Chapter 15

Yes.

Yes!

Yes?

She had finally said yes.

The word played like a broken record in her mind, questioning her remaining sanity as her eyes landed on the only reason she was still breathing.

The simple answer lay on the bed before her, fighting for his life to survive. She knew she would do anything for him, even sacrificing her life for his.

"My poor Oliver." She mumbled as her fingers skimmed through his soft, pale cheeks, willing him to wake up.

She tried her best to be the mother that her child needed. She provided the basic of his necessities as best as she could. But regrettably, it was still not enough.

She would willingly trade places with him if possible, not wanting to see her son suffer a minute longer. It was unfair that such a young child should endure such a harrowing fate.

"I am here, baby." She softly spoke as she choked back the tears she prevented from falling. "Mommy is just here." Assuring her son that he was not alone.

Her poor child looked so fragile that it crushed her heart every minute he fought to live. But she was not giving up on him. She had to believe that he was about to open his eyes soon.

"You have to wake up." She bit her lips as a sob almost escaped her lips. No, she was not going to cry because there was still hope.

"What about we make a deal?" She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs to their capacity, as she tried to calm her heart.

"I will buy you the biggest ice cream cone you have ever seen if you open your eyes." It was the oldest trick in her book that worked perfectly like a charm.

But would her magic work?

It had to be because she could never accept the other outcome.

"And if you wake up, you will finally meet your father." She wondered if he had even heard her. Or whether he was excited to meet him.

Although there was a time that he asked about his father, she quickly distracted him until he had forgotten all about it.

She guessed he was still too young to be curious about the man who gave him life. But she had thought about it at some point, debating whether to tell him the truth or conjure a more fairy tale story.

"And you are about to have a family." She continued, hoping her decision was the right one for her son. Nevertheless, right or wrong, it was what he needed.

Her son still had to undergo a long series of therapies and rehabilitation to have a semblance of normalcy in his young life.

Unfortunately, she did not have the means to finance all his current hospital bills and future medical expenses.

The worse part was she might not even have a job to return to. Therefore, she could not even fathom how she would raise her son without asking for help.

"You and me..." She held her tongue, realizing that from now on, while in this legal bind, it would not be just the two of them.

"And Damon." She let his name roll out off her tongue, deciding whether she pronounced it correctly. But in her mind, another name seemed more appropriate for a man like him.

"We are going to be a family." Then, the thought brought cold chills to her body.

She remembered what it was like to have a loving family. She used to have one. Although she barely remembered her biological father, her mother said he was an amazing Dad.

Nevertheless, leaving with Juliette and her stepfather, Eugene, gave her the loving family every child deserved. They were the best parents any child could wish for.

But sadly, her mother passed away just after she turned nine, leaving her to deal with another loss of a loved one.

"Jules, this is Venus. She will be living with us as your new mother." After a year of her mother's death, her stepfather brought home his new wife and a child about her age.

"And this is Kaely. She will be your new sister." Her stepfather introduced a sweet young girl that was slightly taller than her and older by a few months.

Eugene wanted her to have a family. Her stepfather believed she needed a mother who would be there for her and a sister who would always have her back.

Truthfully, she was the happiest kid, feeling like she had just ridden the tallest Ferris wheel and the longest roller coaster. She was ecstatic.

But sadly, she lost them.

Now, she was about to have a family again, but unlike before, this would be nothing like the loving family she had in her past lifetime.

She could only ponder how this would affect her son. But that was something she would deal with later. For now, her immediate concern was to see him alive. And to put his life back on track.

"You are the most important part of my life, Oliver." Without him, she could not see the worth of living.

But another memory rushed before her eyes, sweeping her like a tidal wave. She had buried those images in the deep recesses of her mind, hoping never to relive them again.

But now, she had no way of escaping them. She had no more choice but to face the nightmares she thought she had left all behind.

"You are all I need." She whispered as she leaned over his petite body, allowing her lips to gently touch the bandage that covered almost all parts of his head.

She knew she needed him. She could only go through this life with him by her side. She could face anything just by looking at the smile on his adorable little face.

She could only see the bright future as it reflected in his eyes.

He was all her past, present, and future. He was all she needed to believe that her life was all worth living.

"Please hurry back to me."

And with that said, she smiled.