Left in the Flooded Kindergarten for His Childhood Sweetheart Chapter 02

Left in the Flooded Kindergarten for His Childhood Sweetheart Chapter 02

I stared at him in complete disbelief. “Her fever’s at one hundred and three, and she’s hysterical. You want to wait it out at home?”

My sharp tone stung him; his expression turned sour. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what exactly did you mean?” I carried Anna toward the front door. “Tristan, start the car.”

He’d just wrapped his fingers around the key fob when his phone blared. Kylie’s name lit up the screen.

He glanced down and answered immediately. Kylie’s tearful voice echoed loud through the speaker. “Tristan, Paige’s head hurts so bad—I’m scared, could you—”

That split second of hesitation killed every last shred of hope I’d clung to for our marriage. I snatched the car keys straight out of his hand.

“You go stay with her then.” I turned and rushed into the elevator holding Anna tight.

Tristan snapped out of his daze and sprinted a few steps after me. “Nova, quit being so sarcastic and dramatic!”

The elevator doors slid shut, sealing him out. All I saw on his face wasn’t worry or remorse—it was pure anger that I’d dared to defy him to his face.

The emergency room overflowed with sick kids caught in the storm. Cries, coughing fits, and nurses calling patient numbers blended into an overwhelming cacophony.

I waited in line with Anna pressed against my chest; my arms ached so badly I could barely hold her up. She burned hot against my neck, shivering and whimpering that she was freezing.

I wrapped my jacket tighter around her and pressed a soft kiss to her blazing forehead. “Mommy’s right here. I’m not leaving you.”

Getting her calmed down, starting an IV, and running blood work took us until two a.m.

The doctor reviewed her lab results. She’d caught a severe throat infection from getting soaked and traumatized waiting alone in the rain.

“Someone needs to stay close overnight—her fever will probably spike again while she sleeps.”

I nodded, my throat scratchy and raw from crying. “Understood.”

Anna slept slumped in the plastic hospital chair, an IV line taped to her tiny hand, her eyes still puffy and red from hours of crying.

I pulled out my phone and saw three unread texts from Tristan.

First, sent thirty minutes ago: [How’s Anna holding up?]

Second, fifteen minutes ago: [Kylie’s at a different ER too, I’m gonna swing by her side quick.]

Third, just a minute earlier: [Stop blowing everything out of proportion. Kids aren’t as fragile as you make them out to be.]

I flipped the phone face-down on my lap.

By four a.m., Anna’s fever dropped slightly. The second she stirred awake, she reached blindly for me. “Mommy?”

I leaned in at once. “I’m here, baby.”

She mumbled softly, “Where’s Daddy?”

My throat constricted painfully. “Daddy had something he had to take care of.”

Anna fell quiet for a beat, then fresh tears welled up in her eyes. My heart twisted into a tight, painful knot.

When dawn broke, I emailed my boss to request a half-day leave. He approved it the second I mentioned Anna’s hospitalization.

Next, I dialed Tristan’s mother. “Mom, Anna’s hospitalized with a fever. I have work shifts these next two days—could you come stay with her for a bit?”

A long silence stretched across the line.

“Nova, I wish I could help, but Vivian just gave birth. She can’t manage the newborn all by herself while she’s still recovering.”

Vivian was Tristan’s younger sister.

I tightened my grip on the phone. “Anna needs someone with her right now.”

His mother sighed heavily. “Little kids get fevers all the time; you’re overreacting. Besides, Anna’s five years old already. Vivian’s baby’s barely a week old—obviously the newborn takes priority.”

I squeezed my eyes shut against the stinging behind my lids.

“Tristan works long hours too—don’t pile all your stress on him. He’s the breadwinner; you should be more supportive instead of adding to his burden.”

I hung up without another word. The harsh fluorescent lights lining the hospital corridor burned my eyes.

I dialed my own mom, and tears spilled before I could even speak. My mom panicked instantly.

“Nina, what’s wrong? Is Anna hurt?”

I fought to hold back sobs, but they burst free anyway. “Anna’s stuck in the hospital with a fever, and I’ve got no one to watch her while I’m at work.”

My mom didn’t waste time asking for details. She only said, “Don’t cry, honey. Your dad and I are taking the train up today.”

I heard my dad’s voice in the background: “Where’d I put my driver’s license? I’ll pack our medical kit quick.”

My mom cut back in, urgent and warm. “We’ll call you the second we arrive.”

Once I hung up, I texted Tristan a message: [My parents arrive at Grand Central at five twenty this evening. You need to pick them up.]

Worried he’d ignore the text, I called him directly. Loud background chatter blared through the line—he sounded like he was inside a shopping mall.

“Where are you?”

“Grabbing toys for Paige. She got shaken up yesterday, and Kylie said little girls love stuffed animals.”