Chapter 10 It is all his doing

RILEY

I awoke to the sound of my phone ringing loudly.

Morning sunlight filtered in through the windows, blurring my vision.

I groggily answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Riley Clarkson speaking?” Dr. Ward’s voice came through. “This is Dr. Ward at Bayview General Hospital.”

I snapped out of my haze and sat up quickly. “Yes, this is Riley. Is everything alright, Dr. Ward?”

“Ms. Clarkson, I was just calling to let you know that the preliminary results of Dominic’s biopsy have come back,” the doctor said urgently. “I need to speak with you immediately.”

When I arrived at Dr. Ward’s office, I was almost out of breath.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Dr. Ward,” I apologized, brushing my sweaty bangs away from my eyes. “I got here as soon as I could.”

“Quite all right, Ms. Clarkson.” The doctor gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. “Please, take a seat. Unless you need a moment first?”

“I’m fine.”

I carefully sat down, though my body was shaking so badly that I felt as if I were practically vibrating. Anxiety coursed through me as I waited for him to speak.  

I had spent the entire cab ride nervously fiddling with my bracelet, praying to a higher power that I didn’t necessarily believe in that Domi would be okay.

But as I studied Dr. Ward’s serious expression, I began to doubt anyone up there was listening.

He took a moment to look at the paper in his hand.

“You said that the results wouldn’t be available very quickly, Dr. Ward,” I said first . “So I was surprised to receive your call.”

He nodded and met my gaze apologetically.

“Yes, normally it takes a few days to get the result after the biopsy,” he replied, his tone hard to decipher. “But this is a special case, so we decided to expedite the process.”

I sat forward, feeling more on edge.

“Well, it’s… difficult to explain,” Dr. Ward continued cautiously. He glanced down at the paperwork once again. “I’ll keep it short, Ms. Clarkson. You son has an atypical form of leukemia.”

Atypical leukemia.

The words struck me like a blow.

I thought I had been prepared for this. But perhaps I hadn’t. Until this moment, some naïve part of me had still hoped that maybe the first diagnosis was wrong. had always had a naïve belief that maybe it was just a mistake. Maybe Dominic could be fixed overnight with the wave of a wand, just like in the fairy-tale books I read to him every night.

I forced myself to focus on the conversation.

“What does that mean?” I asked. “Atypical?”

“It means that his case doesn’t resemble most of the leukemia cases I’ve seen.” Dr. Ward’s expression grew more serious. “Normally, leukemia involves a high volume of blasts, which are immature blood cells. But that isn’t the case with Dominic.”

Stunned and confused, I struggled to process what he was telling me.

“I… I don’t understand,” I admitted slowly. “Is that supposed to be good news or bad news? I don’t really know how any of this works.”

 “Honestly, Ms. Clarkson, I can’t say for certain.” Dr. Ward sighed. “That’s why I wanted to speak with you.   Dominic’s case requires a more specialized assessment than this institution can provide. I recommend transferring him to a specialist.”

I blinked. “A transfer?”

The news was coming at me too quickly. I didn’t know what to think of all the information being thrown at me.

Dr. Ward nodded.

“I’m afraid it’s the best option.  The sooner Dominic receives a more specialized assessment, the better it will be for his health. Atypical leukemia is unpredictable, and any delay could cause his condition to worsen. For a child his age… that could be fatal.”

I nodded, my fingers tightening around my bracelet.

“Where would he be transferred to?” I asked, feeling my heart on a string.

This was already the largest medical complex in the area. If even this hospital couldn’t properly assess Dominic’s condition…

“That’s the difficult part.” Dr. Ward folded his hands on the desk. “A top-tier institution with specialists in blood diseases would be ideal for Dominic. However, those hospitals are often far away, and the intake process can take weeks. If it’s possible, I would recommend private medical care.”

“Private medical care?” I echoed.

 Dr. Ward nodded.

“I know a specialist who works at a premier private medical center not far from here. His name is Raphael Douglas. He’s one of the top blood disease specialists in the area, and I’m certain he could accept Dominic’s case quickly.”

I didn’t need to ask how much such care would cost to know that I could hardly afford it. Private medical treatment was already expensive under normal circumstances. For a rare and complicated case like Dominic’s?

There was no way.

“If you’d like, I can initiate the paperwork today.” Dr. Ward offered.

“T-thank you, Dr. Ward, for your recommendation,” I said. “But I think I need some time to think about this.”

I began to rise from my chair, and the doctor stopped me.

“Ms. Clarkson, if this is about the financial aspects, I wouldn’t worry too much,” he said.

I stared at him, completely confused.

Dr. Ward gave a reassuring smile. “Mr. Bryce is one of the biggest investors in that medical center.”

Mr. Bryce?

I stared at him blankly for a moment.

Did he mean Killian? What did this have to do with him?

Then, the realization hit me.

He was behind this.

Killian must have spoken with the doctor before I arrived.

That explained the unusually quick test results. The timing of this meeting. The private medical center Dr. Ward had recommended so earnestly.

Of course.

Such privilege wasn’t because Dominic’s case was special or because the doctor felt sorry for me.

It was all Killian’s doing.

Despite me telling him not to interfere, he had arranged everything behind my back. And now he was trying to make me feel like a helpless fool.

Indignation flooded me, but I forced myself to stay calm. Dr. Ward wasn’t at fault, after all.

Killian was.

I politely excused myself from the doctor’s office, telling him that I needed to take time to consider my options before making a decision. Then I made my way back toward Domi’s room.

With every step, my irritation slowly gave way to exhaustion as I tried to understand Killian’s intentions.

He wasn’t doing this out of pure consideration, was he?

It seemed obvious that he was trying to prove something to me, something he could do that I couldn’t. He had wealth and power, while I was a struggling single mother who could barely make ends meet. By going behind my back and arranging everything himself, he was practically telling me that he was more capable of caring for Dominic than I was.

Medical care wasn’t the only advantage he had. Killian probably possessed connections I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

As my thoughts spiraled, anger and fear ignited together.

Was he trying to take Dominic away from me?

Could he?

What the hell did he think he was?

I needed to stop him.

When I reached Domi’s room, I found Dale sitting beside my son. They were happily playing with toy cars and Domi seemed to have already taken a liking to him.

Hannah had left for work just before I’d arrived at the hospital. She had mentioned over text that Dale had stayed with them throughout the night.

Strange as it was, Killian’s employee was the least of my problems right now.

“Mommy, look at the cars Dale brought for me!” Domi gushed happily. “We’ve been racing.”

“That’s so cool, baby,” I smiled warmly at him before turning toward Dale.

I tried not to glare at him, but my expression must have been terrible, because his charming smile quickly turned into a confused frown.  

 “Where is he?” I asked. “I need to talk to him.”