I should be excited about this, of course, and a part of me is. But I still can’t relax.
I can’t relax because there is one really big loose end that I need to tie up with Emma.
And if Talia dies, I doubt I’ll ever see her again.
By the timeI walk into the hospital, the chaos has already hit its peak.
The ER is buzzing with that frantic energy, nurses rushing between bays, monitors beeping, and families crying in the corners. Someone wheels a blood-smeared gurney past me, and the smell of antiseptic hits hard.
I practically run down the hall toward the waiting area they pointed me to. When I spot Emma, it damn near knocks the air out of my lungs.
She’s curled into one of those hard plastic chairs, holding herself together with nothing but sheer will. Her scrubs are streakedwith dirt and tears. Her hair’s half fallen out of its tie. Her hands won’t stop shaking.
Laddie is passed out in her lap, completely exhausted from crying, worn out from fear. His cheeks are still blotchy, his little fists still clenched like he was afraid to let go of his mother.
“Emma,” I say softly.
Her head snaps up like she’s expecting bad news. When she sees me, her breath catches.
“Liam,” she says, and her voice cracks on my name.
I drop into the chair beside her and slide an arm around her shoulders, wanting to shield her from all the cruelty of the world.
“What happens now?” I ask.
She swallows hard. “They took her straight to surgery. Internal bleeding. They didn’t tell me anything else.” Her voice breaks. “I don’t know if she’s— I don’t know if she’s going to make it.”
I look down at Laddie, limp in her arms, lashes still wet with tears.
“He cried until he couldn’t anymore,” she whispers. “And then he just… shut down. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help him. I don’t know?—”
Her voice crumbles, and she presses her forehead to the top of Laddie’s head.
Gently, I ease Laddie’s weight onto my lap, lifting him so she can breathe for one damn second.
Emma lets out a tiny, broken sob.
“I’m here,” I say quietly. “You’re not doing this alone.”
She closes her eyes and takes a shaky breath, her fingers curling around my sleeve like she needs something solid to hang onto.
“Liam,” she whispers, “I’m so scared.”
I nod, my chest burns with fear, fury, and helplessness twisting together. “I know,” I whisper. “Me too.”
She shakes her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I keep thinking… what if she dies? What if he remembers all of this? What if?—”
Her voice breaks completely, and she bites down on her lip, trying to hold the panic inside her mouth. Her arms tighten around Laddie like she’s afraid the world might try to take him again.
“Here,” I say softly. “Let me.”
I slide my arms under Laddie and lift him fully against my chest. He stirs, whimpers once, then settles instantly against my chest like he knows exactly who I am.
I hold him close, shifting him so his head rests safely on my shoulder.
“Just breathe,” I say softly. “I’ve got him. Take a minute, Emma. Please.”
She nods, but the tears keep falling.
