Chapter 4
4
That night, Lily suddenly spiked a massive fever.
104.4 degrees.
She was delirious, crying out for her dad over and over.
I held her hand, repeating like a mantra:
"Mommy's here. It's okay, I'm right here."
The doctor's face was grim.
"Septic shock. We need to move her to the ICU immediately."
I stood outside the Intensive Care Unit, staring through the glass.
Lily's tiny body was hooked up to a web of tubes. The ventilator hissed rhythmically.
Her face was chalk-white. The only proof she was still alive was the jumping numbers on the monitor.
A financial counselor approached me with a clipboard.
"Ms. Bennett, they're stabilizing your daughter now. But for the out-of-pocket maximums and the ongoing ICU deposit, we need a credit card on file for twenty-five thousand dollars. We need you to arrange payment or sign a payment plan immediately."
I took the paperwork, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.
I had about five hundred dollars left to my name.
I walked into the stairwell and dialed Ethan's number.
Ring— Ring— Ring—
On the seventh ring, he picked up.
"Claire, I told you not to—"
"Lily is in the ICU."
I cut him off.
"Septic shock. They're trying to save her life right now. I need money. Twenty-five thousand dollars."
I could hear the sound of ocean waves over the line.
And Natalie's laughter. It was distant, but piercingly clear.
"Where are you?" I asked.
Ethan paused.
"...I'm out handling business."
"Really? The ocean sounds lovely."
Dead silence on the other end.
"Ethan, I'm giving you half an hour."
I looked back toward the ICU doors.
"If that money isn't in my account, I'm taking everything about you and Natalie public."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Watch me."
My voice was ice.
"If Lily dies, I have nothing left to lose."
The call disconnected.
I stood in the stairwell, gripping my phone, waiting.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Twenty-five minutes.
My phone buzzed. A bank alert.
Incoming transfer: $7,500.
Seven thousand five hundred dollars.
Not twenty-five thousand.
I immediately dialed him back.
"We're sorry, the number you have reached is currently busy."
I dialed again.
"We're sorry, the number you have reached is turned off."
Turned off.
He turned his phone off.
I leaned against the concrete wall and slowly slid down to the floor.
I opened Instagram.
One minute ago, Natalie had posted a new update.
A carousel of photos.
A Bora Bora sunset. White sand beaches.
The last photo was a selfie of her and Ethan.
They were both smiling radiantly.
I stood up and walked back to the billing department.
"I can put down seven thousand five hundred right now."
I handed over my debit card.
"For the rest, please help me apply for an extension and a payment plan."
The staff member looked at me with pity and nodded.
After paying, I walked back to the ICU window.
Through the glass, Lily's heart rate suddenly began to plummet.
Doctors and nurses rushed in, swarming the bed.
I pressed my face against the glass, watching the doctor perform CPR.
Her tiny body bounced off the mattress with every compression, like a fish out of water.
"Lily..."
"Lily, Mommy's here..."
Her eyes suddenly fluttered open.
Her lips moved.
I read them.
She said:
"Mommy, it hurts."
And then, the heart monitor flatlined.
A piercing, continuous alarm echoed down the entire hallway.
The doctor kept doing compressions, the nurse pushed epinephrine.
But I knew. It was too late.
The doctor walked out and pulled down his mask.
"Ms. Bennett, we did everything we could."
I didn't look away from the glass.
I just held my phone to my mouth and whispered:
"Did you hear that, Ethan?"
"Your daughter is dead."