A Lifeline of Shared Blood

VANESSA

The hallway lights were too bright, too harsh. They exposed every crack in my composure as I stumbled away from Dr. Lawson, his words reverberating through my skull. Without a matching blood donor, my son wouldn't survive the night.

I pressed my back against the cool hospital wall, sliding down until I hit the floor. My legs couldn't hold me anymore. The sob that tore from my throat was primal, raw with a mother's desperation.

Around me, nurses and doctors moved in a blur. Someone touched my shoulder, asked if I needed help, but I couldn't respond. What I needed, no one could give me. I needed my son to live.

Through tear-blurred vision, I saw Roman burst through the double doors at the end of the corridor, his phone pressed to his ear. His voice carried, sharp with command.

"I don't care what it costs. Find her. Now."

When he spotted me on the floor, he froze. In three long strides, he was kneeling beside me, his phone forgotten.

"Vanessa? What happened?"