ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR

SYLVIA'S POV

Present day----------

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder and looked up to see Paul standing there with a container of takeout. "You should eat, ma'am. It's getting late," he said, offering me the food. I rubbed my eyes, bleary from exhaustion, and glanced out the hospital window. It was already well past daylight.

"Uh, thank you," I said, taking the container from him. As I settled into the chair, I couldn’t help but ask, "How long has it been?"

Paul glanced at his watch. "It's been 12 hours already. The doctors needed to do a blood transfusion, so they had to find the right type."

Tears welled up again, and I blinked them away. Paul patted my back reassuringly. "He will be fine," he said softly.

I took a deep breath and looked around the stark, clinical room. "I've always hated hospitals," I admitted. "I was sick a lot as a child. My parents used to bring me here all the time, and then they died in a hospital. I almost died giving birth to my kids. I thought I was going