Chapter 9: The Offer

Beverly POV

“Mr. Hawthorne, we need you right now. Liam is not responding to treatment again, and we don’t think he’s going to make it.”

For a moment, the world seemed to halt after the nurse dropped the bombshell.

Nothing moved. Not me.Not Marcus.

Not even the air around us.

The sentence hung heavily in the space between us sharp, final, brutal.

Like a death sentence.

My chest tightened instinctively, my whole body trembling yet again in the way it always did whenever Liam was mentioned.

Oh God.

I could feel my heart constrict painfully in my chest, my entire system going rigid.

Liam.

The last image I had seen of him just before this crisis flashed through my mind almost immediately.

A small, dark-haired boy—sickly, fragile, but unbelievably cute, with a warm heart and the gentlest smile.

My chest tightened even more the longer I thought about him.

His small fingers curling around mine earlier as I played with him.

The way his eyes had lit up when I smiled at him.

The trust in his voice when he’d asked if he would see me again.

Of course, I should have been used to this by now. Seeing children die once in a while was something painfully common in my profession.

But there it was again.

That familiar ache pulling at my chest whenever it involved Liam.

A pull that refused to loosen, even as my mind screamed at me not to attempt what my heart was already urging me to do.

Even as my mind reminded me whose son he was.

Marcus.

The same man who ruined me.

All the more reason I shouldn’t let this bother me anymore.

If this had been a few hours earlier—before I knew he was Marcus’s son—maybe it wouldn’t have been this hard.

But now—

No.

I killed the thought before it could fully form.

This wasn’t like me.

Maybe if it were Marcus himself, I wouldn’t have thought twice.

But this was a child.

An innocent little boy who knew nothing about the past nothing about heartbreak or betrayal.

No matter what, I couldn’t let the sins of his father fall on him.

With that thought, I turned away from the door and faced the hallway.

Marcus was already at the far end, the nurse trailing behind him. Both looked breathless. He was shouting, barking at anyone in his way, knocking down anything that dared to slow him.

He ran like a madman, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“No! Not my son! Not Liam! Move out of the way—now!”

I joined the sprint almost immediately, running as fast as my legs could carry me. I had wasted a few seconds contemplating, and any more delay could be fatal.

By the time I reached the ward, it was pure chaos.

Machines beeped frantically. Alarms screamed from every direction. It sounded like something was dying.

And truly, something was.

The air was thick. The smell of sweat and antiseptic mixed with something metallic hit me as I further stepped inside.

Around me nurses moved quickly around the bed, their faces tight with urgency. A doctor barked orders while another adjusted a monitor.

By now Marcus had somehow managed to shoved himself inside.

He stood near the wall at the other end of the ward looking utterly destroyed.

His hands were buried deep in his hair, fingers shaking, shoulders slightly hunched as though the weight of the world had finally crushed him. His face was pale, eyes red and glassy and they were fixed helplessly on the small body on the bed.

I followed his gaze.

And the sight I saw nearly broke me.

Liam looked impossibly small beneath the sheets.

Body still so still and pale looking every bit lifeless.

My stomach sank. For a second, I stood frozen in place as real, suffocating fear wrapped around me the kind that makes your lungs forget how to function.

I gripped the wall beside me for support, tears pooling beneath my lids.

But it only lasted a second.

Because in the next moment, instinct kicked in, and I snapped into action.

“Miss—” A nurse turned sharply as I approached the bed. “I’m sorry, but you can’t be in here—”

“I’m a pediatric nurse,” I said, forcing my voice to steady even though inside I was falling apart. “What’s happening?” My voice cracked at the end.

One of the doctors glanced at me briefly before returning his focus to the monitor.

“Respiratory distress. Possible internal complication. Oxygen saturation is dropping fast.”

I didn’t waste time. I reached for the tray beside me and pulled on my gloves.

“How long has this been going on?”

“Five minutes. He’s not responding.”

My heart pounded as I moved to Liam’s side, my eyes scanning him—the shallow rise of his chest, the faint flutter of his pulse and the bluish tint now creeping into his lips.

My heart raced even harder, but I forced myself to take short, deep breaths. This was no time to panic.

I could do this.

“Okay,” I said quietly, more to myself than anyone else. “We’re not losing him.”

I pressed my gloved fingers to his neck, checking his pulse.

It was Weak. Too weak.

My heart did another painful slam against my ribs.

“Liam… hey… stay with me,” I murmured without thinking, my voice low near his ear.

His chest barely moved, and pure fear punched straight through me.

God, please… not today. Not this child. Not like this.

I could feel the tears wetting my cheeks noe but I couldn't careless.

“Prepare suction,” I ordered. “Increase oxygen flow. Now.”

Someone obeyed immediately, and the alarms screamed louder.

My hands moved automatically as I adjusted the oxygen mask, checked the airway. Muscle memory. Training. Instinct. Everything coming together even as my heart felt like it was being crushed in a fist.

This wasn’t my first time working on a child.

