Dawn barely had time to process what was happening before she found herself seated on the examination table, Kenny pulling out his stethoscope with a determined look on his face.

"Kenny, I'm fine," Dawn mumbled, her voice trembling from both the cold and the intensity of his expression.

"Fine? Dawn, you walked through a snowstorm just to bring me lunch. That’s not fine!" Kenny exclaimed as he pressed the stethoscope to her chest. "Deep breaths. In... and out."

Dawn obediently inhaled and exhaled, her breath shaky as Kenny’s brows furrowed in concentration.

"Hmm," he muttered, moving the stethoscope to her back. "Your heart rate’s elevated. Probably from the cold, but I want to be sure."

He then grabbed a thermometer, gently pressing it into her ear. "Stay still for a second."

Dawn tried to hold still, but she was shivering so much that she winced. Kenny noticed, his lips pressing into a thin line as the thermometer beeped.

"You're running a fever, Dawn," he said, his tone more serious than she’d ever heard. "Why didn’t you stay home where it’s warm? You could have gotten sick—"

"I wanted to make sure you ate," Dawn cut in, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kenny froze, his frown softening for a moment, but then he sighed. "Dawn... you’re more important than my lunch."

His words, combined with his stern tone, made her lower her head. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and before she could stop herself, they spilled over.

Kenny’s heart sank as he saw the tears streak down her cheeks. "Oh no... Dawn, please don’t cry," he said, his voice immediately softening. He set his tools aside and stepped closer. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you."

"I’m sorry," Dawn choked out, wiping at her eyes. "I just wanted to help. I didn’t want you to go hungry..."

Kenny’s chest tightened as he saw how upset she was. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"You don’t have to apologize, Dee Dee," he murmured, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I appreciate you so much. I just don’t want you to hurt yourself for my sake, okay?"

Dawn sniffled, her face buried in his chest. "I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to make you worry..."

"You don’t need to be sorry," Kenny assured her, holding her even tighter. "I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. Thank you for thinking of me, but from now on, no running through snowstorms, okay?"

Dawn nodded against his chest, her tears slowly subsiding.

Kenny pulled back slightly, brushing her hair out of her face. "You’re too important to me to risk getting sick like this, okay? Let me take care of you now."

Dawn gave him a small, watery smile. "Okay, Kenny."

Kenny smiled back, gently patting her head. "That’s my Dee Dee."

The receptionist peeked in, a knowing smile on her face as she saw the pair. Everyone at the clinic already knew—Kenny might be serious about his work, but when it came to Dawn, he had the softest heart.