Chapter 5
For the next few days, Jason didn't come home at all.
Edith was constantly seeing updates from Selina on her social media.
Jason stayed by Selina and Max's side every single day.
On the first day, Edith and Leo had dinner at home, and the house felt eerily quiet.
Meanwhile, Jason cooked for Selina and Max, experimenting with dishes tailored to their tastes. He peeled shrimp for Selina, crafted animal-shaped bread for Max, and patiently coaxed Max to eat.
The next day, Leo came home from kindergarten with teary eyes and blood on him after a fall. Meanwhile, Jason was hanging out with Selina and Max at the park.
On the third night, the wind howled and thunder boomed nonstop. Leo was too terrified to sleep, and Edith's efforts to comfort him were useless.
At the same time, Jason was gently holding Selina and Max in his arms, whispering softly to calm them down.
Seeing those photos that Selina posted, Edith felt a sharp pain as the yearning in Leo's gaze pierced right through her heart.
A deep sadness wrapped around her, and she was at a loss for how to soothe Leo.
In the middle of the night, Leo's fever kept spiking, shooting up to 104°F. Edith was in a total panic, but no drivers were accepting her ride requests.
Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets, and at this hour, there were almost no cars on the road.
Her shoulder was still injured, so driving was out of the question.
"Mr. Carter... Mr. Carter, I miss you so much..." Leo was completely out of it from the fever, mumbling nonsense.
Edith felt like someone had squeezed her heart hard. It hurt like hell.
"Leo, you miss Mr. Carter, huh? Hang in there, sweetie. Mr. Carter is a doctor. I'll call him right now. He'll take you to the hospital and make sure you're okay," Edith said.
Edith had lost count of how many times she'd tried calling Jason, but he still didn't answer.
Despair threatened to drown her. Leo was burning up in her arms, and she couldn't wait any longer.
Edith didn't hesitate. She bundled herself and Leo up in layers of raincoats and dashed straight into the pouring rain.
"Leo, sweetie, you'll be fine," Edith murmured desperately as she held him tight and hurried toward the hospital.
It took ages before a car finally appeared on the road. Edith dashed straight into its path to stop it.
"Please, help! My son has a high fever, and he's barely holding on. Can you take us to the hospital? He can't last much longer," Edith pleaded desperately.
The driver's expression changed instantly when he heard "high fever", and his face tightened with fear that something might happen to the kid in his car.
"No, no. Go find someone else," the driver said sharply, refusing outright.
With that, he jerked the wheel and floored the gas, speeding away.
The little hope that had just flared up was crushed, but Edith didn't have time to feel sad. She kept hurrying toward the hospital.
As she walked, she kept checking on Leo in her arms.
Leo's cheeks were now flushed with fever, and his lips were pale and chapped. His eyelids drooped weakly, and he kept mumbling deliriously, "Mr. Carter... Mr. Carter, hold me..."
Edith felt like knives were twisting in her heart. She'd lost count of how many cars she'd tried to flag down, and how many times she'd been rejected.
She'd abandoned all dignity, begging again and again.
Finally, a car stopped. Edith dropped to the ground, her voice barely audible as she pleaded, "Please, save my son. He's burning up. I'm begging you. I can't live without him."
The female driver couldn't bear to see that and immediately opened the car door. "Come on, get in. I'll take you to the hospital."
The car sped straight to the hospital where Jason worked.
Edith managed to pull herself together a bit. After thanking the driver repeatedly, she hurried inside the hospital.
"Nurse, please, can you find Dr. Jason Carter? Our son has a high fever, and we need to get him into the ER," Edith grabbed the nearest nurse and said urgently.
The nurse glanced at her messy appearance, brushed her hand off, and said in a sharp tone, "Ma'am, even if your son needs the ER, don't try to use connections to jump the queue with some excuse.
"Dr. Carter's son is sick, too. He and his wife are in the ward right now, looking after their child. Maybe check the facts before you start making up stories."
Edith felt like she'd been hit by a ton of bricks.
She glanced up, and sure enough, through the ward's glass door, Jason was there, tenderly wiping Max's face with a gentle look in his eyes.
Edith guessed that Jason hadn't answered her calls because he'd been busy taking care of Selina's kid.
With trembling hands, Edith called Jason again.
The phone kept buzzing on the nightstand. Jason glanced at it, but didn't bother to pick it up.
Selina finally spoke up, "Jason, your phone's been ringing nonstop. Aren't you going to answer it?"
Jason said indifferently, "It's someone unimportant. No need to answer."
As soon as Edith heard those words, tears streamed down her face. Her chest felt so tight that she could hardly breathe from the pain.
Leo was barely conscious in her arms, clinging to life. Edith could only grab a passing doctor and beg him, "Please, save my son."