the thing about love.

|12| a d v a n c e.

******
SoCAL PRIVATE URGENT PRACTICE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
FRIDAY
8:15 pm
******

In the cramped waiting area of the Private Urgent Care, Spencer's nerves crackled like live wires as his heart thrummed against his ribs. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands tightly, the strain visible in his knuckles.

Each frantic bounce of his legs mirrored the frenetic pace of his thoughts, a desperate attempt to dispel the suffocating weight of uncertainty.

About ten minutes ago, he watched as the medical team rushed his one-year-old to the treatment area after the wide receiver dashed through the doors, his arms wrapped protectively around Kai, whose tiny body trembled with distress.

Panic and fear still clouded Spencer's mind as he replayed the harrowing moment when fatherly instincts kicked into overdrive.

The sight of Kai's chest rising and falling in rapid succession, each breath a raspy wheeze that cut through the air like a blade. Tears streaked down his flushed cheeks, while his small fingers tugged desperately at his ears in a heartbreaking display of discomfort.

It made Spencer's heart seize as he watched his son's contorted form being escorted into a separate room, while he was asked to stay in the hallway just for the short time being. Reluctant, his gaze remained fixed on the closed door leading to the direction Kai departed, a silent plea for it to yield answers about his condition.

"SPENCER!"

His head snapped up, relief flooding his senses as he caught sight of Olivia rushing into the waiting room with Jordan trailing close behind. Her eyes were wide with concern, her breaths coming in short, panicked gasps. Without hesitation, Spencer rose from his seat and met her halfway.

In an instant, Olivia was in his arms, her presence like a soothing balm against the chill of his worry. He held her close, feeling the tension in his body ease slightly as he buried his face in her hair.

"Spencer, what happened? Where's Kai?"

Spencer's throat tightened at the question, the pressure of the situation pressing down on him with renewed force. He swallowed hard, gathering his thoughts before he spoke.

"He... he woke up crying and he kept pulling on his ears... and, then he started to have trouble breathing and he was burning up, and..." He explained, his voice strained with worry.

"I panicked... I didn't know what to do. So, I got him here as fast as I could."

Olivia's grip tightened around him, her fingers digging into his back as if seeking reassurance that he was real.

"Is he okay now? Where is he? What'd Dr. Matthews say?" Olivia's voice quivered with tears in her eyes, pulling away from Spencer's arms just for him to hold her hands tightly.

"They rushed him back as soon as we got here and started asking me questions. Dr. Matt's not in today, but I talked to a nurse a few minutes ago and she said the doctor that Kai's with now thinks it could be an ear infection that he's reacting badly to, but he's still having trouble breathing and they won't..." His rambling voice cracked, the dread and frustration evident in every word.

"They haven't told me anything else. They — they wouldn't let me go in the room with him, Liv." He said, his chest constricting while his own eyes shimmered with incoming tears.

"I... I was so scared..."

Without a second thought in response to his strangled admission, Olivia wrapped her arms around him again, pulling him close as he buried his face in the curve of her neck — seeking solace in her warmth, her scent, her presence.