Chapter 14 - The Arrival
David arrived at eight o'clock in the evening.
I heard his heavy, hurried footsteps echoing down the quiet PICU hallway before I saw him.
He pushed through the sliding glass door, his tie loosened, hair disheveled, face pale with terror.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Leo.
He didn't look at me. He walked straight to the bed, dropping to his knees beside his son.
"Leo," David gasped, taking his son's tiny, lifeless hand in his broad palms.
"Oh God, buddy. Daddy's here. Daddy's right here."
He buried his face in the white hospital sheets, his heavy shoulders heaving as he wept silently.
I stood in the corner of the room, pressed against the wall, feeling like a ghost in my own family's tragedy.
After several minutes, David stood up slowly.
He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve and turned to face me.
His eyes were bloodshot, rimmed with dark, agonizing pain.
"What happened, Sarah?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet.
"The doctor said his airways collapsed. They said he was deprived of oxygen for minutes."
"How did this happen in our house?"
I opened my mouth, but the words stuck in my throat like glass.
May you like
"Tell me," David demanded, taking a step toward me.
"Tell me what happened to our son."
