Chapter 30: Emma's Sick Again

The phone rang at 3:47 AM, waking us up after a pretty good day. Emma's cry on the baby monitor wasn't her usual bad dream—she sounded really upset, and Mikel and I shot up.

I got to her room first. She was bent over in bed, holding her stomach and crying.

"Mommy, it hurts," she said, shaking. "It hurts a lot."

Mikel came in, hair all messed up, but he was immediately focused. He saw Emma's pale face and went for his jacket.

"Hospital," he said, and I grabbed Emma.

As we were leaving, I got a text from the same weird number that had been bugging us: *Kids get sick when they're stressed. Too bad when they suffer.*

I was scared, but Emma's crying was more important. We'd deal with Sophia later—right now, Emma needed a doctor.

The drive to Seattle Children's Hospital felt super long. Emma was quiet against my shoulder, and Mikel drove fast but carefully. His hands were tight on the wheel, but he talked to Emma calmly.

"You'll be okay, princess. The doctors will fix you."

"Is it the same sickness as before?" Emma asked.

"We're going to find out," I said, but I was worried. I had a bad feeling that Sophia had something to do with this, popping up right after her texts.

Dr. Sarah Chen—not related to the other Chen causing problems—met us at the ER. She looked serious, which made me both glad and terrified. She'd been Emma's doctor before, and her serious face made my chest hurt.

"When did the pain start?" she asked, checking Emma's stomach.

"About an hour ago," I said. "She was sleeping, then woke up crying."

"Has she been stressed lately? Any changes at home, school, or with family?"

Mikel and I looked at each other. With the media attention, the company threats, and Sophia, Emma's life had been crazy.

"Some family issues," Mikel said carefully. "We've had some... outside problems."

Dr. Chen looked even more worried. "I need to get blood work and scans right away. Emma, we're going to take some pictures of your belly to see what's going on, okay?"

They took Emma away for tests, and Mikel and I were alone in the waiting room, feeling the same fear that had brought us together before—but now we thought someone was actually trying to hurt Emma.

"This isn't supposed to be happening," I said. "The treatment worked. She was getting better."

"Bella," Mikel said, "do you think Sophia did something to cause this?"

I didn't want to say it out loud. "I don't think she poisoned her or anything. But the stress, the fear, knowing someone's watching her..."

"Kids get sick from stress," Mikel said. "And after what she did at Emma's school..."

My phone buzzed again: *Kids are so delicate, aren't they? Things go wrong when parents aren't careful.*

I showed Mikel the text. He looked angry.

"She's messing with us," he said. "Our daughter's in pain, and she's enjoying it."

Before I could say anything, Dr. Chen came back with a tablet and a face that made me nervous.

"The scans show some things we're concerned about," she said. "Emma's condition is more complicated than we thought. There's inflammation in places we didn't see before, and her stress levels are really high."

"What does that mean?" Mikel asked.

"We have to change her treatment. The inflammation seems to be from her condition and the stress she's under. She'll need close monitoring, maybe surgery, and a care plan that will last longer than we thought."

I felt dizzy. "How long?"

"Months, maybe more. She'll need medicine several times a day, lots of doctor visits, and we'll have to watch for side effects. But the most important thing is that she needs a calm, stable place to live."

That meant we both had to be involved. Emma needed us to be a team. No fighting, no media, no Sophia.

"What does the treatment involve?" Mikel asked.

Dr. Chen showed us the plan. "Anti-inflammatory drugs, four times a day, at specific times around meals. Physical therapy twice a week. Regular blood tests. And," she said carefully, "Emma needs to be emotionally stable. No arguing, no changes to her routine, no stress at all."

My phone buzzed again: *Hospital visits are hard on families. Hope you're all doing okay.*

I was so angry that I almost broke. "Dr. Chen, we need to tell you something. Emma's stress is because someone has been stalking us, threatening us, and targeting her."

The doctor looked worried. "What do you mean?"

"She tried to contact Emma at school, sent threatening messages, and has been watching us," Mikel said. "We think she's causing Emma's stress."

"I understand." Dr. Chen's voice was serious. "I have to report this as possible child endangerment. Emma can't get better if she's being threatened."

"We're getting restraining orders and police protection," I said.

"Good. Emma needs both of you to be involved, in a safe place, away from whoever is doing this."

Mikel and I looked at each other. The conspiracy, Sophia, our messed-up marriage—none of that mattered as much as Emma's health.

"How involved?" Mikel asked.

