Page 148 of The Ampersand Effect

“Who cares about reputations? Seriously! This is a child!” Grier’s voice trembled with fury. “He needs us to put our egos aside and make the best decisions for him. Christ—when did we become such cowards?” She was shaking now, tears streaming unchecked across her cheeks. She didn’t even bother with the tissues anymore—she let them fall.

“I know, Grier. I’m sorry.” Haleigh’s expression was carved in resignation.

“You don’t think we can stop him,” Grier said quietly. Her statement a fact not yet realized. Her voice cracked with heartache, as recognition settled over her. Haleigh was here as a courtesy to Grier, to be the one to deliver the news, to be the one to commiserate.

Haleigh’s face softened. She looked at Grier with a sadness so encompassing that Grier had to look away. “No, I think Vanders will dismiss—or circumvent—anything we try.”

How could this be happening? Grier closed her amber eyes, forcing the last of her tears to make their death march down hercheeks. She inhaled deeply, and exhaled as she counted to four. Then she rose, grabbed her lab coat, and walked to the door. With one hand on the handle, she turned back to Haleigh.

“I’m going to check on him, and them I’m going to talk to Vanders. Are you coming?”

Haleigh met her eyes—empathy and a flicker of pride in her eyes—and stood. “I’m with you, Grier.”

They walked in silence, Haleigh leading the way to the PICU where Jonah was roomed. They were four doors down when a pair of nurses rounded the corner with a gurney.

Jonah lay on it—thin, pale and sedated, though his body rested agitatedly on it.

Molly walked beside him, holding his inert hand. She looked thinner, paler than the last time Grier had seen her.

Grier was not prepared.

She stopped cold. The hallway tilted beneath her feet, and she reached for Haleigh to steady herself. A sob caught in her throat. Haleigh cleared her own throat loudly, trying to cover it.

The sounds distracted Molly, who looked at them with a ghostly pallor. Grier watched Molly’s shoulders fall while fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

She gave Jonah’s hand a trembling squeeze before walking towards them. Without a word, she folded into them.

The three of them huddled together, comforting each other in the only way they could.

Minutes passed—maybe longer—before they withdrew from each other. Six sets of wet eyes looked between each other, and still no one spoke.

There was nothing to say.

“Have you spoken to anyone on the medical team this morning, Molly?” Haleigh asked gently, her voice the first to regain composure.

Molly shook her head somberly, wiping the tears from her face with the pads of her fingers. “No one is saying anything. The nurses keep saying oncology will be in when the tests are reviewed, but their eyes—” she choked, her poise collapsing, “—their eyes give them away.”

Grier reached out a hand to rub Molly’s back. Molly turned toward her, eyes wild with desperation.

“I’ve heard the nurses talking—when they think I’m asleep,” she whispered, voice cracking. “They’re saying surgery is being scheduled. But… he’s too sick for surgery! He won’t make it out!”

Her sobs swelled, and she looked frantically between Haleigh and Grier. “I—I know he’s too weak. He needs time.” Her voice pitched higher, her words breaking. “Ineed time!”

And then she was in Grier’s arms, her composure dissolving. Her will to fight faded to the keen, burning understanding that her son was dying, and she was powerless to stop it.

Grier held her as she wept, swallowing her own sobs. Molly didn’t need her breakdown—she needed strength to support her through this. Grier could fall apart later.

Eventually, Haleigh guided them to some guest chairs. A nurse appeared with water, and they sat in silence for a few moments, steadying their breathing.

“You can refuse surgery, Molly,” Grier said, looking to Haleigh for confirmation. Haleigh looked at her, reluctant acceptance in her eyes.

“She’s right,” Haleigh said, squaring her shoulders. “You don’t have to consent. No one can operate without your approval.”

Molly stared at the floor, her hands tightening around the water bottle until the plastic crackled. The sound crawled along Grier’s spine like static.

“But what do we do instead?” Molly whispered.

Grier heard Haleigh inhale, steadying her thoughts before she spoke.