Dave quickly stepped out of the car and hurried to open the door for Paris and Egypt.
"Careful.." he said softly, guiding them down.
As he turned toward my side, his hand was already reaching for the handle when I pushed the door open myself and got out.
For a mont, he froze. His eyes dropped to the sleeping Cairo, whose small face was turned away from him, his cheek pressed against my shoulder.
"I can lift him for you." Dave offered gently.
I shook my head imdiately. "N-no, I’m fine... I can carry him. Thanks for the ride." I replied quietly, avoiding his gaze.
He hesitated. I could tell he wanted to say more, maybe ask who the child was or what was going on. But he didn’t.
Instead, he gave a short nod and stepped aside, letting walk past him.
I shifted Cairo carefully in my arms, holding him closer as I started toward the hospital entrance.
"Paris, Egypt, stay close to .." I murmured without looking back. They quickly fell into step beside , clutching each other’s hands.
As we entered the ergency area, I approached the reception desk, my heartbeat loud in my ears.
"E-excuse .." I said, my voice breaking slightly. " P-please tell Dr. Feliz that Cairo Smith is having difficulty breathing."
The nurse behind the counter imdiately stood up. "Right this way, ma’am." she said, signaling for a wheelchair.
Dave followed quietly from behind, his expression unreadable as he watched the nurses take Cairo from my arms.
I stood frozen for a mont, my arms suddenly feeling unbearably empty.
"Mommy..." Paris whispered, tugging at my sleeve, her voice trembling. "He’s gonna be okay, right?"
I forced a shaky smile. "Y-yeah, sweetheart... he’ll be fine."
"Sylvia..." Dave’s voice broke through my daze, firm yet calm. I turned to look at him.
"Let’s talk.." he said quietly, stepping closer.
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. "Now?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Dave looked toward the ergency doors where the nurses had just taken Cairo, then back at . His expression was too serious.
"Yes. Just for a minute. There’s sothing I need to ask... and I think you already know what it is."
I froze, glancing nervously at Paris and Egypt, who were both watching us. My chest tightened.
"Dave..." I said quietly, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Please... not right now."
’ - ’
Before he could respond, a nurse approached in a hurry. "Miss, you’re the patient’s mom, right? Dr. Felize needs to speak with you. He said he needs to tell you sothing about your son."
My heart jumped.
I felt Dave’s gaze harden beside , his eyes digging into mine as if trying to read .
I could tell he had even more questions now. He stayed silent, but that silence said enough.
"O-okay... I’ll follow you in a mont," I replied, my throat tightening. I turned to Paris and Egypt, who were both standing anxiously.
"Mom, is Cairo going to be okay?" they asked almost at the sa ti.
I crouched down in front of them and placed my hands gently on their heads. "I—I’m sure he’ll be fine," I whispered, trying to sound reassuring even though my voice shook. "I’ll talk to the doctor for a few minutes, alright? Please stay here and don’t go anywhere. Wait for Mommy."
They both nodded hesitantly, holding each other’s hands tightly.
"Don’t worry," Dave said suddenly, his voice softer now. "I’m not leaving yet. I’ll stay and watch over them."
I lifted my gaze to him. His expression was serious but not unkind, and I could feel the weight of his stare pressing against .
"But after you talk to the doctor," he continued, "we need to talk."
"N-no," I said quickly, shaking my head before he could insist. "I’m sorry, but... I have more important things to do right now. I don’t think I need to talk to you." I tried to keep my tone calm, but my voice still trembled as I said it.
He stared at for a few seconds, as if studying my face. Then, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, his jaw tightening.
"Alright," he muttered finally. "You don’t owe a talk, Sylvia—but I believe soone else does. Go on... take care of your son first."
Did he already know?
I swallowed hard and looked away, blinking back the sting in my eyes. "I know..." I whispered, barely audible.
Turning away, I followed the nurse down the hallway. My hands were trembling again—empty now that Cairo wasn’t in them.
When we reached the end of the corridor, the nurse stopped in front of a door labeled Ergency Pediatric Care.
"The doctor’s inside.." she said gently.
I nodded and pushed the door open, and there he was. Cairo lay on the hospital bed, small and fragile, his chest rising and falling beneath the thin blanket.
A doctor was adjusting the IV line beside him.
