PART 15
The drive to the emergency room was tense,
the windshield wipers slapping furiously against the freezing rain.
Ryan kept one hand firmly on the steering wheel,
while his other hand reached back to hold Emma's hand tightly.
Emma was in the backseat,
monitoring Ethan,
who was whimpering softly under his heavy winter blankets.
"His fever is rising,
Ryan,
please go faster,"
she pleaded,
her voice cracking with emotion.
The old Ryan might have snapped at her,
telling her to be quiet so he could focus on driving in the dangerous storm.
Instead,
he squeezed her hand,
keeping his eyes glued to the dark,
slick road ahead.
"I am moving as fast as safe,
sweetheart,
we are only two minutes away now,
hang in there."
When they arrived,
Ryan parked right at the emergency entrance,
jumping out into the freezing downpour without care for himself.
He opened the back door,
taking Ethan into his arms,
sheltering the boy from the rain with his own body.
They rushed through the sliding glass doors,
the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital blinding them for a moment.
A triage nurse immediately noticed the distress on their faces and the child's wheezing breath.
"Bring him right this way,"
the nurse said,
leading them into an examination room without delay.
As the doctors surrounded the bed,
Ryan pulled Emma into his arms,
holding her tight against his chest,
letting her cry into his shoulder.
He whispered words of comfort,
May you like
not leaving her side for a single second,
proving he was fully present in the storm.
