The morning sun was shining brightly through the huge floor windows of the living room.
Sarah sat on the soft white sofa with a hot cup of herbal tea resting on the coffee table.
She had been waiting for three long days to hear back from the city clinic.
Her young son Leo had undergone a series of routine blood tests earlier that week.
The waiting had been quiet, but a deep feeling of worry had stayed in Sarah's heart.
Suddenly, her smartphone buzzed with a loud notification chime on the table.
Sarah picked up the device with trembling fingers and unlocked the bright screen.
A red banner flared at the top of the screen showing an urgent medical alert.
Her heart started pounding wildly against her ribs as she opened the attached report.
Lines of complex lab numbers and bright red text filled the display in front of her.
Sarah: Oh no, please no.
Tears welled up instantly in her eyes and ran down her pale cheeks.
She gasped for air as a wave of pure terror washed over her entire body.
The quiet room suddenly felt cold despite the bright morning sunlight pouring in.
She gripped the edges of her phone tightly while staring at the urgent words.
Her breath came in rapid gasps as she tried to process the medical terms.
She could not make sense of the high values marked in bold red lettering.
All she knew was that something was terribly wrong with the test results.
Sarah: How could this happen to us?
She covered her mouth with her free hand to muffle her loud sobs.
The thought of her sweet seven-year-old boy in danger broke her heart into pieces.
She remembered his laughter from earlier that morning during breakfast.
Now her world felt like it was crashing down around her in a single instant.
She rocked back and forth on the sofa while holding the phone close to her chest.
The tears continued to stream down her face without stopping.
She wanted to call the clinic back immediately, but her fingers refused to move.
Fear had completely frozen her mind and body in that awful moment.
She felt utterly alone with the terrifying news on her screen.
The living room was silent except for the sound of her frantic weeping.
She prayed silently for strength as the dark feeling overwhelmed her completely.