Mom, Don't Cry! Here comes a new Daddy! novel Chapter 107

(Sabrina’s POV)

The hospital waiting room is a special kind of torture.

Fluorescent lights that buzz faintly. Uncomfortable plastic chairs trat squeak with every shift. The smell of

antiseptic and fear permeates the air.

And Jake. God, Jake.

He hasn’t let go of my sleeve since we arrived. His small hand clutches the fabric se tightly his knuckles

are white.

He hasn’t spoken either. Not since we got in Ethan’s car. Not during the drive here. Net while we checked

in with the ER nurses.

Just silence. And that terrifying, withdrawn expression on his face I’ve never seen before.

“Jake, baby.” I try again, my voice soft. “Do you want some water? Or maybe we can find a snack machine

He shakes his head. Doesn’t look at me. Just keeps staring at the double doors marked ICU like he can will them to open through sheer force of concentration.

Ethan crouches down beside him, his voice gentle. “Hey buddy. I know you’re scared. But your dad’s in really good hands. The doctors here are the best.”

Still nothing.

“Jake.” Ethan tries a different approach. “Would it help to draw something? Sometimes when I’m worried, drawing helps me feel better.”

For a moment, I think it might work. Jake’s eyes flicker toward Ethan. Consider the suggestion.

But then his grip on my sleeve tightens and he shakes his head again.

“I need to wait for the doctor,” he whispers. His first words in over an hour. “I need to know if bad dad is going to die.”

My chest tightens painfully. “Baby, he’s not going to die-”

“But there was so much blood, Mom.” His voice rises, edged with panic. “So much blood. And he wasn’t moving and his eyes looked wrong and-”

“Jake.” I pull him onto my lap. “The doctors are taking care of him. They’re doing everything they can to treat him. Your dad is strong. He’s going to be okay.”

“Promise?”

I meet his eyes–Dustin’s eyes, I realize with a pang–and see the desperate need for reassurance there.

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And lie, “I promise.” Because what else can I do? False hope is better than no hope at all.

He buries his face in my chest and finally, finally starts to cry. Not the loud, dramatic crying of a child

throwing a tantrum. The quiet, hitching sobs of someone trying very hard to be brave and failing.

I hold him and rock him and let him cry while my owr, eyes burn with unshed tears.

Because this is my fault too. If I hadn’t made enemies of Jessica. If I hadn’t pushed her to such extremes. If I’d just been less-

No. I stop that thought before it can take root.

This isn’t my fault. This is Jessica’s fault. She’s the one who brought a krlife to a park. She’s the one who

tried to murder someone in broad daylight.

That woman is beyond insane, and it’s pointless to even try to understand where she’s coming from.

But Dustin…

Dustin saved my life.

And if anything happens to him because of me, I won’t be able to forgive myself. No. I don’t want the weight of his life on my shoulders. That burden is too heavy for me to carry.

Ethan’s hand finds my shoulder. Warm. Steadying. “Don’t worry,” he says quietly. “He’s going to be okay.”

“I know.” But my voice shakes, lacking conviction.

We wait. And wait. And wait.

Jake finally cries himself into an exhausted doze, his head heavy on my shoulder. My arm goes numb but I

don’t shift him.

Ethan sits beside me, his presence solid and comforting even though he hasn’t said much since we

arrived.

I glance at him. His jaw is tight. His eyes fixed on the ICU doors with an intensity that makes me wonder

what he’s thinking.

“Thank you,” I say quietly. “For being here.”

“Where else would I be?” His voice is equally quiet. But there’s something underneath it. Something

strained.

“Ethan-”

The ICU doors open. A doctor emerges, still in surgical scrubs, pulling off his mask.

I’m on my feet instantly, Jake stirring in my arms. “How is he? Is he-”

“Mr. Reed is stable,” the doctor says, and the relief that floods through me is almost dizzying. “He’s out of danger. The knife missed major organs by centimeters–incredibly lucky considering the angle of entry. He’s lost a significant amount of blood and will need time to recover, but barring complications, he should

Chapter 100

make a full recovery.”

“Can we see him?” The words come out before I can stop them,

The doctor nods. “He’s awake. Groggy frum anesthesia but awake. Family can go in for a few minutes.

Keep it brief–he needs rest.”

Family. Right. I’m not family anymore. We’re divorced.

But Jake is family. Jake needs to see his father alive and breathing to finally be himself again.

“Come on, baby. Let’s go see your Daddy.”

We follow the doctor through the ICU doors, Ethan trailing behind us.

Dustin’s room is small and sterile. Machines beep softly. An IV drips into his arm. His skin is pale against the white sheets, and there’s a weariness in his face I’ve never seen before.

But his eyes are open. Focused. And thankfully, alive.

“Jake.” He whispers, his voice hoarse.

Jake scrambles out of my arms and runs to the bedside, his small hands gripping the rart. “Bad dad! You’re okay! You didn’t die!”

“I didn’t die.” Dustin tries to smile but it comes out more like a grimace. “Just really, really in pain.”

“Why did you jump in front of the knife? That was so stupid! Mom was crying and I was scared and-”

“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Dustin’s/hand reaches out, trembling slightly, and Jake grabs it immediately. “I just–I couldn’t let anything happen to your mom.”

Jake sniffles. “Because you love her?”

The room goes very quiet.

Dustin’s eyes find mine across the bed. And there’s something raw in them. Something vulnerable and broken and raw that makes my heart tremble.

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“Yes,” he says simply. “Because I love her. I always have. I was just too stupid to realize it until it was too

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