“Call an ambulance,” he said, already pulling out his phone.
“I don’t have one,” Leo whispered.
“I do.”
His fingers moved fast. Precise. Controlled.
“Female, unconscious, high fever, possible respiratory distress,” Ethan spoke into the phone. “We’re on—” he paused, scanning the alley, “—corner of 8th and Maple. Hurry.”
He ended the call and moved closer.
“Hey,” he said softly, kneeling beside the woman. “Can you hear me?”
No response.
He checked her pulse.
Weak… but there.
“She’s alive,” he told Leo.
The boy’s knees buckled with relief.
Ethan took off his jacket and placed it under her head.
“Stay with me,” he murmured—though he wasn’t sure if he was talking to her… or to himself.
Minutes stretched like hours.
Leo clung to his side, silent now, watching every move.
“Is she going to die?” the boy finally asked.
Ethan swallowed.
“I’m not going to let that happen.”
And for the first time in years…
He meant it.
The ambulance arrived.
Paramedics rushed in, assessing, lifting, moving with urgency.
“Severe infection. Dehydration,” one of them said. “We need to go. Now.”
Leo grabbed Ethan’s sleeve.
“Can I come?”
Ethan didn’t hesitate.
“You’re coming with me.”
At the hospital, everything moved fast.