Chapter 23: Mabel’s Not Your Mom
She wasn’t about to waste any more time fussing over Alijah like
Last night, she’d figured it all out.
an idiot.
If she kept exhausting herself like this, Alijah would eventually resent her, just like he did Gemma
She hadn’t won Marcus over yet. Losing Alijah as leverage would only put her in a worse spot,
Naomi hesitated, whispering, “Ms. Johnson, where should we go now?”
Mabel yawned and stretched. “Let’s grab some sleep first. We’ll hit the interview this afternoon.”
Naomi nodded quickly and started making arrangements.
Marcus checked with the doctor about Alijah’s condition. Once he confirmed it was just pneumonia, he breathed a sigh of relief.
When he returned to the room, Alijah had already woken up.
The boy sat on the bed, rubbing his eyes with a dazed expression.
The moment he saw Marcus, he croaked out a hoarse “Dad”
Marcus smiled faintly.
“Yeah, I’m here. Come on, let’s get you some food.”
Alijah tried to sit up but winced when he moved his hand with the IV line.
The discomfort hit him all at once. Tears welled up in his eyes, and then he broke into a loud, dramatic sob.
“I don’t want to stay here!”
“I don’t want needles!”
“Dad, fire that nurse!”
“It hurts! It hurts!”
Now that he’d regained a little strength, his cries pierced through the room like an alarm siren.
Marcus frowned hard, his temples throbbing.
“Ali!”
The stern tone didn’t faze him.
Instead, Alijah cried even louder, his face scrunched in misery.
“I don’t care! I don’t care! I want to go home! I want to go home now!”
Looking around, he didn’t see Mabel anywhere.
“Where’s Mabel? She promised to stay with me!”
“You’re all liars! You’re all mean!”
Marcus had never seen Alijah act so spoiled.
In his mind, Alijah had always been the polite, well–behaved kid.
Even during hospital stays, he’d quietly endured.
When his friends complained about their kids being a handful, Marcus used to think they were exaggerating. But now, he got it.
A kid’s tantrum could really shake the house.
The noise got under his skin, fraying his patience.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stop crying.”
Alijah only cried harder.
Chapter 28: Mabel’s Not Your Mom
“I said, stop crying!”
Marcus’s raised voice drowned out the sobbing.
Startled, Alijah froze, staring at his father with tear–streaked cheeks.
The IV line on his hand had swelled, a bruise forming underneath. Blood started backing up in the tube.
The pain was unbearable, so his loud wails turned into soft whimpers.
Seeing his son’s pitiful state, Marcus sighed and called for the doctor.
The second Alijah spotted the white coats entering the room, he panicked all over again.
The room turned into chaos, Alijah’s cries bouncing off the walls. Marcus’s head pounded from the noise.
He had to step outside for a breather.
Hector trailed behind him.
“Mr. Wilson, do you need anything? I can arrange it.”
Marcus pulled out a cigarette but stopped short when he noticed the “No Smoking” sign on the wall.
Irritated, he shoved it back into his pocket.
“Get two caregivers here–ones who know how to handle kids.”
Hector rushed off to make it happen.
It didn’t take long for the caregivers to arrive.
But Alijah refused to let strangers near Him. Within hours, the poor caregivers looked utterly defeated.
When Marcus came back, they begged to quit.
Meanwhile, Alijah’s tantrum had triggered another fever. Marcus scrambled to pull some strings, bringing in two specialists
to check on him.
The experts confirmed the same diagnosis–pneumonia.
“It’ll take one to two weeks to fully recover. Avoid fruit, meat, and anything cold.”
Marcus frowned. “Then why is he crying so much?”
“Kids can get emotional when they’re sick. It’s normal.”
“And why won’t he let the caregivers near him?”
The doctor blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Uh…”
Was that even a question?
After a moment of awkward silence, the specialist ventured cautiously, “Children often cling to familiar caregivers when they’re unwell. Strangers can make them feel unsafe, which might trigger these outbursts.”
Just then, a nurse entered to change Alijah’s IV.
His cries erupted again, drilling into everyone’s ears.
Marcus had had enough.
The specialist said that children were often cling to familiar caregivers…
He pulled out his phone and called Mabel.
The line rang and rang, but no one picked up
She must be busy with work.
Surely, she’d call back when she was free.
By the time the nurse finished, Alijah was a mess. He lay limp on the bed, his voice hoarse as he muttered complaints. “Dad, why haven’t you fired that nurse yet?”
“It hurts so bad.”
“I want to go home.”
Chapter 20. Mabel’s Not Your Mom
Marcus rubbed his temples again. “Stay put and finish your IV. Then we’ll talk about going home.”
“No, not You’re lying! I heard that old man say it’ll take a week!”
Alijah wasn’t dumb. He knew escape wasn’t an option, so he tried bargaining instead.
“Dad, I promise I’ll take my medicine from now on. Just let me go home!”
Marcus raised an eyebrow. “You’ve always taken your medicine, haven’t you?”
Alijah froze, his tears momentarily forgotten.
Truth was, he hadn’t. It always took a hundred reassurances and lullabies from his mom to get him to swallow anything.
Wait–Mom?
His wide, teary eyes scanned the room.
Dad
His voice cracked as he looked up at Marcus, his eyes swollen and red
“Why hasn’t Mom come to see me?”
Whenever he was sick before, Mom was always there.
She’d hold his hand when the nurses came with needles, making it hurt less somehow.
Her cooking? Magic. Even when he had no appetite, he’d eat every bite.
Now, without her, he felt drained, like a battery running out of power.
“Does she not know I’m sick? Dad, I need Mom to take care of me!”
Marcus’s face darkened. His voice came sharp and firm.
“Mabel’s still single, Stop calling her your mom. It’ll ruin her reputation.”
Alijah’s tears dried up, stunned by the statement.
Mom! Mabel?
What was Dad even talking about?
He felt like his chest was about to burst
“I don’t care! I don’t care! I want my mom!”
He couldn’t explain the ache in his heart, so he cried to let it out.
Crying always worked before.
But this time, it seemed like no one would come to the rescue.
