Six Years Later, He's My Boss

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Ambelyn sat on the edge of his bed, smoothing his dark hair back from his forehead. He looked so small in the oversized hospital gown, so fragile despite the hope shining in his green eyes.

"I have something better than that," she said, forcing brightness into her voice. "How would you like to come home tomorrow?"

Iniko's eyes went wide, when he heard this as he clung to his mum's hands squeezing them tight as if he was too scared to hope this was real. "Really? Can I really come home?"

"Really and truly. We'll need to talk to Dr. Martinez first, but I think we can get you discharged." She paused, choosing her words carefully. She did not want to blindsided Iniko, with something this big, knowing how he craved his father's affection, and wished that his father would look at him, the same way he looked at his step brother but she wasn't going to keep him in the dark either about what had transpired in the past few days.

"We won't be going back to the big house, though. We're going to stay with Aunt Wednesday for a while. Is that okay with you?"

"Aunt Wednesday who makes the funny faces?" Iniko's excitement was palpable, as his grin went wider as he added. "And has the big TV? And the cookies?"

"That's the one."

"Can I go back to school too? Please, Mama? I miss Miss Chen and the other kids. And I promise I'll be careful. I won't run too fast or play too hard. I'll take all my medicine and everything."

The desperation in his voice broke her heart. He was five years old and already negotiating the terms of his own limited existence, already aware that his life came with restrictions other children didn't have and was trying his best to work around it.

"We'll talk to your doctors about school," she promised him as she added, rubbing his hair with pure parental affection.

"But yes, baby. I think we can make that happen."

They spent the rest of the afternoon together, Ambelyn reading to him and helping him pack his few belongings, so that tomorrow, it would be easy to just pick him and leave.

The nurses who came in seemed to sense that something had changed with Amberlyn. They no longer mentioned waiting for Mr. Blackwood's authorization for treatment decisions or calling to approve something first. Perhaps they'd heard about the divorce already—hospital staff were notorious gossips. Or perhaps they simply saw the determination in Ambelyn's eyes and knew better than to question her or mention her husband near her.

Dr. Martinez stopped by around four o'clock, his expression carefully neutral and expressionless, revealing nothing as he reviewed Iniko's charts.

"Mrs. Blackwood," he said, then corrected himself. "Ms. Moreau. I understand you'd like to discuss discharge plans?"

"I'd like to take my son home tomorrow," Ambelyn said firmly. "I'm aware that there are no surgical options available to him currently. I can manage his medications and follow-up appointments from home. There's no medical reason for him to remain hospitalized."

Dr. Martinez studied her for a long moment before he sighed, running a hand through his hair, breaking his professional stance for a second before slipping back into his role. "The boy's condition is serious," he said finally, trying to state out the plain facts without softening it. He needed Amberlyn to know what she was walking into, eyes opened.

"Without intervention, his long-term prognosis is—"

"I'm aware of the prognosis," Ambelyn interrupted, keeping her voice level despite the fear clawing at her throat. She did not want Iniko to hear such things, not when she tried to keep that far away from him.

"But keeping him here, away from normalcy and childhood experiences, isn't improving anything for him at all. If anything, it's making him worse. He needs to be around other children. He needs to feel like a regular kid, not a patient, waiting round the clock, for a surgery that might never come."

"The medications are expensive," Dr. Martinez warned her as he added. "And they need to be taken precisely on schedule. Missing even one dose could be dangerous. This isn't something to be played with."

"I won't miss a dose. I've been managing his care for five years. I know what's required."

Dr. Martinez nodded slowly. "Very well. I'll prepare the discharge paperwork for tomorrow morning. But Ms. Moreau—if his condition deteriorates, if he shows any signs of distress, you bring him back immediately. Understood?"

"Understood."

After the doctor left, Iniko tugged on her sleeve. "Mama? What's a prognosis?"

"It's just doctor talk, sweetheart. Don't worry about it." She pulled him close, breathing in the scent of hospital soap and little boy. "Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

It was a promise she had no business making. But sometimes, promises were all you had.

That evening, back at Wednesday's apartment, Ambelyn sat at the kitchen table with her laptop open and a notebook beside her, as she took a deep breath and exhaled, ready to start some research. Wednesday had left for the airport an hour ago, pressing a spare credit card into Ambelyn's hands despite her protests.

"For emergencies only," Wednesday had insisted. "And yes, groceries count as emergencies. Don't argue."

Now, alone in the quiet apartment, Ambelyn allowed herself to fully process everything that had happened. In less than forty-eight hours, she had confronted her husband, obtained a divorce, secured housing, and arranged to bring Iniko home. She'd also stumbled back into Niklaus Thorne's orbit and somehow secured an interview with his company.

Her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: *Stop ignoring my calls. This isn't over. - T*

Ambelyn blocked the number without responding. Whatever Thomas wanted to say, she didn't need to hear it. That chapter of her life was closed.

She pulled up Thorne Industries' website and began researching in earnest. If she was going to nail this interview, she needed to understand exactly what she was walking into. The company was even more impressive than she'd realized—a tech giant specializing in AI integration and system optimization for Fortune 500 companies. Niklaus had built an empire in the six years since college.

The thought of facing him again made her stomach clench with anxiety. But she couldn't afford to let personal history interfere with professional opportunity. This job could mean the difference between providing for Iniko and watching him suffer because she couldn't afford his medications.

She opened a new document and began drafting talking points for the interview, focusing on her skills and experience. By the time she crawled into bed around midnight, her notebook was filled with notes and her laptop had multiple tabs open with research materials.

Tomorrow, she would bring Iniko home. The day after, she would face Niklaus Thorne and fight for her future.

But tonight, for the first time in as long as she could remember, she fell asleep feeling something almost like hope.