Chapter 35- lila (I)

Chapter 35- lila (I)
CLAIRE
I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the windows. My head hurt from the wine Ethan and I drank last night. My body felt heavy and stiff, For a moment, I thought maybe we were safe.

Then I heard it. A sharp gasp like someone choking. My heart froze. My first thought was the masked man,maybe he had found us. I froze, straining to listen, but then another sound came again My stomach dropped.

“Lila,” I whispered, a cold shiver running down my spine. My heart started racing. The sound came once more like she was struggling to breathe.

I was on my feet before I even realized it. “Ethan!” I shouted. “Something’s wrong with Lila!”

I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. “Ethan!” I called again, trying to wake him.

When I finally opened the guest room door, she was there, lying under the blankets. She looked weak. Her chest moved in short, rough breaths. Her face was pale and sweaty and her fever was making her skin hot under the damp blanket.

I rushed to her side and held her shoulders. “Lila! Stay with me!” I said, my heart pounding. Her eyes were blurry and barely focused. She gave a weak moaning sound to my words.

Ethan appeared at the door. “Claire?” His voice was still sleepy, but he looked worried when he saw Lila. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s septic,” I said quickly “Her airway… it’s partially collapsing again. There’s swelling where the tracheotomy is.” I could see the little rise and fall of her chest, “She won’t last without help. She has few hours, maybe less.”

Ethan’s eyes widened as he took in her state, the bloodless skin and her struggle to breathe. My heart jumped as I glanced at him.

“I… I should’ve left her in the hospital,” I whispered, my voice cracking. My hands clenched her blankets trembling. “I brought her here… I put her in this state—”

“Claire,” Evan stepped into the bedroom. His eyes were wide with concern,“Stop blaming yourself. It's my fault too for bringing up the idea in the first place. You saved her life once now we save her again. Right now.”

I nodded forcing myself to focus. The truth was bitter: without intervention, Lila would die. The infection was spreading, her airway could collapse at any second, and there was no time to waste.

“Evan,” I said “do you have a first aid kit here?”

“Yes,” he said immediately, he was now fully awake. “Bathroom cabinet, under the sink.”

“Good. Listen to me,” I said, kneeling beside Lila. “I need you to hold her head steady. Keep her airway open as much as you can. Don’t move her unless I say. Can you do that?”

He nodded, already crouching to her side, Then he put his hand on her shoulders and jaw.

I ran to the bathroom, splashing through the light rain that had started dripping inside. My hands shook as I grabbed the first aid kit, opened it, and checked inside—antiseptics, gauze, clamps, scissors, gloves. This had to be enough.

Back in the room, I slid to Lila’s side and looked at her tracheotomy. The skin around it was red and swollen, showing signs of infection. I put on gloves, cleaned the area, and carefully adjusted the tube so it stayed open. I packed fresh gauze around it to keep it steady and soak up fluids. Lila let out a small moan, her hands twitching weakly.

“She’s… breathing easier,” I whispered, a tiny hope flickering. I looked at Evan, who was watching, tense. “It’ll hold… maybe one more hour. We need Cross here. Now.”

He nodded fast, alert. “What do I do?”

“She’s… breathing easier,” I muttered under my breath, almost a whisper of hope. I looked at Evan, who was watching with concern. “It’ll hold… maybe an hour more. But we can't risk moving her for now,We need Cross here. Now.”

He nodded immediately snapping into action. “What do I do?”

“You keep her calm, steady, and awake as much as you can. Don’t let her move the tube. Watch her breathing, pulse, temperature. I’ll get him here. Fast.”

With speed I ran to my car outside, rain hitting my face as I climbed into the driver’s seat. My heart was pounding. But i gripped the wheel, started the engine, and sped into the night.

Water splashed up the tires, the but I didn’t care. Lila’s life depended on getting help, and nothing not rain ,not fear would stop me.

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The hospital parking lot was nearly empty when I pulled in.The sky was a dull gray, somewhere between night and dawn. I parked a few blocks away, far enough that no one would recognize the Mustang or ask questions.

My hands trembled as I turned off the engine. The air inside the car was cold. I took one deep breath, grabbed my coat, and stepped out. The rain hit my shoulders, soaking through in seconds.

I couldn’t risk the front entrance. Cameras. Guards. Too many eyes. We’d already smuggled Lila out once; for all I knew, they’d put out an alert by now. One wrong move and they’d arrest me before I reached the elevators.

So I pulled up my hood, grabbed the small duffel from the seat beside me, and slipped into the shadow along the side of the building.