He Didn’t See Our Son Suffocate, He Saw Her Concert Tickets Chapter 02

He Didn’t See Our Son Suffocate, He Saw Her Concert Tickets Chapter 02

I didn’t get a cab until the early hours of the morning.

The doctor said my son’s vocal cords were extremely fragile. If we’d waited any longer, it could have permanently affected his ability to speak.

When he saw the AI “diagnosis” on my phone, the doctor looked at me with sheer frustration. “What is wrong with you parents? If you think AI has all the answers, what are the rest of us even here for?”

The tears I’d been holding back for so long finally broke loose. The doctor quickly fell silent. I shook my head. “You’re right. Thank you.”

I stayed up the entire night while my son received IV antibiotics.

Vivian posted a photo — her and Ethan, blown up on the concert’s giant screen. “Caught a random shot of couples kissing and hugging! Didn’t know Ethan had it in him!”

I zoomed in on the photo, torturing myself, and saw the lipstick smeared at the corner of his mouth as clear as day.

I remembered our son’s first birthday. I’d begged Ethan to take us to Disneyland. He just waved me off, irritated. “It’s hot, it’s packed, it’s exhausting. What’s the point?”

And yet there he was, in that photo, grinning like he didn’t have a care in the world.

That evening, our son’s fever spiked. I carried him up and down the stairs, floor to floor, getting him admitted.

Then I heard a familiar voice near the stairwell. “How are you feeling, Viv? I’ll get you admitted right now.”

I looked up. Ethan was rushing past, cradling Vivian in his arms. He was so keyed up he didn’t even register us.

“Doctor — hypoglycemic episode. I need her admitted immediately.”

The young nurse looked flustered. “We’re tight on beds right now, Mr. Shaw. You’re a VIP patient, so a family member can usually jump the queue, but…”

Her eyes moved to me and my son. “Are these your wife and child? The child should—”

That’s when Ethan followed her gaze and saw us. He froze.

But he recovered in a heartbeat. “Oh — no, it’s this young lady who needs to be admitted. She’s the urgent one.”

“No.” That single word landed like a slap across my face.

The nurse who knew me and my son looked at us with nothing but sympathy in her eyes. Vivian was rushed into a room. Ethan followed right behind her. He didn’t look back once.

My baby was burning up in my arms. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding. The hallway was crammed with people desperate for beds. Every minute that passed felt like being cut open.

Half an hour later, Ethan emerged from the room, frowning, looking uncomfortable.

“I talked to the head nurse. The kid just has some throat irritation. An anti-inflammatory shot in the hallway’ll do. No need to admit him.”

“Vivian collapsed on the way back. If they don’t run a full workup, she could end up with long-term damage. Don’t be so petty.”

He reached out to touch the baby. I stepped back without hiding it.

“We’re not staying.”

I picked up my son and turned to leave. Ethan’s hand hung there in midair, his brow twitching.

The hospital corridors were full of families coming and going. I was the only one alone, weaving through the crowd with my child, trying to find somewhere to get his fever treated.

By the next morning, thank God, his fever finally broke.

An immigration officer called and told me to come in and pick up our results. Ethan’s company was relocating overseas next month, but my son’s and my applications still hadn’t been approved.

As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I ran into Kevin, one of Ethan’s assistants. He greeted me warmly. “What a coincidence, Mrs. Shaw! You’re really okay with living apart from Mr. Shaw overseas? Raising a kid all by yourself — that’s gotta be brutal.”

I was confused. I figured he must have misunderstood something. I smiled and made small talk. “We’re still processing the applications. Should go through this time. I mean, it’s not like someone can just swoop in and take our spot.”

Kevin looked genuinely bewildered. “But Miss Vivian already took the immigration quota. I’m the one who ran all the paperwork back and forth for Mr. Shaw. I’m just here to pick up the results.”