“Take care, Nara. We will be back soon” William said as I came to see them off. Mia and my mom, dressed in vibrant attire, stood beside him, their anticipation for the celebration evident.
Mia, mom, and William are going to Mia’s cousin’s wedding. They will return late at night.
“I will take care everything, William. Don’t worry. Just enjoy yourself”
He smiled at me.
“Call me if you need me” he added, a habitual concern that spoke volumes about the protective instinct ingrained in him.
“Call me when you return” I chuckled. Our doorbell is damaged and most of the time I sleep early. So it is better if they call.
“Aye, aye, captain” he saluted me.
I laughed and waved goodbye to them closing the door, I walked in. As I wanted to help Mia and mom get ready, I asked William to put Jayden to sleep so that we could have peace for a few minutes.
He was still sleeping and without his giggles and hyperactive movements, the house felt dead. Soon it will be time for another dinner so it is better that I use this time to cook something because once I wake up he will want my full attention and from the way he is sleeping, I am sure he is not going to bed early tonight.
Wrapping the apron around my waist, I was pondering over what I could make when i decided to prepare noodles with lots of vegetables because this is the only way to make my little one have them. He will be happy to see one of his favourite dishes at dinner when he wakes up.
I can’t wait to see that bright smile on his face, which lightens up my mood and makes my day.
As I chopped the vegetables and worked over the counter, my mind wandered to the day when my car ditched me and Ansell gave us ride back home.
I couldn’t think of Ansell ending his life but he was sounding very serious.
Shaking my head, I focused on the work and soon noodles were ready. The anticipation of my baby’s cheerful giggles and the patter of tiny feet energised my movements.
My eyes flicked to the clock. I believe that I should wake Jayden up now.
I was about the step out of the kitchen when I heard a soft voice from Jayden.
“Mommy”
I am sure he must be looking for me because whenever he opens his eyes, the first person whom he wants beside him is me. He gets anxious if he doesn’t find me beside him.
I don’t know why he feels like I wil leave him alone. He has the fear of being left alone, just as Ansell did.
I immediately turned off the stove and took off the pan.
“Coming baby”
“Mommy” he cried out again, his tone hinted at a bit of urgency.
I rushed out of the kitchen and found him on the topmost stair, rubbing his eyes and walking ahead. My eyes widened to the point of coming out of their sockets and I ran towards him when I saw that he was not looking where he was steeping.
“Jayden!” I shouted, hoping to catch his attention.
Startled by my shout, he took a step ahead, thinking there was solid ground, but it was another stair. The unexpected gap made him stumble, and my heart raced as I saw him lose his balance.
Time seemed to freeze as I shouted Jayden’s name, the urgency in my voice echoing me towards him as if in a sprint, my heart pounding in chest.
“Jayden!” I cried out again, fear gripping my throat.
The realisation of his misstep hit me like a tidal wave, and I reached out desperately, hoping to catch him before he could slip and hurt himself.
Everything went in slow motion yet it was so fast that I couldn’t reach him.
His innocent eyes met mine, wide with surprise and confusion, as if questioning why mommy was so alarmed. I could see the realisation dawning on his face that the next step wasn’t where he expected it to be. In his haste to respond to my call, he took that step, and it wasn’t solid ground but a void that led to the staircase below.
Time snapped back into motion with horrifying speed. Jayden began to tumble, his head colliding with the edge of the stairs every time, my head spinning like a wheel looking at the scene. My heart felt like it had lodged itself in my throat, and I lunged forward, stretching my arms wanting to catch him in my arms only if I it was possible.
The echoing this of his little body hitting the stairs was a sound that seemed to reverberate through the entire house and break my heart. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as I covered the distance between us in what felt like an agonizing eternity. The fear that gripped me was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
My legs almost gave up when I reached him, I sat down , and my hands trembled as I reached down to scoop him up, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts at once. Ia m sure I wouldn’t be able to even move if William was here.
“Jayden, baby, are you okey?” I whispered, my voice shaking as I held him close. Tears welled up in his eyes, and a small, pained whimper escaped his lips. The sight of his pain only intensified my own.
The weight of what had just happened settled over me like a heavy fog. Guilt gnawed at my insides, questioning my ability as a mother to protect him from harm.
“Jayden, Jayden hurt” he barely managed to say, his tiny palm reaching out for the back of his head.
I lifted his body up and found that my entire palm was dripping with blood, the blood of my baby. My eyes widened even more in realisation.
“Jayden” tears streamed down my cheeks when i saw so much blood flowing out of his head in a thick stream. Panic seized me, and my hands trembled as I assessed the extent of the injury.
“Mommy, mommy, ” he cried, and with every word his voice went on becoming low, his eyes heavy and they slowly started closing.
“Jayden, please.. baby. Keep your eyes open” my whole body shivered like a leaf .
Jayden’s whimpers reached my ear as I held him close.
“Stay with me Jayden” I pleaded, my voice shaking. The vibrant energy that usually radiated from him had dimmed, replaced by the pallor of distress. His consciousness seemed to waver, and the fear in his innocent eyes intensified. Soon there was a pool of blood below his head.
Tearing my dress I tied it around his head to stop the flow of blood anyhow. My whole body was shaking and my brain was numb but I knew that in this moment I needed to take action or I would lose my baby.
Lifting him up in my arms, I ran out and settled him Inside the car, not forgetting to buckle the seatbelt.
“Jayden please keep your eyes open, for mommy, please” I cried as I started the car.
His eyes were heavy and he was barely conscious. His tiny lips were moving slightly and I knew that he was calling me continuously because he believed that I could ease all the pain.
A loud sob escaped my throat when I realised that I was the reason behind the pain of my baby and I couldn’t even save him when he was falling right in front of my eyes.
My vision became blurry with the tears and wiped it away immediately to focus on driving. I had never driven so fast ever before I in my life and I was glad that the road was clear.
My eyes flicked to Jayden in between, his eyes closed , his chest rising and falling with each laboured breath. His pale face rested against the car seat, his eyes fluttering with the ebb and flow of consciousness. I pleaded with the universe for an open path to the hospital. He was trying his best to keep his eyes open but I could see now he was losing the battle.
By the time we reached the hospital, he lost his consciousness. The world around me blurred as I ran inside the hospital with my baby in my arms.
“Emergency! Emergency!” I shouted.
Strong arms gently took Jayden from my grasp, and I felt a mix of relief and anxiety wash over me. I followed closely, my eyes darting between the faces that surrounded my baby.
Only a few minutes ago he was safe and now he is bathed in blood. It has happened all because of me. I should have first taken him down. I didn’t think that if he woke up he would look for me. I should have taken him down first.
“We need to stabilise him quickly. Please, have a seat” they said, guiding me towards a chair as my trembling legs threatened to give way.
They took him to the emergency room. Though my body was drained of all the energy yet I couldn’t just sit there when my baby was fighting for his life.
I peeped inside and saw that the doctors were working to address the injuries. The rhythmic beep of the monitor could be clenched from outside. My head clenched as I saw my energetic baby lying so lifeless.
God, please, I want him safe.
After a few minutes doctor came out and he saw me.
“What.. what happened?” I asked, my voice quivering.
“We need to perform further tests, and he has lost a significant amount of blood. We require a blood transfusion urgently” the doctor explained.
O nodded. I just want my baby to be fine again.
The challenge is that his blood group is AB negative which is a rare blood type, and we don’t have it readily available. You will need to arrange for the blood as soon as possible or we won’t be able to save his life” saying this he left me.
His words hit me so hard that it felt as if someone had just hit me. My legs gave up and collapsed on the nearby bench.
The only person who could help me in this situation is him!