Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change? novel Chapter 1156

“What’s going on?” Rebecca White’s tears stopped instantly, her eyes wide with worry and fear.

“What’s wrong with my baby?”

“There’s a bacterial infection,” the nurse said softly.

As usual, before a newborn could be discharged, there were a series of checks.

“If it’s an infection, he can’t go home yet. He needs to stay in the hospital for treatment.”

That meant Rebecca couldn’t take her son home right away.

The baby was transferred to the neonatal unit.

Rebecca stayed at the maternity center, but every day, when Jacquetta was away, she’d sneak over to see her little boy.

He was so tiny, lying in the incubator, crying his heart out.

The nurse tried to soothe him, but nothing seemed to work.

“Um…” Rebecca hesitated, reaching out. “Can I try holding him?”

“Of course,” the nurse said.

She gently placed the baby in Rebecca’s arms.

Like magic, the moment Rebecca held him, he stopped crying. He settled quietly against her chest, sucking on his fingers.

The nurse smiled. “See? He smells his mom. He knows you’re here.”

“Really?” Rebecca sounded doubtful. She was a brand new mom, holding him with a mix of awe and nerves.

“Absolutely,” the nurse reassured her. “He’s been with you for nine months—your scent is his favorite thing in the world.”

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile, brushing her thumb over his tiny hand. She murmured, “My baby likes Mommy best.”

“Want to pick a nickname for him?” another nurse teased. “A lot of babies here have nicknames.”

“Can I?”

“Of course!”

Rebecca wrinkled her brows in thought. “What should I call him?”

After a moment, she decided. “James. Let’s call him James.”

“James? That’s adorable!”

The nurse grabbed a pen and wrote ‘James’ on the tag above the crib.

“That’s not possible! I saw him this afternoon—”

She pushed past the nurse and rushed into the unit.

Through the glass, she saw it: James’s incubator was empty.

“Where’s James?” She spun around, grabbing the nurse’s hand. “Where did he go?”

The nurse hesitated, her expression softening. “It was your mother. She… she came and took him. She had someone with her.”

Rebecca froze. Her mind went blank, then exploded with panic.

“When?”

“Just a little while ago—”

Before the nurse could finish, Rebecca bolted out of the room.

“Rebecca! Wait! It’s pouring outside—you just had a baby!”

But Rebecca didn’t hear a thing. All she knew was her baby was gone. Maybe—just maybe—she’d never see him again.

“James! Wait for Mommy!” she cried, racing out into the storm.