CHAPTER 9
The heavy hospital doors slammed shut as my father and his panicked lawyers retreated down the hallway like beaten dogs, their malicious plan crushed into dust. I stood in the quiet corridor for a long moment, taking a deep, cleansing breath of air as the heavy burden of my past finally lifted off my shoulders.
When I stepped back inside Room 247, Sienna was standing near the bed, staring at the delicate silver band on her finger with a look of pure wonder and disbelieving happiness.
"You really meant it," she whispered, looking up at me as tears filled her beautiful eyes once again. "You didn't just do it to stop your father, did you?"
I walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her small frame flush against my body, feeling her heart beating in perfect sync with mine.
"I signed those papers because I have spent two years living in a cold, empty paradise without you," I confessed, kissing her soft lips with all the passion and devotion I had kept locked inside my heart. "You and Theo are my home, Sienna. I will spend the rest of my life earning your trust and making up for every second I lost."
Theo let out a loud, delighted giggle from the bed, clapping his tiny hands together as he watched his parents embrace.
"Mommy! Dada! Kiss!" he cheered, kicking his legs under the warm blanket.
Sienna laughed through her tears, burying her face into the crook of my neck as I held her tight, feeling a profound sense of peace wash over my soul for the first time in my life.
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The doctors returned an hour later with wonderful news; Theo’s bloodwork was completely clear, his lungs were clear, and he was officially approved for discharge from the hospital.
I carried my son out of Mount Sinai in my arms, wrapped safely inside my heavy cashmere overcoat against the falling snow, while holding Sienna's warm hand tightly in mine.