"Daily involvement. Someone needs to give her medicine, take her to appointments, and watch her all the time. But most of all, Emma needs to see that you're both united and focused on her."

I thought about my independent life, the walls I'd built. I had to change everything.

"Dr. Chen," I said, "what if Emma doesn't get this kind of care?"

"Her condition could become chronic and cause health problems for the rest of her life." The doctor was kind but firm. "I don't want to scare you, but these kinds of conditions can become lifelong problems if they're not treated right, especially when there's stress involved."

I felt like I'd been punched. Emma's future depended on us creating a stable home, and Sophia was trying to stop us.

"What do we need to do?" Mikel said.

"First, we stabilize her here. She'll need to stay so we can adjust her medicine. But when she leaves, she needs a home that supports her medical care and makes her feel safe."

My phone buzzed again: *Family problems show what people are really like.*

I turned off my phone. I couldn't deal with Sophia while trying to take care of Emma.

"Both parents need to be available," Dr. Chen said. "Someone with medical authority needs to be there all the time. She needs a consistent routine and to feel completely safe. Emma told the nurse she's been happier because Mommy and Daddy are friends again. That helps her heal, but the stress has messed that up."

I saw the sun rising over Seattle. Emma was probably asking the nurses when we were coming back. She trusted us to make her feel better.

And Sophia was probably happy that she was causing stress.

"There's something else," Dr. Chen said. "Because of the stalking, I'm going to recommend that Emma's treatment be private. We'll limit who gets information, restrict visitors, and work with the police if we need to."

"Do you think she's in danger?" Mikel asked.

"I think anyone who would mess with a sick kid is capable of anything. We need to protect Emma from her."

We found Emma in a room with cute animals on the walls. She looked small in the hospital bed. But she smiled when she saw us.

"Mommy! Daddy! Did the doctors fix my belly?"

I sat on one side of her bed, and Mikel sat on the other.

"They're working on it, sweetheart," I said. "But you'll need some special medicine for a while."

"Will it taste bad?"

"Probably," Mikel said, and Emma smiled a little. "But we'll figure out how to make it better. Maybe we can mix it with ice cream."

"Will you both help me?" Emma asked, looking hopeful.

Mikel and I looked at each other. We'd made big decisions together before, but this time, Emma's health was on the line.

"Both of us," I said. "We're going to take care of you together, and we won't let anything bad happen to you."

Emma smiled. "Like a real family?"

I felt a pang of guilt. I'd been so focused on protecting Emma that I forgot what she really wanted.

"Yes, baby," Mikel said. "Like a real family. A real family that can't be broken."

Emma fell asleep, holding our hands. Dr. Chen had given us more than just a medical plan. She'd given us a reason to do what we should have done weeks ago—fight Sophia together and build a strong family for Emma.

Emma's sickness was back, but this time, it would heal more than just her body. It would heal our family and make us strong enough to beat anyone who threatened us.

"Bella," Mikel said, "we need to talk about more than just where we're living."

I nodded. "I know."

"Not just for her medical care. For everything. The threats, the media, the business problems—Emma needs us to be a team in every way. We need to be more than just co-parents. We need to be partners."

"Are you asking to move back in?"

"I'm asking if we can build something real this time. Not just for Emma's health, but for us. For the family we should have been, and to protect her from people like Sophia."

Seattle was waking up. Sophia was probably planning something. The media was waiting for a story. Thomas Romano was still causing problems.

But in this room, with Emma sleeping, none of that mattered as much as the fact that Emma healed better when her family was together.

"Okay," I said.

"Okay?"

"Okay, let's try. Really try this time. For Emma, but also for us. And let's promise that no one will ever hurt our family again."

Mikel smiled for the first time in five years. "I want that more than anything."

Emma moved a little, holding my hand. "Daddy?" she mumbled.

"I'm here, princess."

"Are you staying this time? Even when the scary lady tries to make you go away?"

We both froze. Emma knew more than we thought.

"What scary lady, sweetheart?" I asked.

"The one who makes Mommy worried when she checks her phone. The one who makes Daddy's face angry."

Mikel said, "I'm staying, Emma. I'm not going anywhere, and I promise that the scary lady will never bother our family again."

The hospital staff started their day. Dr. Chen had given us a reason to unite against Sophia and build a family that would protect Emma from anyone who tried to hurt her.

Emma's sickness had returned, but this time, it would heal more than just her body.

This time, it would heal our family and give us the strength to destroy anyone who threatened it.