Chapter 199 Mom Is Here
SOPHIA’S POV
The moment I got into the car with Damien, everything else disappeared from my mind. I forgot all about all the peace I felt at the night market.
Damien drove fast. I sat beside him. My heart was beating so loudly that it almost drowned out the sound of the engine. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Franca had said. Ashley had a fever of 104. The number repeated itself in my head again and again.
“Drive faster,” I said, even though he was already going as fast as he could.
“I am,” Damien replied.
His eyes were fixed on the road, but I could see the strain in his expression. He was worried too, even if he didn’t say it out loud.
I turned my head slightly, looking out the window, but I didn’t see anything.
My mind was somewhere else, already back at the villa, already beside Ashley. I kept imagining her lying there, burning with fever. The thought made my chest ache.
“Why didn’t anyone call earlier?” I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Damien didn’t answer immediately.
“They said it came suddenly,” he said after a moment. “She was fine earlier.”
That didn’t make it better. It made it worse.
When we finally reached the villa, I didn’t wait for the car to fully stop. I pushed the door open and rushed inside.
Franca was already waiting. Her face was pale with worry.
“She’s upstairs,” she said quickly. “Her temperature isn’t going down.”
I didn’t reply. I just ran.
When I entered Ashley’s room, the first thing I felt was the heat. It was suffocating, like it filled the entire space.
Ashley lay on the bed. Her small body was covered with a thin blanket. Her face was red. Her breathing was uneven.
“Ashley,” I called softly, moving to her side immediately.
She didn’t respond.
I reached out and touched her forehead. As soon as I did, my heart dropped instantly. She was burning. The heat against my palm felt too intense, too wrong. It wasn’t just a fever. It felt like her body was fighting something hard.
“She’s been like this for a while,” Franca said from behind me “We tried to bring the temperature down, but it didn’t work.”
I didn’t waste another second.
“We’re taking her to the hospital,” I said firmly.
Damien had already stepped forward. Without hesitation, he picked Ashley up carefully, holding her close. Her head fell slightly against his shoulder. She was completely unresponsive.
That sight broke something inside me.
“Let’s go,” he said.
The drive to the hospital felt longer than anything I had ever experienced. Every second dragged. I sat in the back seat this time, holding Ashley’s hand, trying to feel some kind of response from her.
“Ashley... wake up,” I whispered. “Come on, baby, wake up.”
But she didn’t.
Her hand felt too hot in mine, and it scared me more than anything else.
When we arrived at the hospital, everything moved quickly. Nurses rushed over the moment they saw her condition. Damien carried her inside while I followed closely.
“She has a high fever,” I said quickly. “It’s been persistent, and she’s not responding.”
The doctors took over immediately, placing her on a bed and starting their examination. Machines were brought in. They checked her temperature again and monitored her pulse.
I stood there, watching everything, but for the first time, I felt completely helpless.
I was a doctor. I had seen cases like this before. I had treated patients with high fevers, with infections, with worse conditions.
But this time... I couldn’t think like a doctor.
This time, I was just a mother.
“She has influenza,” the doctor said after a while. “It’s severe, but not uncommon in children. The problem is that it wasn’t managed early.”
I froze slightly.
“What do you mean?” Damien asked.
The doctor looked at both of us with a firm expression. He looked disappointed. I could see it in his eyes.
“Her fever should have been addressed earlier,” he said. “This level of temperature doesn’t just appear without warning. There must have been signs.”
His words felt like a direct blow to us.
“We didn’t notice-” Damien started.
“That’s exactly the problem,” the doctor cut in. “You didn’t notice.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t defend myself, because he was right.
As a doctor, I knew the signs. I should have known. I should have been more attentive, more aware. But I had been distracted, caught up in everything else.
And now.....
“She’ll be treated immediately,” the doctor continued. “But you need to understand how serious this could have been.”
I nodded slowly. My vision was starting to blur with tears. I was so scared.
“I understand,” I said quietly.
But my voice didn’t sound like mine anymore.
As they began the treatment, I stepped back slightly. My body felt heavier than before. My hands trembled, and I didn’t even realize when the tears started falling.
I turned away quickly, pressing my hand against my mouth to stop the sound from escaping.
I had seen so many patients cry. I had comforted so many families. But I had never imagined I would be standing here like this.
“Hey,” Damien’s voice came softly from behind me.
I didn’t turn immediately.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, though it was obvious I wasn’t.
“You’re not,” he replied.
That was all it took. I broke.
The tears came harder now. My shoulders shook as everything I had been holding in finally spilled out. I poured out all my emotions into the tears - the guilt, the fear, the helplessness. They all came crashing down at once.
“I should have known,” I whispered. “I should have seen it earlier.”
Damien didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“We’re here now,” he said quietly.
But it didn’t make me feel better, because being here now didn’t erase what had already happened.
After what felt like hours, the treatment finally stabilized her condition. The fever began to drop slowly, and her breathing became more even.
“She’ll be okay,” the doctor said. “But she needs rest and close monitoring.”
I nodded.
We moved to the ward, where Ashley was placed in a hospital bed. The room was quiet now.
I sat beside her, watching her carefully.
Every small movement, every slight change in her breathing - I noticed everything.
After some time, she stirred. My heart jumped.
“Ashley?” I said softly, leaning closer.
Her eyes opened slowly. Her expression was weak and tired. She looked around for a moment, confused. Then her eyes landed on Damien.
“Daddy...” she whispered.
The word was soft but clear.
Damien immediately stepped closer. “I’m here,”
Ashley’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t feel good,”
“I know,” he said. “But you’re going to be okay.”
She nodded then rested her head back.
I sat there, waiting. I was waiting for her to look at me, waiting for her to call m, but she didn’t.
The fact that she didn’t speak to me made my heart break. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks.
Damien looked between us. He noticed everything.
“Ashley,” he said gently. “Mom is here too.”
Ashley hesitated. Slowly, she turned her head slightly toward me. Her eyes met mine/
“...Mom,” she said quietly.
The word felt like it was being forced.
I smiled softly, even though it hurt. “I’m here,”
She didn’t say anything else.
A nurse entered shortly after, preparing for the next part of the treatment.
“We need to insert an IV,” she said gently.
Ashley’s eyes widened instantly.
“No,” she said weakly, shaking her head. “I don’t want it.”
“It will help you get better,” the nurse explained.
“No!” Ashley cried. “It hurts!”
She started struggling. Her small body trembled with fear.
“I don’t want it! Daddy, make them stop!” she cried, reaching for Damien.
He held her gently, trying to calm her.
“It’s okay,” he said. “It will be over quickly.”
But she didn’t listen. Her cries grew louder, more desperate.
I stood there, watching. I felt my chest tightening painfully.
I wanted to go to her. I wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but my feet wouldn’t move. Something held me back.
Maybe it was the way she clung to Damien.
Maybe it was the distance I felt between us, or maybe it was the guilt I felt.
I stepped back slowly, moving toward the door. Her cries followed me, echoing in my ears.
I couldn’t take it.
I stepped outside the ward, closing the door behind me.
The moment I was alone, the tears came again.
I leaned against the wall. My body kept shaking as I covered my face.
Inside, my daughter was crying in fear.
And I was standing outside, unable to even comfort her.
That realization hurt more than anything else.