Her New Life, His Eternal Pain Chapter 17

Her New Life, His Eternal Pain Chapter 17 I’ll Go

His phone rang. The daycare.

“Mr. Scott? Lily’s having a seizure! We don’t know what’s wrong. We’re taking her to the hospital now. You

need to come.”

Samuel’s mind went blank. White static.

Stay calm.

Fiona was in surgery. Lily was having an emergency. He couldn’t be in two places at once.

Liam saw his face change-the blood draining, the eyes going wide. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Lily,” Samuel said. His voice came out hollow, like it was coming from someone else.

He looked at the operating room doors. Then at his phone. His hands were shaking.

Think. Think.

Something clicked. A memory surfaced. Lily, two years ago, eating too much chocolate and seizing on the kitchen floor.

He grabbed the phone. “Wait-did Lily eat anything different yesterday?”

“Same as the other kids. Bacon sandwich. No common allergens. She drank some cola.”

Samuel’s stomach dropped. The floor tilted under him. “I forgot to tell you. She has epilepsy. She can’t have cola. Please get her to the hospital. I’m coming.”

He hung up and smacked his own forehead. Hard. Stupid. Stupid. How could he have forgotten to tell them?

He looked at the surgery doors. Then at his phone.

Fiona. Lily. He couldn’t choose. He couldn’t abandon either of them.

He paced. His palms were sweaty. His thoughts were a tangled mess.

Then a hand gripped his shaking arm.

“I’ll go.” Liam’s voice was low. Steady. Calm in a way Samúel hadn’t expected. “Fiona needs you here. Let me take care of Lily. I’ll protect her kid.”

Samuel stared at him. Searched his face for a trick, a trap, some hidden cruelty.

But Liam’s eyes were clear. Earnest, even.

Samuel wanted to say no. Wanted to shove him away and tell him to stay the hell out of their lives.

But what choice did he have?

Liam was right. Lily couldn’t wait. And Fiona had just gotten a critical condition notice.

“Okay.” Samuel’s voice cracked. The word tasted like ash. “Thank you. Please.”

Liam nodded once, turned, and ran. His footsteps pounded down the hallway and faded.

Samuel leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and banged the back of his head against the cold concrete. Once. Twice.

The surgery light was still on. On his phone, the daycare had sent a video of Lily seizing-her little body jerking, her eyes rolled back.

He watched it once, then put the phone down.

No ambulances available. Traffic was a nightmare. The daycare staff was carrying Lily and running on foot. their arms burning, their lungs heaving.

By the time Liam got to the spot-six blocks from the hospital-the workers were exhausted, doubled over, gasping.

He didn’t say a word. He stepped forward, scooped the little girl into his arms, and ran.

Liam hadn’t been feeling well all morning. He’d been out in the rain half the night, standing in his backyard, letting the water pound his face. Fever. Dizziness. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

But the girl in his arms was light. Soft. Warm. She twitched and shook, her small fingers curling and uncurling.

She felt so fragile. Like a bird with a broken wing. Like she could slip away at any moment.

This was Fiona’s kid. The most precious thing in Fiona’s life.

His vision blurred. His feet caught on a crack in the sidewalk. He tripped.

As he fell, he curled his body around Lily, tucking her against his chest, taking the impact himself. His elbow hit the pavement first, then his ribs, then his hip.

His clothes tore. His skin shredded on the rough concrete. His left arm screamed with pain-a sharp, white-hot agony that meant something was broken.

But he didn’t let go. He didn’t even loosen his grip.

He got up, ignoring the blood running down his arm, and kept running.

At the hospital, the doctor got Lily on an IV. Her pale little face slowly got some color back. The twitching stopped. Her breathing evened out.

Liam watched from the corner of the room, leaning against the wall, his injured arm hanging limp at his

side.

…

He exhaled. A long, slow breath.

His arm was killing him. His head was spinning. He was burning up-a fever that made his skin feel like it was on fire.

The doctor noticed. “Sir, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Liam’s thoughts were scattering like leaves in the wind. “Just thirsty. Can you get me some water… Fiona?”

He didn’t realize he’d said her name until he saw the doctor’s confused face.

The doctor was young, early thirties, with a kind face. “My name’s not Fiona. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Liam blinked. The room came back into focus. “Sorry. Water. Please.”

The doctor handed him a cup. Liam drank. The water was cold and clean. It helped.

“You’ve got a fracture,” the doctor said, nodding at Liam’s arm. “And you look terrible. Fever, maybe. You should get checked out. Get that arm X-rayed.”

“I’m fine. I have things to do.”

He stood up. Every movement sent a fresh wave of pain through him-his ribs, his hip, his arm. He gritted his teeth and walked toward Fiona’s operating room.

The red light was off.

He grabbed a nurse-a woman in blue scrubs with a tired face. “Fiona Foster. Room 412. Is she out of surgery?”

The nurse checked her clipboard. “That patient is in the ICU now. This is a different surgery.”

Relief flooded through him like a wave. His legs went weak. He stumbled back, hitting the wall.

But he was smiling. A real smile. The first one in years.

She made it. She’s alive. She’s okay.

Maybe-maybe she could forgive him. Maybe they could-

He shook his head. It was a fantasy. But even a fantasy was better than the cold, empty darkness he’d been living in.

Liam went to the ICU.

Through the glass window, he saw Samuel lean over Fiona and press a gentle kiss to her forehead. His lips lingered there.

“Thank God you’re awake,” Samuel whispered. His voice was thick, cracking. Tears ran down his face. “Thank you, Fiona. Thank you for coming back.”

Fiona reached up weakly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her movements were slow, careful, like she was relearning how to use her body.

“I should be thanking you,” she said, her voice raspy, barely above a whisper. “Samuel, if not for you, I’d be dead. I wouldn’t have Lily. I wouldn’t have a future.”

Samuel’s tears fell on her face-drip, drip, drip-mixing with her own.

She wiped them away and smiled. A soft, radiant smile. “Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving

me.”

“Samuel. I love you.”

Samuel laughed and cried at the same time, his face a mess of joy and relief. “You just woke up and you’re already stealing my lines. That’s not fair.”

He kissed her through the oxygen mask-awkward, gentle, perfect.

Liam stood outside, frozen.

He knew what was happening. Fiona had been scared the surgery wouldn’t work. That’s why she’d waited until after to tell Samuel she loved her. Just in case.

Liam had no chance. None. Zero.

His chest felt like it was being crushed by a hydraulic press. He couldn’t breathe. His vision blurred with tears he hadn’t even felt coming.

He clutched his chest and stumbled away, gasping, crying, disappearing into the shadows of the empty hallway.