Chapter 96: Leon’s One-Man Operation
Diana is suffering from a high fever.
For the first time since getting married, Diana’s health deteriorated. The doctor stated it simply.
“This is a typical case of mastitis.”
“Oh…”
Leon couldn’t help but think of cows, but it probably wasn’t appropriate to say that out loud, so he kept it to himself.
“There’s a lump here in your breast.”
“Yes.”
“If you breastfeed your child while pressing on this area, the blocked lump will be sucked out by the baby.”
“…?”
“If we can clear the blockage in the milk duct, the fever will subside. The key is to have the child suckle persistently.”
The doctor said that and left, leaving Leon facing Alberto in the basket.
“…Al, it seems only you can cure Okaa-san’s illness.”
“Ugh.”
Alberto kicked his legs unhappily and kicked off the blanket.
Diana spoke up.
“Leon… I’m feeling tired, so I’ll sleep for a while. Take care of Alberto.”
“Understood.”
At that moment, Alberto seemed to sense the atmosphere and started crying.
“…If you cry, Okaa-san won’t be able to sleep.”
Leon whispered that and lifted Alberto, basket and all.
“So sometimes, it’s just you and Otou-san…”
“Waaah!”
Alberto cried out. Leon hurriedly carried the basket outside.
“Why? You just had milk a moment ago, didn’t you?”
“Waaah!!”
Since there was no end in sight, Leon tied Alberto to a baby carrier on his back. He would probably fall asleep while walking around. He had often seen Alberto sleeping on Diana’s back, so there was no doubt about it.
“It’s a handful… Anyway, let’s let them both take a nap.”
With Alberto crying in his arms, Leon started cleaning the cowshed.
However, Alberto continued to cry stubbornly.
“…This is strange.”
And then, he felt a warm sensation on his back――
Leon shuddered and untied the baby carrier.
Alberto had wet himself, and Leon’s shirt was soaked.
With his upper body bare, Leon busied himself with laundry.
Alberto had a refreshed expression after having a new diaper put on him, lying on his back and kicking his legs.
“Haah.”
Leon sighed as he hung up his shirt to dry.
“This way, I can’t make any progress with my work…”
Alberto kept repeating the motion of putting his fist in his mouth.
“Oh, maybe now that he’s feeling better, he’ll fall asleep.”
Leon picked up Alberto.
He gently patted his back, trying to put him to sleep.
Alberto looked up at Leon with wide-open eyes.
There was no sign of him falling asleep at all.
“You… you seem different from when you’re with Okaa-san, huh?”
“Au!”
“Cheerful…”
Leon rallied his fading consciousness and changed his strategy.
“I know! Maybe if I play with you, you’ll get tired and fall asleep…”
Alberto threw away the wooden toy given to him by his Otoo-sama.
The toy hit the wall and broke into two pieces.
“Oh, it was a new toy. . .!”
“Ugh.”
“I guess I’ll have to buy another one at the village shopping district. . .”
“Ugh!”
Since he’s at the age where he throws everything, maybe something softer would be better.
“Hey, how about this, Al? It’s a fabric ball.”
Alberto chewed on the handmade fabric ball.
“How is it? It’s fun, right?”
However, after a while, Alberto started crying again.
“W-What’s wrong?”
“Waaah!”
Seeing his son crying and arching his back, Leon understood.
Alberto wanted his mother’s breast milk. . .
“Maybe the shape of this ball. . . reminded him of something unnecessary.”
“Gyaaa!”
“Let’s go outside after all. Diana won’t be able to sleep like this. . .”
When they went outside, Alberto’s crying finally stopped as the scenery changed.
But whenever Leon stopped to do some work, Alberto would start crying again.
Leon walked aimlessly.
After a while, he came across a hot spring cabin where some elderly ladies were gathered.
Leon felt relieved.
“Oh! Isn’t that Leon?”
“L-Long time no see. . .”
“Oh, and who’s on your back? Is that Alberto?”
“Yes. He’s having trouble falling asleep. . .”
The ladies got excited for a moment and reached out their hands.
“Is that so? Hey, since he won’t sleep anyway, let me hold the baby.”
Leon was taken aback but felt strangely relieved. He untied the baby carrier and handed over the child.
The ladies took turns holding Alberto.
“He’s so cute~.”
“He’s getting chubby~.”
“His neck is getting stronger~.”
As Leon watched this peaceful scene, he suddenly remembered that Diana had left with the baby on her back and hadn’t returned home several times before.
She must have reached her limit and walked all the way here.
And just like that, she must have felt relieved and unloaded something here.
Alberto was too engrossed in observing the changing scenery to cry anymore.
When Alberto was handed back to him, Leon felt a little uplifted and headed back to their home on the hill.
When they arrived home, Diana was awake.
“Ugh. . . My breasts are swollen and painful.”
“It’s been quite a while since the last feeding. Should I try to feed him?”
Diana lay down and took Alberto, letting him suckle on her breast.
Alberto kicked his legs and eagerly drank the breast milk.
Diana endured the pain as she pressed on the red, swollen area of her breast and fed her child.
Diana and Alberto fell asleep while breastfeeding.
In the evening, Leon silently cooked in the kitchen.
He heard that it’s better to avoid dairy products during mastitis. He also heard that it’s good to stay hydrated, so he made a watery rice porridge with eggs.
Leon muttered to himself.
“I didn’t understand anything. . .”
Both Diana and I were working. And yet, she was the one burdened with Alberto all the time.
“If taking care of a mother who has fallen is this exhausting for just one day…”
Diana comes down from the second floor.
“Phew, I’m hungry after breastfeeding… Oh?”
“I thought so, so I made it for you. Here you go.”
“Huh?! What’s going on, Leon? Can you read my mind now?”
“…Yeah, I read it.”
Diana sits at the table and brings her face closer to the steam rising from the porridge that was offered to her.
“Wow, it looks delicious. Let’s dig in!”
“It’s hot, so be careful.”
“Ouch.”
“…I told you to be careful.”
Saying that, Leon goes upstairs and peeks into the basket where Alberto is.
Their son is peacefully sleeping.
After gazing at him for a while, Leon returns downstairs.
“…It was tough, Diana.”
“Well, I finally got some sleep after a long time. My heart feels much lighter too!”
“From now on, I’ll cook all the meals.”
“Really? Yay!”
Watching his wife, whose fever has subsided and appetite has returned, Leon smiles.
“Let’s keep doing our best from now on.”
“What’s wrong? You seem different today, Leon.”
“When you have a child, everyone changes in some way.”
“That’s true… Well, as long as it’s a change for the better.”
Leon, still resting his cheek on his hand, watches Diana eat like a lively little boy. Then, he surrenders himself to the table and falls into a deep sleep.