Not my second either.

But there was something about this particular operation this particular child.

I checked his pupils afterwards listened to his chest next then counted breaths as the seconds ticked by but it was still shallow too shallow.

“Come on,” I whispered, my voice breaking slightly as I leaned even closer to him. “Stay with me, sweetheart. Don’t you dare let go.”

Minutes stretched painfully as the monitor's continued beeping every beep felt like a countdown.

By now my gloves had grow slick around my fingers and I feel the cold sweat sliding down my spine as anxiety gripped me.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Marcus still hadn’t left the room he was still there watching.

I could feel his gaze on me the whole time probably shocked and surprised at my sudden assistance but I didn’t look at him I couldn’t because If I did, I might fall apart.

The room continued buzzing around me shoes squeaking, machines beeping, voices calling out numbers but all I could see was Liam.

I continued watching waiting and praying for the exact moment his vitals would turn.

“Sats are still dropping,” a nurse said after a while. “We’re losing him.”

My pulse spiked at the words.

“No,” I muttered, shaking my head stubbornly despite the odds stacked against us. “We aren’t. Anyone but this child.”

I reached forth adjusted the equipment, checked his vitals again, forcing calm into my movements even as panic clawed at my ribs but still his pulse continued dropping.

Then I the started compression

One. Two. Three. Four.

His small body moved under my hands and it nearly broke me.

But I kept going.

Sweat slid down my spine my arms ached with the movement but I didn't stop couldn't bring myself to.

“Stay with me,” I whispered yet again, teeth clenched tight as I continued the compressing.

"You hear me Liam you're going no where "

Few more minutes passed with no possible progress but I still didn't relent I couldn't then—

A spike in the monitor suddenly happened followed by the numbers shifting.

Then—

A sudden spike flashed across the monitor followed by the numbers shifted.

I felt it instantly.

The moment his pulse strengthened beneath my fingers.

Immediately air rushed back into my lungs like I’d been pulled from underwater.

“Pulse stabilizing!” someone announced.

But I still didn’t stop not until I was sure.

Not until I saw his chest began rising more steadily as his breathing returned to normal.

Not until the blue tint faded completely and color slowly returned to his cheeks.

“Oxygen’s climbing,” a nurse announced yet again and only then did I stop.

My shoulders sagged as relief crashed over me, sudden and overwhelming.

“There you go,” I whispered, brushing my thumb lightly over Liam’s stiff hand. “Good boy.”

The alarms softened, then one by one they stopped.

The silence afterward was deafening.

I stepped back, my legs suddenly feeling weak I gripped the edge of the bed immediately to steady myself.

Across the room, Marcus slid down the wall, his body folding in on itself as a broken sound escaped his throat. Tears streamed freely down his face, his hands covering his mouth as he tried and failed to hold himself together.

I looked away quickly not trusting myself to look at him a second longer and not feel anything for him.

I pulled off my gloves then exited the ward quietly feeling my fingers trembling slightly my body still reeling from everything.

Irregardless a satisfied smile graced my lips.

I had done it all thanks to God Liam was alive.

And that was enough for me.

_____

Later, when the adrenaline had finally worn off and the ward settled into a tense calm, a nurse approached me quietly where I sat outside Liam's room.

“Miss Beverly? The Director would like to see you.”

I nodded and stood, ignoring the exhaustion that weighed deep in my bones.

The walk to the office felt unreal, like my feet weren’t touching the floor.

Inside, I met a middle-aged man who stood to greet me the moment I entered, his expression serious but kind.

“I’ve been informed of what you did today,” he said after we sat down, his eyes studying me as though measuring something.

“You saved that boy’s life. Though we were certain that we were going to lose him today, and to be honest, I’m utterly impressed with your skills.”

I shrugged weakly. “I did what anyone would have done.”

He shook his head.

“No. You did what only someone who truly cares would do. Not everyone would have shown that level of patience and dedication like you.”

I didn’t respond to that I couldn’t.l because If he had seen inside my head, he’d know how far from composed I truly was.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

“Well I wouldn't want to waste your time, Miss Beverly, so I’ll go straight to the point.” He picked up a file from the stack on his desk.

“Liam has been battling a serious disease since birth. We don’t yet know what it is. All attempts to cure him have failed, and we’ve only managed to find ways to suppress it so it doesn’t claim him completely.”

Something twisted uneasily in my stomach as he started his narration.

Has no cure really? I didn't know Liam situation was this serious.

“Recently,” he continued, “his personal nurse the only other person who could manage his condition resigned two days ago. Since then, we’ve struggled to find someone suitable.”

He paused, looking at me.

“But after what I saw today… I don’t think we need to search anymore. I believe God sent you to us.”

My pulse quickened

at this point I could feel where this was heading to now.

“So I’d like to offer you a deal,” he said.

“I want you to work here specifically as Liam’s nurse. We’re willing to pay whatever you demand, as long as it’s within our means and as long as you ensure Liam will be fine.”