Chapter 45: CALL SECURITY
Chapter 46
Lumi
My mind went completely blank. I just stood there, staring at the three of them walking across the polished floorboards of the lobby, my brain refusing to believe my own eyes.
I had left them thousands of miles away in New York, yet here they were, stepping into the dim light of the London morning.
Before I could even move, Neve crossed the remaining distance and threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight, desperate hug.
The familiar, warm scent of her, broke through the numb horror wrapping around my chest, and a fresh wave of hot tears spilled over my cheeks.
When she finally pulled back, her hands stayed clamped tightly to my shoulders. She looked at my messy hair, my tear-stained face, and then glanced around the empty lobby.
"Lumi, oh my god," she said, her voice laced with deep worry. "What are you doing out here in the lobby? Why aren’t you inside the ward with Theo?"
A fresh sob caught in my throat, and I had to swallow hard just to get the words out.
"I can’t get in, Neve. Callum... he scrubbed my name completely off the visitor logs. The receptionists won’t let me past the desk, and the doctor just walked away from me.
They said because Callum is the primary guardian on the admission papers, I’m legally blocked from going there. I called Callum, but he told me to go back to where I came from."
As the words left my mouth, I watched a deep, furious frown appear on Neve’s face. Her eyes flashed with pure anger, and her grip on my shoulders tightened.
"He can’t do that," she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "You are his legal mom. He has absolutely no right to keep you away from your own sick baby."
She spun around instantly, turning her back to the front desk and looking directly at Ren and her boyfriend.
"Can you guys do something about this? Please. We need to get her in there right now."
I looked past Neve’s shoulder and felt a shiver run down my spine. Ren looked completely pissed.
His jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles in his face were jumping, and his dark eyes were fixed on the secure ward doors with a look so terrifying it felt like he wanted to murder someone right then and there.
He didn’t say a single word. He just pulled his phone from his pocket, his thumb slamming against the screen as he walked a few paces away.
While Ren was already making his call, Neve’s boyfriend stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a brief, comforting hug.
"Hey, look at me," he said softly, his voice incredibly steady and calm. "Don’t worry about that, babe. I’ll get it done." He pulled away, slipping his own phone out, and immediately dialed a number.
I stood there in a daze, watching the two of them walk small circles on the tiled floor. They weren’t shouting or causing a scene.
They just spoke into their phones in quiet, commanding voices, using names and terms that made the receptionist behind the desk perk up, her eyes widening in sudden realization.
Neve pulled me back against her, wrapping her arms securely around my shaking shoulders and gently rubbed my arm, leaning her head against mine.
"Shh, it’s okay, Lumi. Don’t worry. Just breathe. Everything is going to be fine, I promise you."
I wasn’t sure if they could do anything about it because they weren’t from this country. It wasn’t possible and I understood completely.
Not even three minutes later, the heavy double doors of the restricted ward suddenly flew open.
A middle-aged man in a sharp suit and a white coat came hurrying down the hallway, practically running toward the lobby.
He was completely out of breath, his face pale, and his hands visibly shaking as he bypassed the reception desk entirely.
He stopped right in front of us, looking between Ren and Neve’s boyfriend before fixing his eyes on me. He bowed his head slightly, his voice cracking with pure panic.
"Ms. Lumi, I am so deeply, incredibly sorry," the head doctor gasped out, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"I was completely unaware of the situation at the front desk. Please, you shouldn’t be annoyed with our facility. There was a terrible lack of communication on our part."
He stepped back, holding his arm out toward the open double doors where the bright lights of the secure hallway were waiting.
"Please, follow me. I will take you to see your son immediately."
I didn’t care about the head doctor’s trembling voice, and I didn’t care about how terrified he looked.
The moment he gestured toward that open hallway, my legs took over. I didn’t say a word to anyone.
I just bolted past the reception desk, my sneakers squeaking against the polished floorboards as I followed him through the secure double doors.
The pediatric ward was dead silent, save for the low, rhythmic hum of medical equipment and the soft squeak of the doctor’s shoes ahead of me.
We turned a corner, passing row after row of closed doors, until he finally slowed his pace outside Room 412.
"He’s right inside," the doctor whispered, stepping back to give me space.
"We have him on a steady IV, but as I mentioned to your friends, we are still waiting on the latest round of blood panels to understand the full picture."
My hand shook as I reached out, my fingers wrapping around the cold metal door handle. I pushed it open slowly, my breath catching in my throat.
The room was bathed in a soft, dim light from a small bedside lamp. And there, lying in the center of the large white hospital bed, was Theo.
He looked so small. Way too small for that bed. His usually bright, chubby cheeks were painfully pale, and a thin clear tube rested just under his nose to help him breathe.
His little eyes were closed, his long eyelashes casting tiny shadows on his skin.
A sharp, painful sob ripped from my throat before I could stop it. I rushed to the side of the bed, dropping to my knees and gently taking his tiny, warm hand in both of mine.
"Theo," I choked out, pressing his little knuckles against my lips as the tears finally came pouring down without stop. "Baby, mommy’s here. I’m so sorry. I’m right here."
As if he could hear my voice through the heavy fog of his sleep, his little fingers gave a tiny, weak twitch against my palm.
My heart squeezed so hard it felt like it would break right inside my chest. I buried my face into the edge of his mattress, just holding onto him, letting the relief and the terror wash over me all at once.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" A sharp, venomous whisper shattered the quiet of the room.
I stiffened, slowly lifting my head. Standing on the opposite side of the bed, having just stepped out from the private bathroom corner, was Sienna.
She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, but the moment she realized it was me, her face twisted into a mask of pure, ugly hatred.
She marched right up to the edge of the guardrail, glaring down at me.
"How did you even get back here?" Sienna hissed, keeping her voice low but dripping with rage.
"Callum explicitly told the staff to throw you out if you showed your face. You don’t belong here, Lumi. You abandoned this family, and now you want to play the doting mother when he’s sick? Get out before I call security myself."
I didn’t stand up. I didn’t even let go of Theo’s hand. I just looked up at her through my tear-blurred eyes, a cold, unshakeable calmness settling over me.
"Call them," I said, my voice completely steady. "Go ahead and call security, Sienna. See who gets thrown out of this building first."
Sienna opened her mouth to snap back, but before she could utter a single word, the heavy wooden door of the room slid open.
Ren walked in.
He didn’t say anything, but his massive, imposing frame completely filled the doorway, casting a long shadow across the room.
He didn’t even look at Sienna, his dark, fierce eyes went straight to me, checking to see if I was okay, before he stepped inside and stood quietly by the corner of the wall, guarding the space like an impenetrable shield.
Sienna’s face drained of color instantly. She looked at Ren, then back at me, her chest heaving with silent, frustrated fury.
She knew exactly what had happened downstairs. The wall they had built to keep me out had been completely destroyed.
Without another word, she grabbed her purse from the bedside chair and stormed past Ren, shoving the door open violently as she disappeared into the hallway to find Callum.
Once the door slid shut again, the room fell back into a heavy silence.
I turned my focus completely back to Theo, brushing a stray lock of hair away from his forehead.
But as I sat there, the adrenaline of the last twelve hours finally began to fade, leaving behind a deep, overwhelming exhaustion...and a sudden, sharp awareness of the man standing in the corner.
I looked over my shoulder at Ren. He was just watching me, his expression unreadable, but the sheer protective warmth in his eyes was undeniable.
He had flown across an ocean right behind me. He had used every ounce of his power and influence just to make sure I could hold my son’s hand.
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling incredibly tight. "Ren..."
