Chapter 233 I Am His Biological Mother

Chapter 233 I Am His Biological Mother

He lunged at Perry as he spoke.

Perry dodged to the side, letting the blade miss, and drove his fist into the man's ribs.

The man grunted and slashed back, catching Perry across the arm.

They fought in the dim warehouse, crashing into each other.

Perry got the upper hand, pinning the man to the ground and hammering down punch after punch.

The man's knife had fallen nearby. He reached for it, but couldn't get there.

Perry was about to get up and go to Liam when the man pinned beneath him yanked a second knife from his boot and drove it into Perry's stomach.

Perry's body went rigid.

The man shoved him off, got to his feet, and walked toward Liam with the bloodied knife in his hand.

Liam's eyes went wide. He was shaking all over, tears streaming down his face.

The man raised the knife and thrust it at Liam.

Just before the blade reached him, Perry hauled himself off the ground, staggered forward, and threw his hand in front of Liam's body.

The man put his full weight behind it. The knife punched through Perry's palm and sank into Liam's shoulder.

Liam let out a strangled cry.

Perry locked his other hand around the man's wrist and wouldn't let go.

His stomach was still bleeding, his hand skewered clean through, but he bit down and didn't make a sound.

The warehouse door burst open and Perry's men poured in.

The man saw it was over, yanked the knife free, and ran out the back.

"Go after him!" someone shouted, and several of them gave chase.

Perry sank to his knees, one hand pressed to his stomach, the other still shielding Liam.

His face was chalk-white, not a trace of color in his lips.

"Liam... it's over..." He pulled the tape from Liam's mouth and managed a faint smile.

Liam was shaking with sobs. "Uncle Perry... you're bleeding so much..."

"It's fine... just a scratch..." Perry dug out his phone. His fingers were trembling so badly he could barely hit the right spots on the screen. He found Susan's number and called.

She picked up.

"Susan..." Perry's voice was barely a whisper. "I found Liam. He's okay... shoulder got nicked a little... nothing serious... don't worry..."

The words were barely out when the phone slipped from his hand. His body swayed, then he went down hard.

"Uncle Perry! Uncle Perry!" Liam called out through his tears.

On the other end of the line, Susan's voice was still going. "Perry? Say something! Perry!"

When Susan finally heard what happened, it came from the police — a call telling her that Liam and Perry had both been found and were at East City Hospital.

Susan and Sean got there late at night.

The red light above the emergency room burned steadily. The hallway smelled of antiseptic.

Liam and Perry had been wheeled into separate operating rooms. The red lights above both doors were hard to look at.

Susan stood against the wall, hands clasped at her chest, fingertips cold.

Her heart was lodged in her throat. She couldn't quite focus on anything.

Sean stood beside her with one arm around her shoulders, not saying a word.

There was no one else in the hall. The only sounds were their breathing — fast, and heavy.

Time passed. Then one of the operating room doors opened.

A nurse came out quickly, clipboard in hand. "Is Liam's family here?"

Susan pushed off the wall. "I am. I'm his mom."

"The boy has lost a lot of blood and needs a transfusion right away." The nurse spoke fast. "We're short on AB type in the blood bank. We've got a request in to the main hospital, but that's at least forty minutes out. Do you know anyone with that blood type who could donate?"

"She has the same blood type as my son," Sean said immediately. "She can do it."

"Immediate family members aren't eligible to donate."

"She's not his biological mother."

"Come with me for a blood type match." The nurse turned to go.

Susan stood there, hands squeezed into fists, nails biting into her palms without her even feeling it.

"I... I..." she started.

"This is a child's life," the nurse said, barely holding it together. "What is there to think about?"

"Immediate family can't donate — isn't that the rule?" Susan's voice came out rough. "I'm... I'm his biological mother."

She said it, then closed her eyes.

She couldn't watch Sean's face change.

She waited. Sean didn't say anything.

The silence made her uneasy. She stole a glance at him.

"I've already reached out to someone with the right blood type," Sean said, his voice steady. "They're on their way. Should be here soon." He looked at the nurse. "Please get ready for them."

The nurse nodded and hurried off.

Susan and Sean sat at opposite ends of the hallway, a stretch of about fifteen meters between them.

The clock on the wall ticked on. Every second felt stretched to the breaking point.

Susan stared at the floor, hands knotted together, her nails digging red lines into the backs of her hands.

After a while, Sean stood up and walked over.

He didn't sit. He just looked down at her.

Susan raised her head and met his eyes.

They were very dark. There was a lot in them. She couldn't read any of it.

"Susan," he said.

Not Nina. Susan.

Her whole body locked up.

The word was like a dull blade, slowly working open the seams of the shell she had spent so long stitching shut.

"You finally said it." Sean's voice was rough but quiet, like he was commenting on something unremarkable. "You have no idea how hard it's been, not knowing."

Susan opened her mouth. She wanted to explain, to tell him it wasn't what he thought.

But every word piled up in her throat and not one of them made it out.

Because the truth was, she had been hiding it from him. On purpose.

She lowered her head. Tears fell onto her knees one by one, spreading into small dark patches on the backs of her hands.

"We'll deal with this after Liam is better," Sean said. "Once he's okay, you and I are going to have a real conversation."

His voice was calm. So calm it made her stomach drop.

The blood went into the operating room. The red light stayed on.

Nearly an hour later, the door finally opened.

The surgeon stepped out, pulled down his mask, and looked tired but relieved. "The boy is going to be fine. The wound is closed. The knife didn't go deep enough to hit bone or nerve. If he heals well, there shouldn't be any lasting effects."

Susan's legs nearly gave out.

Sean caught her.

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much." Susan couldn't stop crying. Her voice was all over the place.

"What about Perry?" she asked quickly. "How is he?"

"Mr. Watson's surgery is still ongoing," the doctor said. "His injuries are more serious. The abdominal wound hit some internal organs and he's lost a significant amount of blood. Our team is doing everything they can. We'll update you as soon as we know more."

Liam was wheeled out of the operating room.