It happened just past midnight;one of those still, heavy nights where even the air felt half-asleep. Jessica had just managed to put the twins down after a long day, and Lucas was locking the doors when the silence shattered.
Kaira's cries.
Sharp. Unsteady. Wrong. đ
Jessica rushed to the crib, her heart hammering. The moment she placed her palm on Kaira's forehead, her breath caught. The heat radiating from her tiny body was alarming;far higher than anything a normal fever should be.
"Lucas⊠her temperature is too high. We need to go. Now." đ
Everything after that blurred into frantic motion.
The hurried phone call to Kian.
The rushed drive through empty streets.
The twins' favorite blanket hastily wrapped around Kaira's trembling body. đ¶
By the time they reached the hospital, Kaira's cries had faded into weak whimpers. That scared Jessica more than anything.
In the harsh fluorescent lights of the emergency ward, time stretched painfully thin. Kian paced the corridor, running a hand through his hair again and again, unable to sit still. Lucas sat with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped so tightly his knuckles were white. Beside him, Jessica held sleeping Kiara close, tears silently staining her cheeks as she whispered prayers into the baby's soft hair.
Minutes felt like hours.
Every passing nurse, every opening door made their hearts jump.
The storm wasn't outside;it was inside each of them, twisting, tightening, refusing to let go.
Finally, a doctor stepped out.
"Your daughter is stable now," he said gently, removing his mask. "It was a severe fever spike, but we caught it in time. She'll be okay."
The relief hit them all at once;like air rushing back into lungs they didn't realize had stopped breathing. Jessica broke into sobs, Lucas pulled her close, and even Kian closed his eyes, offering a silent thank you to the universe.
In that sterile hallway, under cold lights, something warm and unbreakable wrapped around them all.
Family.
Not defined by blood, but by the hands you hold during the storm. đŹ