"Hi," he greeted, turning toward as I stepped closer. "I’m sorry I had to ask the nurse to call you, but we need to discuss your son’s condition."
My throat tightened. "It’s fine... but how is he? Is he... is he going to be okay?" I asked, my voice trembling.
The doctor hesitated for a mont before speaking. "He’s stable for now. It’s good that you brought him in right away," he said carefully. "But his breathing difficulty wasn’t caused by sothing simple like overfatigue."
"So what caused it? I thought he’d be fine as long as he took his dicine and didn’t get too tired. It’s only been an hour since he was happily playing and then suddenly he was struggling to breathe... please, tell what’s happening to him."
"I’m sorry," the doctor said, his expression heavy. "Even as his doctor, I didn’t expect this to happen. However... his heart rate beca irregular, and his breathing difficulty indicates an acute cardiac stress reaction. In children with sensitive cardiovascular systems, this can occur suddenly under physical or emotional stress."
My heart skipped a beat. "A cardiac... stress reaction? But Cairo—whenever he’s with , he’s happy. I don’t see him stressed or upset. He’s always smiling and..." I stamred, panic creeping into my chest.
The doctor nodded slowly. "Yes, he may be happy, but in cases like his, sudden changes in environnt or intense excitent can trigger temporary arrhythmias. Even sothing as simple as overexcitent or overstimulation at the amusent park can affect his heart rhythm and breathing. Right now, he’s stable, but he needs careful monitoring."
I froze. So it was the excitent... the new environnt...
My fingers clenched tightly in my lap. "What does that an? Is it... dangerous?" I asked in a trembling voice.
The doctor adjusted his glasses and straightened in his seat. "He’s responding well to the dications we administered—oxygen therapy to help his breathing and a mild dose of beta-blockers to stabilize his heart rhythm. For now, he’s okay, but we need to observe him overnight. Cases like this can sotis recur if the heart remains sensitive, especially after monts of stress or excitent. Our goal is to monitor him closely, run so tests, and make sure there’s no underlying condition that requires further treatnt."
I nodded numbly, trying to absorb his words. "So... what should I do? How can I help him?"
"For tonight," the doctor said gently, "he needs a calm, quiet environnt. Avoid any strenuous activity or excitent. Keep him hydrated and make sure he rests. We’ll monitor his heart rate and breathing continuously, and we’ll run so blood tests to ensure there’s nothing more serious. Your presence is very important, emotional comfort can help children recover faster from situations like this."
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak. "O-okay... thank you, Doctor."
As he walked out of the room, leaving alone with Cairo, I slowly sat beside the bed.
My eyes softened as I brushed my hand across his forehead. His small body looked so fragile under the hospital blanket, but each shallow breath was a relief.
"Mommy’s here, baby," I whispered softly, smoothing the hair from his pale face. "You’re going to be okay. We’ll get through this together."
Cairo stirred slightly, his eyes fluttering open. A weak but determined smile crossed his lips.
"Mommy..." he murmured, his voice faint but comforting.
I reached out and held his tiny hand in mine. "Just rest, sweetheart. That’s all I need you to do right now. You’re safe."
I watched him as he fall asleep and just a few monts later, a faint knock ca from the door.
I turned, expecting maybe a nurse—but my blood ran cold.
It wasn’t a nurse.
It was a very familiar man standing by the doorway. His eyes went straight to Cairo on the bed before lifting to et mine.
"H-how is he?" he asked quietly.
He looked disheveled, worry etched deeply across his face.
The calm and always composed deanor I once rembered from him was gone. His eyes flicked between and Cairo, as if he were trying to hold himself together but barely could.
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, though I couldn’t help but feel nervous in front of him.
I was half surprised, half guarded. After all, it had been years since we last saw each other, and I never thought I’d face him again like this.
He stepped closer but stopped just short of the bed. "His doctor told what happened," he said, his voice rough with concern. "I ca as soon as I found out. I—I thought sothing worse had happened to him."
My hands trembled slightly as I tucked the blanket closer around Cairo. "He’s stable now.." I said softly, avoiding his gaze, though I could feel it burning into .
"The d-doctor said it was a cardiac stress reaction. They’ll keep him for observation tonight."
Sylvester’s brows furrowed. "Why did it happen to him?" he asked, his tone sharp with worry but edged with disappointnt. "I thought he’d finally be fine with you. So why... why did it still happen now that he’s with you?"
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