make sure you eat first! I'm going to check on Richard!" Nights were difficult for Leena as she had to continuously feed the baby. Shannon saw how difficult it was for Leena before thus, she took initiative to take care of Richard in the morning so Leena could have an adequate amount of rest for later on in the evening.

"No, thanks. I'm good," Kevin responded as he climbed down the flight of stairs rather swiftly. "When Nana wakes up, do tell her that I'm in the army base, okay?" Kevin then looked at his wrist, reading the time on his watch. 'I woke up late. It's been a while since I was late to anything,' he thought.

Before Kevin could even leave the house, he heard Shannon's voice yell at him once more. "Just eat your breakfast! It won't take long!" Kevin stifled a laugh, left the house and headed to his car.

He was usually picked up by Lee but, this time, he took his own car and drove to the army base.

After arriving at the army base, Kevin pulled his car up at the parking lot. He stepped out of his car and locked its door. As Kevin was making his way to the office building, a familiar female voice called out to him, "Hey!" He turned to see Daisy and assumed she just arrived as well. Daisy caught up to him. "You're finally back! How was the mission, hmm? A success?"

Kevin sighed heavily, "Not bad but, there were some casualties that occurred during the mission." He would never forget what happened during that mission. He felt so sorry for the people who got injured and even killed. Daisy felt Kevin's bright atmosphere from earlier fade away.

She felt guilty for asking him such a question. She then cleared her throat, placed her hand on his shoulder, and made an attempt to comfort him, "Don't be so sad. It was inevitable. Your target were ex-servicemen and it was a tough mission as well." "This was the most dangerous one I've ever engaged in," Kevin responded, his voice solemn. "I'm thankful I'm still alive."

They both fell silent as they walked their way to the office building. All people in the field knew that escaping the cruelties of war unscathed would be close to impossible. Attempting to lighten up the atmosphere, Daisy shattered the heavy silence as she asked Kevin a question in a rather teasing manner, "So... How did you feel when you saw Richard?" Richard was an adorable baby and almost everyone loved him the moment he was born. Even Justin, who disliked Richard at first for his gender, eventually fell for him as well. Daisy saw Kevin smile. His mood lightened up immediately. "It felt like a dream. I'm also so grateful for Nana." Kevin always thought he'd never have a child but, it looked like the heavens heard his wish and he was blessed with a son.

"Make sure you be nice to Leena, alright?" Daisy warned Kevin. "She deserves it. If you do anything to hurt her, I swear I'll..." At the very start, Daisy had always seen Leena as a weak girl but, as time passed, she realized that Leena was strong and capable. Daisy could not help but admire her. "I will, I will." Kevin stifled a chuckle. "Don't worry. Besides, I feel so lucky to have her in my life."

"You can't even imagine what happened when she gave birth to Richard!" Daisy exclaimed. "She kept on calling your name over and over again!" Daisy knew how Kevin felt when he couldn't support Leena when she was giving birth as she was a soldier as well. But, Daisy knew it'd be unfair if she did not say anything to Kevin about it. Kevin looked at Daisy, his tone dropping as he asked, "Was she helpless then?"

"Of course she was," Daisy responded. "Giving birth is a highlight in every woman's life, you know? Even if her friends were there, she needed you the most. No one could ever replace you." Daisy was a mother herself and she completely understood Leena's sentiment. Kevin felt absolutely guilty. He then sighed, "Looks like I owe her a lot mentally and materially."☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