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Hailey’s POV

"Karen!" I ran toward her as soon as I spotted her sitting next to Kiara, who was crying uncontrollably. My heart dropped. What was going on?

As I got closer, I noticed Kiara’s husband standing by the corner, visibly distressed, with Tony trying to calm him down. I sat down next to Kiara so she was in the middle and looked at Karen, panic growing in my chest.

"Karen, what’s going on?"

At that moment, all our past differences didn’t matter. I had no grudge against her. She’d kept her promise to her mother and never bothered me—and I appreciated that.

"Oh, Hailey," Karen sobbed, rubbing Kiara’s back gently.

"Please, just tell me what happened. Is it something I can help with?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"My baby," Kiara cried out, shaking.

Her baby? Which one? I looked to Karen for answers.

"Calm down, sweetheart," Karen said to her daughter before turning back to me. "It’s Allison. She got hurt at school."

My stomach sank. "What happened?"

Karen hesitated, then said, "The teachers said she was running late for soccer practice. As she ran to join the others, she tripped and hit her head on a maintenance worker’s equipment."

I gasped. "Oh no..."

"She lost a lot of blood," Karen whispered.

I covered my mouth in shock and turned to Kiara, who was sobbing so hard it broke my heart.

"Kiara," I whispered, pulling her into a hug. "I’m so sorry about Allison. Please… please stop crying." I rubbed her back gently, but she cried even harder.

"Sshhhh… she’ll be fine," I whispered, trying to reassure her—trying to believe it myself.

A doctor walked out of one of the rooms, and everyone quickly rushed toward him. I followed, heart pounding.

"Is she okay?" Kiara asked immediately, tears still running down her face.

"Doctor, is my daughter awake? Can we see her?" her husband added.

The doctor nodded gently. "She’s stable for now, but she needs a blood transfusion urgently. She lost a significant amount of blood."

"Then do it! What are you waiting for?" Tony demanded.

"We would, sir, but we don’t have her blood type in our blood bank. The only immediate option is to test the family and see if anyone is a match."

"Then take mine!" Kiara cried. "Just save my daughter. Please!"

Her husband wrapped his arms around her as she wept in his chest.

"You can test all of us," Karen said quickly, then turned to me. "Hailey, are you okay with that?"

They all looked at me.

"Of course," I said without hesitation. "Let’s do it now. We don’t have much time."

Kiara looked at me, stunned. "Are you sure?"

"We’re family, Kiara. Don’t worry. If I’m a match, I’ll gladly donate."

She broke down again, hugging me tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"I’ll send a nurse to take you in as soon as the lab is ready," the doctor said, then left.

"You have such a good heart, sweetheart," Karen said, smiling through her tears.

"Thank you, Karen." Just then, my phone rang. Brooke.

"Excuse me," I said and stepped aside. "Hey."

"Please tell me you’re there already."

"I’m at the hospital," I said with a sigh. "You were right—things are really bad."

"I know. I’ll be there soon. Just finishing with a patient."

"Okay." I hung up and took a deep breath before rejoining the family.

Later…

"I’m sorry, but none of you are a match," the doctor said gently.

Kiara let out a heart-wrenching scream and collapsed onto the floor. I rushed to her, and Brooke helped me lift her back onto the chair.

"I’m very sorry," the doctor continued. "We’re reaching out to other hospitals to find a match."

"Try harder!" Karen pleaded.

"We’re doing everything we can, Mrs. Anders," the doctor assured before walking away.

Kiara wouldn’t stop crying. I stayed by her side, comforting her as best I could.

The scene reminded me so much of when Xavier was dying. I cried just like this, feeling helpless, lost. Life felt like it ended that day. It did… for a while. But eventually, I moved forward. I just hoped Kiara wouldn’t have to go through that same pain.

The doctor had said Allison had one of the rarest blood types—AB negative. That’s why none of us were a match.

Paige’s POV

Later that evening, I sat on Hailey’s bed finishing some work, trying to kill time. I had put the twins to sleep earlier, and Hailey had called to say she’d be home late. She mentioned she was at the hospital with the Anders but said she’d explain everything once she got back.

I hoped everything was okay—especially with Kiara. As much as she had once been a thorn in my side, the twins loved her. If anything happened to her or her kids, they’d be devastated.

The door opened, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Hey," Hailey said softly as she walked in, looking completely drained.

I got off the bed immediately. "Hey, baby." I kissed her forehead. "You look exhausted. Are you okay?"

She nodded and sighed. "Just need a shower. I’ll be back in a minute."

She headed into the closet first to put away her bag and shoes. I returned to the bed and reopened my laptop.

After her shower, she climbed into bed beside me. She smelled so good I almost changed my mind about skipping intimacy tonight.

"Come here," I said, pulling her close. "Now I feel complete."

She giggled. "Me too."

"So… are you going to tell me what happened? Or is it a family secret?"

"You’re part of the family now," she said softly. "So yes, you should know."

She sighed deeply before continuing. "Kiara’s daughter… she’s in critical condition."

I gasped. "What? Why?"

"She hit her head at school—on some maintenance equipment. She lost a lot of blood. She needs a transfusion."

"But… the Anders can afford the best care. Why hasn’t she received the blood yet?"

Hailey nodded. "She has a very rare blood type. None of us matched, and the hospital doesn’t have it in stock."

I rubbed my temples. "That’s awful. What kind of rare blood type?"

"AB negative."

I shot up in bed. "AB-?"

She looked confused. "Yeah, why?"

My heart pounded. "Baby, I have AB negative blood."

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! I’ve known since I was a teenager. I can’t believe it’s that rare…"

She sat up beside me, hope written all over her face. "You could save her."

"Then tell me where she is. Let’s go. Now."

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