Chapter 10: A new donor

Chapter ten

Amelia's POV

"Daddy came back."

Lily's excited voice shattered the silence of the hospital room before sunrise, and the hope inside those three simple words made my heart ache before I had even opened my eyes.

I immediately sat upright on the narrow couch beside her bed, my exhausted body protesting every movement after another sleepless night spent listening to the rhythm of her heart monitor and praying her fever would not return.

For one brief and foolish moment, I allowed myself to believe her.

My eyes flew toward the doorway.

The hallway beyond remained completely empty.

No familiar figure stood there.

No hurried footsteps approached.

No father had come to see the little girl who had spent days waiting for him.

The bright excitement on Lily's face slowly faded as she realized the same thing.

Her small shoulders drooped beneath the hospital blanket before she lowered her gaze toward her lap.

"Oh," she whispered quietly while hugging her stuffed rabbit tighter against her chest. "I thought it was Daddy."

The disappointment hidden behind those words hurt more than any tears could have.

Children were not supposed to learn how to hide heartbreak. Children were supposed to cry when they were disappointed. Yet Lily had already learned how to swallow her sadness because disappointment had become too familiar.

I forced a smile onto my face before walking toward her bed and gently brushing a few loose strands of hair away from her forehead.

"You must have been having a beautiful dream." A small smile appeared on her face, although it never reached her eyes.

"I dreamed Daddy was sitting right there beside me," she said while pointing toward the empty chair near her bed. "He said we could go home together after I got better."

Every word felt like a knife twisting deeper inside my chest.

I wanted to tell her that dreams sometimes came true. I wanted to tell her that her father would walk through that door any minute. I wanted to tell her something that would restore the hope slowly disappearing from her eyes.

Instead, I remained silent because I could no longer bring myself to lie for Maxwell. A soft knock interrupted the painful moment before the hospital room door opened.

Israelite stepped inside carrying a tray filled with breakfast and two cups of coffee.

The moment he saw Lily's expression, his smile disappeared.

His eyes immediately shifted toward me.

"What happened?" I opened my mouth, intending to answer, but the words became trapped inside my throat.

The exhaustion, fear, disappointment, and helplessness I had spent weeks suppressing suddenly felt too heavy to carry. Israelite looked at Lily again before understanding quietly settled across his face.

He didn't ask another question. He simply placed the breakfast tray on a nearby table before walking toward me.

"You need to sit down."

"I'm fine." The lie sounded weak even to my own ears.

"No, Amelia," he replied gently while meeting my gaze. "You're exhausted."

I looked away because I could not argue with the truth.

For weeks, every waking moment had revolved around hospital appointments, treatment plans, medical bills, and praying my daughter would survive another day.

I couldn't remember the last time I had slept without fear. I couldn't remember the last time someone had asked whether I was okay.

Before I realized what he intended, Israelite gently reached for my hand.

The gesture wasn't possessive. It wasn't inappropriate.

It simply carried a quiet steadiness that made me realize how desperately I needed someone to help carry the weight crushing my shoulders.

"Come with me," he said softly.

I glanced toward Lily immediately.

"I don't want to leave her alone."

"You aren't leaving her alone," he replied while nodding toward the little girl watching us from the bed. "I'll stay right here while you rest for a few minutes."

"I should be taking care of her."

"And who is taking care of you?"

The question struck harder than I expected.

I opened my mouth. No answer came, Because there wasn't one.

For years, I had carried every burden alone. When Maxwell stayed late at work, I handled everything myself.

When Lily became sick, I stayed awake alone. When life became difficult, I learned how to smile through the pain because nobody ever offered to help.

Israelite slowly guided me toward the small family bed near the window before helping me sit down.

"You don't always have to be strong," he said quietly.

A bitter smile touched my lips.

"Strength is the only thing I've ever been allowed to have."

Something flickered across his expression.

Perhaps even anger on my behalf. For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

The morning sunlight slowly filled the room while nurses moved through the hallway outside. Lily eventually broke the silence herself.

"Mommy."

I immediately looked toward her.

"You should listen to Uncle Israelite," she said with innocent sincerity. "Daddy always says people need to rest when they're tired." The room suddenly felt unbearably quiet.

My chest tightened so painfully that I struggled to breathe. Maxwell understood exactly what people needed.

He simply never gave those things to us. Unable to stop myself, I lowered my head and covered my face with trembling hands.

The tears finally came.

Just silent tears born from months of exhaustion and years of disappointment.

Israelite looked away immediately, giving me the dignity to fall apart without pretending he hadn't noticed. For the first time in a very long time, someone allowed me to be weak without judging me for it.

Several minutes passed before Israelite's phone suddenly vibrated.

The sound immediately drew his attention.

He glanced at the screen before answering.

"Israelite Kingsley speaking."

His expression became serious.

I watched quietly as he listened.

Then something changed.

The kind I hadn't seen in weeks.

"Are you certain?" he asked carefully. My heart immediately began pounding. The call lasted less than a minute.

When he finally lowered the phone, he looked directly at me.

"Amelia."

The expression on his face made me stand immediately despite my exhaustion.

"What happened?"

"The national bone marrow registry finally called back." Every muscle in my body tightened.

My hands began trembling.

Israelite took a slow breath before continuing.

"They've identified another potential donor whose preliminary results appear highly compatible with Lily." For several seconds, I forgot how to breathe. The words felt too impossible to believe. After weeks of rejection. After countless tests.

After every hopeful lead ended in disappointment. Someone had finally appeared. Tears immediately filled my eyes again.

"Is this real?" Israelite nodded carefully.

"The doctors still need additional testing before they can guarantee anything, but this is the strongest match they've found so far." A sound escaped my throat.

Hope hurt after losing it so many times. Part of me wanted to believe. Another part feared having my heart broken again. Lily looked between us with wide curious eyes.

"Does that mean I can get better?" My vision blurred instantly.

I crossed the room before wrapping my arms around her tiny body.

"Maybe, sweetheart." For the first time in weeks, genuine excitement appeared on her face.

"Really?" I kissed her forehead repeatedly while struggling to hold back tears.

"Maybe." The room suddenly felt brighter. The future no longer seemed completely hopeless. For the first time since Lily's diagnosis, I allowed myself to imagine bringing her home.

I allowed myself to imagine birthdays.

A future. None of us noticed the shadow that briefly crossed Israelite's expression. He looked down at his phone once more. The registry had sent additional information after ending the call.

His eyes moved across the screen. Then his entire face went pale. The hopeful expression vanished instantly. My stomach dropped.

"Israelite?" He looked up slowly. The silence alone terrified me.

"What is it?"

For several long seconds, he seemed unable to answer. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded heavier than before.

"The donor profile just arrived." My heart stopped.

"And?" Israelite looked directly into my eyes.

"The potential donor..." His grip tightened around the phone.

"...has a connection to Sophia Sterling."