The Queen Imperial

Chapter 9

It was hard—really hard—but Anne-Marie forced herself to keep running. Every step felt like her body was shattering into a thousand pieces, but she had no choice. It had been exactly thirty minutes since she'd received Mickey's frantic call. Abel wasn't breathing, he was unresponsive as well. Mickey had rushed him to the hospital immediately, leaving Anne-Marie to push through the pain in her bruised arms and aching body.

Keisha and her friends had done a number on her, leaving her battered and bruised. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the fear twisting in her gut as she neared the hospital.

When she reached the entrance, she stopped, gasping for breath. Her sides burned with every inhale, and her head throbbed. She pressed herself against the wall, making way for the nurses rushing a pregnant woman in on a stretcher. The chaos around her felt like a distant echo compared to the turmoil inside her.

Taking another deep breath, Anne-Marie gathered every ounce of strength she had left and forced herself through the doors. She knew exactly where she needed to go. It was the same place she had gone every time Abel had an emergency like this- the children's ward.

"Mickey!" Her voice was shaky, barely holding it together as she spotted Mickey standing anxiously in front of a white door, biting her nails and looking like she was on the verge of collapsing. Mickey's head snapped up at the sound of her name, and relief washed over her face when she saw Anne-Marie. She rushed forward, meeting Anne-Marie halfway.

"Anne-Marie," Mickey gasped, her voice trembling with fear and exhaustion. "Thank God you're here."

Anne-Marie could see the terror in Mickey's eyes, the helplessness, it mirrored her own. But she had to stay strong, had to hold it together, even if she felt like she was falling apart inside. She'd been through this too many times before, but the fear never dulled, never became any easier to bear.

"Mickey, what happened?" Anne-Marie's voice was tight, strained. She'd already heard it over the phone, but she needed to hear it again, needed to understand what she was walking into.

"I don't know, Marie," Mickey choked out, tears welling up in her eyes. It was clear she'd been crying before. "He was fine one moment, just reading, and then he... he collapsed and stopped breathing."

Anne-Marie's heart sank, a heavy, suffocating weight settling in her chest. She let out a shaky breath, her hand clutching her chest as if that could stop the panic rising inside her.

"I got him here as fast as I could," Mickey continued, her voice trembling. "He's stable for now, but the doctor said he needs to start chemotherapy immediately, or he could get worse."

A tiny bit of relief trickled through Anne-Marie's fear. He was stable, at least for now. She took a moment, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, trying to ground herself, to hold on to the small shred of hope that he was still with them.

"There's a problem Marie." Mickey's voice wavered, and Anne-Marie felt the cold grip of dread tighten around her heart. There was always a but. Why did there always have to be a but?

"The hospital won't let him stay or start treatment without insurance or an upfront payment," Mickey whispered, her words heavy with the weight of the situation.

Anne-Marie felt her legs go weak, nearly buckling under the pressure of it all. The cold hospital air seemed to slice right through her, making her shiver.

"Marie, he has to get treatment now," Mickey pleaded, her voice urgent. "You should give the hospital the money you have for now—"

She stopped mid-sentence, finally noticing the way Anne-Marie was standing, the way she looked like she was barely holding herself together, something wasn't right. Anne-Marie was in pain, and it wasn't just because of Abel. Mickey's eyes traveled to the bruises on Anne-Marie's face, her swollen lip, and the way she was trembling. It wasn't just heartache—Anne-Marie was physically hurting.