The black SUV pulled up to the emergency entrance of County General Hospital in twenty minutes.
Alejandro held Toby's hand tightly as they walked quickly through the busy lobby doors.
A senior doctor in a white coat came running out to meet them in the hallway.
Doctor: Mr. Alejandro, we have transferred Sarah Miller to the intensive care unit.
Doctor: Her condition is serious, but she is stable now.
Alejandro released a long breath he seemed to have been holding for hours.
Alejandro: Can we see her right now?
Doctor: Yes, but only for a few minutes.
They walked down a quiet hallway lined with white doors until the doctor stopped at room four.
Alejandro pushed the door open softly, stepping into the quiet room with Toby and Lily.
Sarah lay on the hospital bed, looking small and pale against the white sheets.
Her eyes opened slowly when she heard the sound of footsteps near her bed.
Sarah: Toby... you found him?
Toby ran to the side of the bed and held his mother's thin hand tightly.
Toby: I found him, Mom!
Toby: I gave him the silver rose just like you told me to!
Alejandro stepped closer to the bed, tears filling his eyes as he looked down at Sarah.
Alejandro: Sarah...
Alejandro: Why did you run away from me ten years ago?
Alejandro: I spent years looking for you everywhere.
Sarah shook her head weakly, a teardrop falling down her pale cheek.
Sarah: I did not run away, Alejandro.
Sarah: Your manager Patricia came to my apartment ten years ago with a legal document.
Sarah: She showed me signed papers saying you paid me to leave the city forever.
Sarah: She threatened to take my baby away if I ever came back near your family.
Alejandro stood frozen in pure shock as the cruel truth hit him like a physical blow.
Alejandro: Patricia did that?
Alejandro: She lied to both of us to keep us apart!
Sarah nodded slowly, her hand trembling inside Toby's small grip.
Sarah: I was terrified, so I took Toby and left the city that very night.