Chapter Two

Ashley sat motionless in the cold hospital chair, her hands clasped tightly together as if holding herself together. The minutes stretched endlessly, each one heavier than the last.

The emergency room doors remained closed. No news. No updates. Nothing.

Then hurried footsteps.

Ashley lifted her head just as Mia burst into the waiting area.

“Ashley!” Mia’s voice was laced with worry as she rushed over, immediately crouching in front of her.

Ashley’s lip trembled. The moment she saw her best friend’s concerned face, the dam broke.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Mia… I don’t know what to do.”

Mia grabbed her hands. “I’m here, okay? What did the doctors say?”

Ashley shook her head. “They... they haven’t come out yet.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Mia’s jaw clenched. “And Alex?”

Ashley swallowed hard, glancing at her phone. No missed calls. No messages.

“He hasn’t called back.”

Mia exhaled sharply, anger flashing in her eyes. But before she could say anything, the doors to the ER finally swung open.

A doctor stepped out, his expression unreadable.

Ashley shot to her feet, gripping Mia’s hand for support. “Doctor, my baby, how is he?”

The doctor hesitated. That hesitation made her stomach drop.

“I’m very sorry, Ma'am…” The doctor’s voice was gentle, but the words shattered her world. “We did everything we could.”

Ashley’s breath caught.

The room tilted.

Everything around her blurred.

“No…” The word barely left her lips.

Mia’s grip on her tightened. “No, no, no—”

The doctor sighed. “His fever was too high for too long. His small body couldn’t handle it.”

Ashley’s knees buckled. If Mia hadn’t been holding her, she would have collapsed.

This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.

She had just held him. He was warm in her arms. He was—

A strangled sob ripped from her chest.

Mia pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering, “I’m so sorry, Ash… I’m so, so sorry.”

But nothing reached her.

Her world had just ended.

Ashley’s body went numb.

The doctor’s words echoed in her head, but they didn’t make sense.

We did everything we could.

No.

That wasn’t right.

Her baby was still here. He had to be. He had just been in her arms, warm and breathing. He was fighting. He was—

Her knees buckled again, and this time, Mia held her tightly.

“Ashley—”

“No,” Ashley choked out, her fingers clawing at Mia’s arms. She struggled against her grip, her breath coming in quick, ragged gasps.

“I need to see him.”

Mia’s arms wrapped around her tighter. “Ash, please—”

“Let me go, Mia!” Ashley screamed, fighting with everything she had.

Her nails dug into Mia’s skin as she pushed forward, her only thought to reach her baby.

The doctor stepped forward. “Mrs. Carter—”

“Don’t say that to me!” she snapped, her voice breaking. “Where is my son?! Take me to him!”

Her body trembled violently, tears blinding her as she tried to move past them.

Mia’s arms were like steel around her. “Ashley, listen to me,” she whispered, voice shaking. “You don’t have to see him like that. Please.”

But Ashley wasn’t listening.

All she could think about was the warmth of her baby against her chest, the way his tiny hands curled around her finger when he was scared.

She needed to hold him. To feel him. To wake him up.

“Let me go,” she sobbed, her entire body trembling with grief.

The doctor sighed, his face drawn with sorrow. “We’ll take you to him.”

Mia’s arms loosened.

Ashley staggered forward, her heart slamming against her ribs.

Her baby needed her. He was waiting.

The doctor led her down the hall.

Every step felt heavier than the last.

The world around her blurred, the only sound her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Then the door.

The doctor pushed it open.

Ashley stepped inside.

And her entire world shattered.

Her son lay motionless on the hospital bed, his small body covered in a white blanket.

No movement.

No breath.

Nothing.

Ashley let out a strangled cry as she rushed to him, falling to her knees beside the bed.

“No, no, no, baby, wake up,” she sobbed, shaking his tiny shoulders. “Mommy’s here. I’m here. Please, open your eyes.”

She cupped his face, her tears falling onto his cold skin.

Too cold.

Her baby was always so warm.

Ashley gasped, rubbing his little hands between hers, trying to bring back the warmth. “Baby, please,” she whispered desperately.

But there was no response.

No tiny hands clutching her fingers.

No small cries reaching for her.

Only silence.

A deep, aching silence that crushed every part of her.

Mia’s broken sobs filled the room behind her, but Ashley barely heard them.

Her hands shook as she bent down, pressing her forehead against her son’s.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Her tears soaked his skin, her body wracked with pain that no words could ever describe.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

She was supposed to protect him.

But she had failed.

And now… he was gone.

Ashley let out a soul crushing scream, grief swallowing her whole.

Mia wiped her tears with trembling hands, watching Ashley crumble before her. She wanted to be strong, to pull Ashley away from the devastating scene, but how could she?

Ashley’s cries tore through the room, each sob a knife to the heart. She clung to her baby, rocking him gently, whispering apologies between broken gasps.

“Baby, it’s okay… Mommy’s here… I won’t leave you…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet filled with unbearable pain.

Mia couldn’t take it anymore. She turned away, pressing a fist against her mouth to stifle her own sobs. This wasn’t fair. None of it was.

A nurse quietly entered, standing near the door with sympathetic eyes. "Mrs. Carter… we—"

Ashley flinched. "Don’t," she choked out, tightening her grip around her child. "Don’t you dare take him from me."

Her voice was raw, filled with a desperation Mia had never heard before.

The nurse hesitated, looking toward the doctor, but Ashley wasn’t ready. She would never be ready.

Mia stepped forward, her voice barely steady. “Ash… I—”

“Don’t.” Ashley shook her head violently. “I just need a little more time. Please, just a little more.”

Her shoulders shook as she pressed a kiss against her baby’s forehead. "You’re still warm," she whispered. "Maybe if I hold you long enough, you’ll wake up. Just a little more, okay? Mommy will make it better."

Mia’s chest ached. She couldn’t let her stay like this. “Ashley…” She crouched beside her, reaching out. “Sweetheart, we—”

Ashley let out a strangled sob, her hands fisting the fabric of her baby’s blanket. “I should have tried harder, Mia. I should have done something. Maybe if I ran faster… maybe if I had gotten help sooner—”

“No,” Mia said firmly, grabbing Ashley’s face between her hands. “You did everything you could. Do you hear me? You fought for him.” Her own tears blurred her vision. “This is not your fault.”

Ashley shook her head, eyes distant, lost. “Then why did I lose him?”

Mia had no answer. No words strong enough to ease this kind of pain.

The doctor stepped forward, voice gentle. "Mrs. Carter, we understand your grief, but…" He exhaled heavily. "It’s time."

Ashley’s entire body went rigid.

“No,” she whispered. "No, I—"

Mia braced herself as Ashley started shaking again, her entire world breaking apart right in front of her.

"I can’t let go," Ashley sobbed. "I can’t—"

Mia hugged her tightly, both of them crying into each other’s shoulders. "I know, Ash. I know."

And then, after what felt like an eternity, Ashley finally loosened her grip.

Her baby was gently taken from her arms, and the second the warmth left her hands, she felt it—

The emptiness.

The unbearable, soul crushing emptiness that told her nothing would ever be the same again.