The drive to Mercy General was suffocating. Josh sat in the back seat with the twins, one on each side of him in the baskets we’d hastily grabbed from the garage.
When we arrived, Mrs. Chen met us at the entrance. Her face was tight with concern.
“Margaret, I’m so sorry. Josh just wanted to…”
“It’s okay. Where’s Sylvia?”
“Room 314. But, Margaret, you should know… she’s not doing well. The infection spread faster than we anticipated.”
My stomach turned. “How bad?”
Mrs. Chen’s expression said everything.
We took the elevator up in silence. Josh carried both babies like he’d been doing it his entire life, whispering softly to them when they fussed.
When we reached room 314, I knocked gently before pushing the door open.
Sylvia looked worse than I’d imagined. She was pale, almost gray, hooked up to multiple IVs. She couldn’t have been more than 25. When she saw us, tears immediately filled her eyes.
A woman in the hospital | Source: Freepik
“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I didn’t know what else to do. I’m all alone, and I’m so sick, and Derek…”
“I know,” I said quietly. “Josh told me.”
“He just left. When they told him it was twins, when they told him about my complications, he said he couldn’t handle it.” She looked at the babies in Josh’s arms. “I don’t even know if I’m going to make it. What happens to them if I don’t?”
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