Chapter 13
“Mom! Mommy! Wake up!”
Lorraine slowly opened her eyes, awakened by the repeated shaking and Lucian’s high–pitched voice.
She stretched, sat up, and groggily looked at her son. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
It was still dark outside, indicating it wasn’t morning yet. Lucian was already waking her up.
mean to do it!”
“Mom! It’s Lucio! He’s bleeding! I didn’t me
“W–What?!” Her sleepy eyes widened. “Bleeding?!” She scrambled out of bed in a panic, her heart pounding.
Her room was next to the children’s, so she quickly reached it and found Lucio in the bathroom, washing his face.
“Lucio!” She kneeled in front of him, her hands trembling. His nose was bleeding, despite his attempts to wash it away. She grabbed a nearby cloth and turned him to face her.
“What happened?” She placed the cloth on his nose, her voice filled with worry.
“It’s not Lucian’s fault! We were just playing pillow fights, and he hit me! It wasn’t even that hard!” Lucio defended his brother.
Lorraine turned to Lucian. “Lucian, what did You do?”
Tears welled up in Lucian’s eyes. “I–I’m sorry, Mom… I–I hit him too hard with the pillow and he got a nosebleed.”
“I told you it’s not even that hard! We were just playing, Mommy! Lucio insisted.
Lorraine’s eyebrows knitted together. “Not hard, but it made your nose bleed? Why are you two still playing at this hour? I read you three bedtime stories, yet you didn’t sleep! Are you trying to give me a heart attack with worry? I do everything to keep you healthy, but you’re hurting each other!”
Lucian bowed his head. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have asked Lucin to play with me in the first place, Mom. It’s all my fault.”
“I’m the one who asked Lucian to play with me!” Lucio countered.
Lorraine’s heart ached. “Well from now on, no more playing! If this happens again, I’ll separate you into different rooms! Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mommy,” they answered in low voices.
Lorraine’s panic slowly subsided. She had thought Lucio’s bleeding was much worse.
Just as she was about to calm down, she noticed that despite her efforts to wipe Lucio’s nose, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
She felt like crying. “Seriously, Lucian! How hard did you hit your brother? Didn’t he hit anything else?”
Lucian shook where he stood, clearly scared. “N–No, it was just a pillow and he fell onto my bed.”
I
“Yeah! The pillow is soft, Mommy. But I just suddenly got a nosebleed even though Lucian didn’t hit me hard!”
“Stop protecting your brother. You’re both still responsible!” she scolded.
This was the first time it happened, and her heart pounded with unexplainable fear.
She pinched the soft part of Lucio’s nose just above his nostril. “Spit out the blood, don’t swallow it.”
Chapter 13
Lucio spat into the sink They stayed in that position for over five minutes.
“Lucian, did you just start playing when your brother’s nose bled?” she asked.
Lucian hesitated, catching Lucio’s gaze. But he soon confessed. “No… it has been 15 minutes now, Mom. Lucio didn’t want to alert you, so we tried to stop it first but…”
“That long?” Her heart sank. She quickly stood up and carried Lucio.
In a hurry, she grabbed a thick jacket for him and went to her room to get her purse, jacket, and car keys.
“Mommy, where are we going?” Lucio asked, puzzled. “Tm fine it’s not painful!”
“Shut it, Lucio! You don’t know how serious this is!” she said, rushing down the stairs.
Still in her pajamas, she quickly put Lucio in the car.
“Lucian! Lock the door, wake up Mona, and tell her what happened, she shouted.
“Okay, Mom! Please drive safely!”
“I will! Now lock the doorl
As Lorraine drove towards the hospital, she couldn’t help but worry. Her heart was racing, and each minute felt like an eternity. She glanced at Lucio in the backseat, still holding the cloth to his nose.
“Mommy, I’m really okay. You don’t have to worry” Lucio tried to reassure her, but his eyes showed concer.
“Just hang in there, baby, We’re almost there,” Lorraine said.
When they arrived at the hospital, a nurse quickly approached them.
“Excuse me, nurse! My son is having a nosebleed that won’t stop I need to find Dr. Cady. She’s his doctor,” Lorraine said urgently.
“Alright, ma’am. Please follow me,” the nurse replied, helping Lucio to the emergency room,
Once there, the nurse called for Dr. Cady. Moments later, Cady, Lorraine’s friend and reliable doctor, arrived.
“Lorraine, what happened?” Cady asked while examining Lucio.
“Nosebleed. It won’t stop for almost half an hour now,” Lorraine explained, her voice shaky. “The kids were playing pillow fight and this happened.”
“Alright, we’ll take care of him. Don’t worry, Cady assured her, as the medical staff began attending to Lucio.
“Mommy, I’m scared,” Lucio said, trying not to cry.
“It’s okay, baby. Dr. Cady is here. She’ll make you better,” Lorraine said, rubbing his back Just be brave, okay?”
As Cady examined Lucio, Lorraine noticed the doctor seemed concerned about something else. “Is there something wrong,
Cady?” she asked.
“Well, nosebleeds can be caused by various factors. It could be as simple as dry air or as serious as a clotting disorder. We need to run some tests to be sure, Cady explained with a hint of worry
“Tests? What kind of tests? Lorraine asked, her anxiety increasing.
“We’ll start with a blood test to check his platelet count and clotting factors. We might also need to do a CT scan i
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if we
Chapter 13
suspect something more serious,” Cady said.
“Oh, god!” Lorraine whispered, closing her eyes tightly. “Please, I hope it’s not serious,”
Cady placed a comforting hand on Lorraine’s shoulder. “Lorraine, I know it’s hard not to worry, but let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. Nosebleeds in children can be caused by many things, and often, it’s nothing serious. We’re going to take good care of Lucio, okay?”
Lorraine nodded, trying to steady her breathing “I just. I can’t bear the thought of something being seriously wrong with
him
Cady smiled gently. “You’re a wonderful mother, Lorraine. Lucio is strong, and we’re going to find out what’s causing this. and address it. Just trust the process.”
“Okay.” She calmed down for a moment.
While Cady ordered the necessary tests, Lorraine stayed by Lucio’s side, holding his hand. “Mommy is here, baby, I won’t leave you.”
Lucio looked up at her. “Thank you, Mommy I love you.”
“I love you too, baby. So much,” Lorraine whispered, kissing his forehead.
SEND GIFT
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