(Eliana's POV)
The words hit me like a physical blow.
Bone marrow biopsy. Hematology. White cell count.
I sat there, frozen, while Dr. Evans kept talking. His mouth was moving but I couldn't hear anything past the ringing in my ears. Oliver had been running around just last week. Laughing at cartoons, demanding pancakes for breakfast, complaining that his sneakers were too tight. He was five years old. Five. This didn't happen to five-year-olds who demanded pancakes and complained about sneakers.
My hands were ice cold. The whole room felt like it was tilting sideways.
I gripped the edge of Oliver's bed and breathed.
One breath. Then another.
"Okay," I said. "Tell me which hospital."
Dr. Evans blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"The specialized center. Tell me which one is best. I want him transferred today."
He nodded slowly. "Children's Medical on Westfield. It's the top pediatric hematology unit in the city."
"Then that's where we're going."
I started making calls before we even left the room.
Nathan called twice during the transfer. I looked at his name on the screen and declined both times without a second thought. I had nothing to say to him that wouldn't come out as screaming.
When the transport van pulled up to Children's Medical, Claire was already standing at the entrance. She'd beaten us there somehow, still in her coat, her dark bob slightly windswept.
She didn't say anything. She just walked straight up and wrapped both arms around me.
I held on for a moment longer than I intended.
"It might not be what they think," she said quietly. "Results aren't in. It could be a misread. It happens."
"You're a doctor. You know the odds."
"I also know that preliminary flags get walked back all the time." She pulled back and looked me in the eye. "Don't bury him before you have a diagnosis. Okay?"
I nodded. She was the only person I'd told. My parents didn't know, Nathan's family didn't know, and I intended to keep it that way until I had something concrete to tell them.
Oliver tugged at Claire's sleeve. "How come you're not at work?"
Claire crouched down to his level and ruffled his hair. "Because I missed you too much. Couldn't help it."
He looked suspicious but pleased. "You came all the way here just for that?"
"Obviously. You're very important." She straightened up and looked at me. "Come on. Let's get you checked in."
She handled the entire admission process. Forms, insurance, the room assignment, the nurse handoff. I stood beside Oliver and held his hand and let her do all of it, because if I had to speak to one more person about symptoms and blood counts I was going to fall apart in the middle of the lobby.
When everything was sorted, she squeezed my arm. "I have to get back. Call me the second you hear anything."