Chapter 7 - The Midnight Crisis
It was exactly 2:14 a.m. when the terrifying sound of violent coughing echoed through the silent mansion.
Julian bolted upright in his massive bed, his heart instantly hammering against his ribs in sheer panic.
He sprinted out of his bedroom, rushing frantically down the long hallway toward the children's wing.
When he burst into the nursery, Eleanor was already there, kneeling beside little Ivy's bed.
The three-year-old was incredibly pale, her small body trembling violently as she struggled to pull air into her lungs.
"She has a massive fever, Julian, her tiny body is fighting an infection," Eleanor said urgently, holding a cool cloth to the child's head.
"Her immune system is completely compromised from the long months of malnutrition."
Julian grabbed his phone with shaking hands and immediately dialed for a private medical transport.
"They are exactly ten minutes away," Julian shouted, pacing the room like a trapped, terrified animal.
Ivy let out a weak, agonizing whimper, her little chest rapidly rising and falling in distress.
"She cannot wait ten minutes, her breathing is becoming too shallow!" Eleanor yelled, her usual calm demeanor completely shattering.
Eleanor quickly scooped the burning child into her arms and rushed into the adjacent master bathroom.
She turned on the hot water in the massive shower, instantly filling the enclosed glass room with heavy, thick steam.
"Sit with her on the floor, keep her completely upright!" Eleanor ordered the billionaire patriarch.
Julian did not hesitate for a single second, dropping to the wet tile floor in his expensive silk pajamas.
He held his precious, fragile daughter tightly against his broad chest, rocking her gently back and forth.
Eleanor sat right beside them, rubbing Ivy's back in slow, rhythmic, comforting circles.
"Breathe the warm air, sweet angel, just keep taking deep breaths," Eleanor murmured softly into the steam.
Slowly, agonizingly, the thick steam began to open the child's restricted, struggling airways.
Ivy's violent coughing fits gradually subsided, replaced by deep, exhausted, rattling breaths.
By the time the emergency paramedics finally rushed into the bathroom, the terrifying crisis had passed.
May you like
Julian looked at Eleanor through the thick, swirling mist, tears of absolute gratitude streaming down his face.
She had saved his beautiful daughter's life for the second time.
