The Belated Auscultation

My son had a raging fever. I cried and called my star doctor husband, but he was celebrating his first love's daughter's birthday.

At 7 PM, my son Tyler's temperature shot up to 102.5°F, and his lips were turning a frightening shade of purple.

Clutching him, my fingers trembled as I dialed Ethan's number for the tenth time.

The call finally connected, but all I heard was Ethan's impatient voice. "Sarah, I'm busy. What is it?"

"Tyler's fever is really high, his lips are turning blue, and he says his chest hurts and he can't breathe…"

I choked back my sobs, but he cut me off before I could finish.

"Didn't I just check on him this morning?" Ethan interrupted. "It's just a common cold. Don't make such a big deal out of it. Just give him some fever reducer."

"But his symptoms were much more serious …"

"Sarah, I said it's a cold!" His voice grew sharper. "I have a very important, critical surgery soon. Don't bother me. I'm hanging up."

The line went dead.

Tyler weakly tugged on my sleeve. "Mommy, is Daddy saving people again?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

"Daddy's amazing. He's a superhero, right?" Tyler managed a weak smile. "Mommy, I'm a little cold. I feel so sick… Am I going to die?"

I hugged him tighter, feeling his small body tremble.

"Mommy's taking you to the hospital. Another doctor can help you there."

"But Daddy is the best doctor," Tyler said stubbornly. "Daddy said he has to save all the patients in the world. Mommy, please don't be mad at him, okay?"

On the rain-slicked streets of Seattle, I ran, carrying Tyler in my arms, sprinting toward the hospital. His breathing grew more and more shallow, his little face flushed red from the fever.

"Hang on, baby. Just hang on."

In front of the emergency room, I collapsed onto a hard, cold chair, my hands clasped in prayer.

"Sarah?" A familiar voice called my name.

It was Dr. Williams, Ethan's colleague.

"What are you doing here? Where's Ethan?"

"He's in an emergency surgery," I answered mechanically.

Dr. Williams frowned. "Surgery? Ethan took leave at 3 PM. Said he had something important to take care of."

I felt the blood freeze in my veins.

Just then, a notification popped up on my phone.

Ethan's first love, Isabella, had updated her Instagram.

[Thank you, Uncle Ethan, for making Emma's 8th birthday so special! Having you here makes my daughter and me feel so safe and happy.]

Posted: one hour ago.

Ethan. I stared at the stinging name, my fingers shaking as I scrolled down, only to see two photos that hurt even more.

In the first photo, Ethan was kneeling beside a pretty little girl, both of them beaming at a birthday cake. It was a gentle expression I hadn't seen on his face in a very, very long time.

In the other photo, Ethan was spinning the girl, Emma, around, both of them laughing their hearts out.

The comments were a flood of praise:

"Ethan is such a perfect dad!" "Emma is so lucky to have an uncle who adores her!" "You guys look like a real family!"

I stared at the screen, tears blurring my vision.

"Family member!" a nurse rushed out. "The child is in critical condition! It's severe pneumonia with respiratory failure! Why did you wait so long to bring him in?"

Forgetting the photos, I fell to my knees, begging. "Doctor, please, I'm begging you, save my child!"

"We did everything we could, but…" The nurse hesitated. "He's gone. I'm so sorry for your loss."

My legs gave out from under me. I crumpled to the floor, my face a mess of tears.

I suddenly remembered that morning. Tyler was coughing badly, his face red with fever as he whimpered to Ethan.

"Daddy, my chest hurts so much."

Ethan had absentmindedly picked up his stethoscope. The moment he placed it on Tyler's chest, his phone rang.

"Isabella? You're back in Seattle?" His voice instantly softened. "Of course, Emma wants to see me. I'll definitely be there today."

Tyler was coughing his lungs out beside him, but Ethan didn't seem to notice.

"It's just a common cold," he said after a quick, careless glance, tossing the stethoscope aside. "Just give him some fever medicine."

"Daddy, I…"

"Tyler, Daddy's busy. He has to go save more people. You need to be strong." Ethan gave Tyler's head a dismissive pat and rushed out the door.

Tyler watched him go, his eyes full of admiration. "Mommy, Daddy is so great, isn't he?"

Tyler… My Tyler…

The poor thing, he died without ever knowing. His father didn't want to save him because he was busy with someone else's child.

At 3 AM, I held Tyler's small, cold body, crying silently in the hospital where his father worked.

He looked so peaceful, as if he were just asleep.

But that sweet face would never open its eyes again, would never look at me playfully and call me "Mommy."

"Mommy," his last words echoed in my ears, "tell Daddy I'm proud of him."

I looked up and saw a giant photo hanging on the hallway wall.

Ethan, in his white coat, wearing a confident smile.

The gold plaque beneath it gleamed:

"Seattle Central Hospital's Doctor of the Year: Ethan Morgan - A Hero Who Saves Lives."

I started to laugh, a wild, broken sound as tears flooded down my face, drowning me.

A hero?

He couldn't even save his own son.

While he was celebrating another man's daughter, his own son was fighting for his life.

While he was gently spinning another child in his arms, his own son was dying because of his mistake!

I cried all night, until I had no tears left.

But my Tyler was never coming back…

The sun rose, but I was still trapped in darkness and despair.

I opened my phone and bought a one-way ticket out of Seattle, for three days from now.