Chapter 1 – The Call
Sarah Benson's fingers hovered over her keyboard as she typed the last few sentences of an email. The office hummed quietly around her phones ringing, papers shuffling, computers clicking a world of ordinary that she always found comforting. She liked routine. It kept her grounded. But that calm shattered the moment her phone rang.
The caller ID read: School Office.
Her stomach dropped. She grabbed the phone, her hand trembling. "Hello? Yes, this is Sarah Benson."
"Mrs. Benson," the voice on the other end was sharp, urgent. "It's Tommy… your son. He… he collapsed at school. We're rushing him to the hospital. Please, come quickly."
Sarah's heart stopped. She could barely breathe. "What? No! My baby… he's only six! Please, tell me he's okay!" Her voice cracked, panic slicing through every fiber of her being. She almost dropped the phone as she grabbed her bag and coat. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" she cried, rushing past her colleagues who stared at her, startled by her frantic pace.
The rain was falling hard when she stepped outside. Cold drops soaked her hair and clothes as she fumbled for her car keys. Her mind was racing, thinking of Tommy her little boy, full of laughter, always curious, always bright. How could something so terrible happen so suddenly?
Every red light felt like an eternity. Every street seemed longer than it was. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. She thought back to that morning: Tommy running late, his backpack bouncing on his small shoulders as he ran to catch the school bus, waving goodbye without a care. She had kissed his forehead and reminded him to be careful. She had hugged him tightly, never imagining this day.
When she arrived at the hospital, she nearly tripped out of the car, slipping slightly on the wet pavement. Her heels clicked frantically on the floor as she ran through the sliding doors, calling out, "Please, someone! My son! Tommy Benson!"
A nurse appeared almost immediately, her expression serious but kind. "Mrs. Benson, follow me. He's in emergency care. The doctor is coming right now."
Sarah ran down the corridor, her chest tight, her stomach churning. When she finally saw Tommy, her world tilted. He lay pale and frail on a small hospital bed, tiny chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. His small fingers twitched weakly against the sheets.
"Tommy!" she cried, rushing to his side and grabbing his hand. "Oh, my baby… stay with me. Please, stay with me. Don't leave me, Tommy!"
The doctor, a tall man with calm but serious eyes, approached. "Mrs. Benson, we need you to stay calm. Can you tell me what happened before he collapsed?"
"I… I don't know!" Sarah's voice trembled. "They just called me. He was fine this morning — happy, playing, laughing! And now… now this!" Her words fell apart as tears streamed down her face.
The doctor exchanged a quick glance with a nurse. "Mrs. Benson, preliminary tests show your son has leukemia. We need to start treatment immediately to stabilize him. Eventually, he'll need a bone marrow transplant, but first, we need to manage his condition."
"No… no, this isn't real," she whispered, shaking her head, clutching Tommy's hand as if her grip could hold back the world. "My baby… he's only six! How… how could this happen?"
The nurse placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We know this is frightening, Mrs. Benson. You're doing the right thing by being here. He needs you now more than ever."
Sarah sank into the chair beside Tommy's bed, holding his tiny hand and brushing his hair from his forehead. She whispered over and over, "You're going to be okay, Tommy. Mommy is here. I'm not leaving you. I promise I'll save you."
She thought about her life, her little apartment, her job, and how she had always tried to do the best for him. She thought about the fact she didn't know Tommy's father and how lonely life had felt sometimes, even before this. But all of that disappeared in the sharp, burning panic of the moment. This was all that mattered: her little boy, lying in front of her, fragile and fighting.
The doctor explained the treatment plan again. "We're going to start temporary therapy now to stabilize him before the transplant. It will be tough, but we'll monitor him closely."
Sarah nodded, swallowing hard, forcing herself to stay composed. She had no one else. No family nearby, no support except for the hospital staff. It was just her and her son. And she would fight for him with everything she had.
The night stretched long. Sarah didn't leave Tommy's side. She held his hand, wiped his forehead, whispered words of encouragement, and cried quietly whenever he slept. Every beep of the monitors, every small rise and fall of his chest, kept her heart pounding.
She remembered all the mornings they had shared breakfast together, the way he laughed at silly cartoons, how he always begged for one more bedtime story. She had thought she had time to prepare him for the world, to keep him safe. But life had proven otherwise.
And yet, even in the midst of fear, hopelessness, and exhaustion, a spark ignited inside her. She would survive this. For Tommy, she would be strong. She would not give up, no matter how hard it got. No matter how uncertain the future seemed, she would fight for her little boy.
As the rain tapped steadily against the hospital window, Sarah held Tommy's hand tighter and whispered again, "We'll get through this, baby. I promise. I will not let anything take you from me."
And in that moment, she realized something deep and fierce inside herself a determination she hadn't known she had. No storm, no illness, no fear would stop her. Tommy's life was in her hands, and she would do whatever it took to save him.