Cammy’s first day at the orphanage was a whirlwind of joy and heartbreak. Sarah had warmly introduced her to the children, the handful of overworked staff, and the few dedicated volunteers who kept the place running like a worn engine—barely functional, but sohow still moving.
They were inspecting one of the run-down classrooms when a volunteer suddenly ca sprinting down the corridor, breathless and pale.
"Sarah! The nursery—co quickly! Sister Olivia needs you right away!"
Without hesitation, Sarah took off, and Cammy instinctively followed, Hanna close behind. Even before they reached the nursery, Cammy’s steps quickened at the familiar, piercing sound of babies wailing in distress. Her hand clutched her belly protectively.
"They’re in pain," she whispered, her voice filled with alarm. "Those aren’t just hungry cries. Sothing’s wrong."
They burst into the nursery, where chaos t them like a storm. Two volunteers were desperately trying to soothe two shrieking newborns swaddled in thin blankets. Sister Olivia turned to Sarah, her face a mixture of awe and helplessness.
"They were just brought in," she explained, voice trembling. "An old couple found them by the roadside while traveling through the countryside. Abandoned. Just left there like trash."
Sarah’s face hardened with panic. "Sister, we have no space left! The nursery is already beyond capacity. We don’t even have enough cribs or formula. Can’t we transfer them sowhere else?"
"I tried," Sister Olivia replied, defeated. "I called every contact I had. No orphanage nearby is accepting newborns—short on staff, low on funds. We’re the only hope these babies have."
Cammy stepped forward without a word and gently lifted one of the fragile infants into her arms. Her breath hitched the mont she saw the baby’s face—tiny, flushed, and streaked with tears. She peered down at the other one and imdiately began unwrapping the blanket.
"Oh, my God," she whispered. "They still have their umbilical cords attached..."
A nearby volunteer leaned in. "They were just born—probably only hours ago. No dical attention. No sterilization. They’re at serious risk of infection."
"We need to get them to a hospital now," Cammy said urgently.
Sister Olivia reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded check Greg had given earlier. She extended it to Sarah. "Take this. Cash it and bring them to the ergency room. Hurry!"
But Cammy raised her hand to stop her. "Wait. No, Sister. That money is for the children already here. Let it serve its purpose. I have a car—I’ll take them myself. I’ll pay for everything. These babies... I’ll take care of it. Please, let do this."
The nun looked at her, eyes welling. "God bless you, Cammy. Truly. Yes. Take them. Go. Sarah, you and one volunteer, go with her. And call the mont you reach the hospital."
Without wasting a second, Cammy, Sarah, and the second volunteer rushed to the SUV. Cammy cradled one of the infants while the other volunteer held the other, and Hanna helped secure them gently with towels and warm fabric from the back of the car. But even once they were on the road, the babies wouldn’t stop crying.
"They might’ve caught colds," Cammy muttered, voice cracking. "Being out in the open like that... God knows how long they were there."
"They’re twins," Sarah said suddenly, studying a folded piece of paper she’d pulled from the swaddle.
Cammy’s eyes flicked over. "What?"
Sarah handed her the note. "Looks like the mother left this with them."
Cammy took the paper and carefully unfolded it. The mont her eyes scanned the first lines, her heart clenched so violently it made her gasp. It was handwritten—five pages of desperation, love, and heart-wrenching surrender. The handwriting trembled with pain.
She covered her mouth as tears stread freely down her cheeks.
"She’s a college student... She said she wanted to keep them, tried to—but she couldn’t afford it. Her parents didn’t know. She hid the pregnancy. She wrote that she didn’t want to abort them... she wanted them to live, even if it ant losing them."
Cammy sobbed openly, her arms tightening around the baby.
"Oh, dear God... she chose life. She gave them a chance."
Sarah sighed, brushing a strand of hair away from the baby’s damp forehead. "If only she had co to us... We could’ve called a volunteer midwife, helped her deliver safely. Those babies wouldn’t be suffering like this."
Cammy looked at the tiny girls—so helpless, so pure—and sothing inside her cracked wide open. Her chest ached not just with sorrow, but with a strange, overwhelming hope. She touched one of the baby’s hands, which instinctively wrapped around her finger.
"What’s the other baby’s gender?" she asked quietly.
"They’re both girls, Madam," the volunteer answered softly.
Cammy closed her eyes as a sob escaped her throat. It was as if the world had shifted beneath her. Sothing in her heart felt irreversibly changed—broken, yes, but in the breaking, sothing new had blood.
The mont they arrived at the hospital, chaos turned to swift, coordinated action. Thanks to Hanna’s call ahead, the ergency room team was already on standby.
Nurses took the two tiny infants from Cammy’s and Sarah’s arms with utmost care and imdiately wheeled them into the trauma bay.
Cammy stepped forward, her voice steady but fierce. "I want every test done—bloodwork, x-rays, everything. Don’t skip a single thing. Treat them like they’re my own children."
As fate would have it, Dr. Eunice Ballister—Dylan’s pediatrician and one of the finest in the state—was on duty. Without hesitation, she took charge of the case.
Minutes later, she approached Cammy and Sarah in the waiting area, pulling off her gloves. Her expression was calm but serious.
"They’ve been cleaned and stabilized," she said gently. "We’re moving them to the NICU for 24-hour observation. They’re showing signs of respiratory distress—congested lungs, shallow breathing. It’s likely they caught an infection while exposed to the elents. There’s a real risk it could develop into pneumonia, so we’re acting quickly."
Cammy didn’t flinch. She only nodded. "Do what you have to, doctor. Spare nothing. I’ll take full financial responsibility. Just make sure they’re safe."
Dr. Ballister gave her a look of sincere respect. "You’ve got it. The nurse will take you to the NICU."
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