The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 479

But the subtle movement caught Petty's attention. The tears she had managed to dry sprang back to her eyes in an instant. She instinctively leaned closer to Abacus, an overwhelming urge to scoop him back into her arms warring with the knowledge that he desperately needed his rest. Biting her lip, she forced herself to keep her hands to herself.

"Can't I stay with him just a little longer?" she pleaded, looking frantically at the doctor. She had just gotten her miracle baby back; the thought of walking away felt like physical agony. The doctor offered her an apologetic, troubled look. The answer was a definitive no.

When Abacus's condition had been more stable, Franco would occasionally spend the entire night sitting by his crib. But things were different now. His immune system was dangerously compromised. If they didn't proceed with the bone marrow transplant immediately, his life would be on the line. Prolonged exposure to outside visitors was simply too great a risk right now.

Petty looked down at her sleeping son, his little lips still pushed into a soft pout, as a fresh wave of tears blurred her vision. Suddenly, a large, heavy hand covered hers. The warmth of that palm, the subtle roughness of the calluses on those fingers—it was a touch she knew intimately. She looked up in a daze.

Franco automatically reached out to brush the tears from her cheek, only for his fingers to meet the cold plastic of her sterile visor. Frustration flickered in his eyes, but he quickly tamped it down. Looking intently at her, he kept his voice remarkably steady. "I've already given the doctor your direct number. You'll be the first to know about any updates, and the moment it's safe, you can come right back and stay with him."

He could see the devastation in her eyes, exactly as he had anticipated. That was why he hadn't let the doctor deliver the bad news. He needed to be the one to tell her. "If we stay too long, we risk exposing him to infections. Besides, you haven't eaten a single thing in two days. When he wakes up, he's going to need his mother at full strength, and right now, you're running on fumes. He needs you, Petty." He squeezed her hand. "I promise you, he isn't going anywhere."

The raw panic in Petty's chest slowly subsided, grounded by his logic. She met Franco's gaze for a long moment before leaning over the crib to gently squeeze her son's tiny hand one last time. Choking back a sob, she finally gave a small nod.

The heavy airtight doors sealed shut behind them. Petty stared at the metal barrier, silently burning the image into her memory before finally turning away.

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