My Second Chance to Save My Sister

When Mom gave birth to my baby sister, Jocelyn Hanson, she'd reserved an entire floor of the hospital. The next day, a young, handsome nurse named Mike Sutton kept watching her. He told Mom she needed to rest and insisted on taking Jocelyn next door to feed her. Back then, I didn't know any better, and Mom saw no reason to be suspicious. So she let him take Jocelyn. That same day, Mike vanished with Jocelyn. We never saw either of them again. Mom never forgave herself. She sank into a deep depression and eventually took her own life. Dad couldn't handle what had happened. He left me with Grandma, then took his own life too. Just like that, I lost everyone. I shut myself off from the world, and less than two years later, I fell from a balcony because my nanny wasn't watching me. None of us escaped a tragic end. 18 years later, Mike resurfaced as Jocelyn's adoptive father. He brought her back to the Hanson family, and everything my family had left behind ended up in their hands. Even on his deathbed, he still bragged to anyone who would listen, "I sure didn't raise her for nothing." Then I get a second chance. I'm three years old again, back on the day after Jocelyn was born. Mike pushes open the door and comes in. "Ms. Hanson, it's time to feed the baby. Why don't I take her next door so you can get some rest? Kiddo, how about I take your little sister next door so she can have some milk?" His warm smile makes me shudder. All at once, I remember the pain of losing Mom and Dad in my previous life. I gather my courage and shout, "No! My mom can feed her. We don't need you!" Chapter 1 When Mom had my baby sister, Jocelyn Hanson, she'd reserved every room on an entire floor of a private hospital for the delivery. Dad kept me with him at Mom's bedside, pacing the room in a panic whenever she cried out in pain. Mom announced right then and there that once Jocelyn was born, she'd put it in writing that half her assets would go to me and half to Jocelyn. She'd never play favorites. She had no idea someone else in the room was listening. Mike Sutton, the young, handsome nurse, heard every word, and his eyes lit up. In my previous life, everything happened the day after Jocelyn was born. Mom was resting in bed. Dad had stayed up all night beside her with me in his arms and was exhausted. After a quick word with Mom, he went downstairs for coffee. That was when Mike walked in. He said it was time to feed Jocelyn and offered to take her next door so Mom could rest. Back then, I didn't know any better, and Mom didn't think anything of it. She thought Mike was simply being thoughtful and handed Jocelyn over without a second thought. We never saw either of them again. Mom never forgave herself. Less than a month after giving birth, she fell into a deep depression and took her own life. Dad couldn't handle what had happened. He left me with Grandma, then took his own life too. Losing her daughter so late in life devastated Grandma. Before long, she became confused and forgetful. After Mom and Dad died one after the other, I shut myself off from the world. When I was five, I fell from the balcony because my nanny wasn't watching me. Even as I lay dying, I was still thinking about Mom, Dad, and Jocelyn. Then I got a second chance. I was three years old again, back on the day after Jocelyn was born. I looked at Mom and Dad's happy faces, then at newborn Jocelyn, and clenched my little fists. This time, I wasn't going to let him win! I rubbed my sleepy eyes and scooted closer to Jocelyn, who was swaddled in a blanket. Mom laughed and ruffled my hair. "Look at you, Ivan. You really love your little sister, don't you?" Just then, Mike pushed open the door and came in. "Ms. Hanson, it's time to feed the baby. I'll take her next door." He gave a gentle smile. The soft hospital lights caught on his crisp nurse's uniform, making him look completely harmless. If I didn't remember my previous life, I never would have suspected a thing. The medication still hadn't worn off, and Mom was exhausted. Her eyes were already drifting shut. She didn't think twice. "Thank you. I really appreciate—" "Don't touch Jocelyn!" I shouted. Mom snapped awake. Mike's face tightened for a split second. Then he seemed to realize something, and his smile returned. "You just don't want your little sister to go, do you?" Chapter 2 Mike bent down with a helpless smile. "Kiddo, I'm not a bad guy. I'll bring your sister right back once she's fed, okay?" I shook my head furiously. "No! Jocelyn can't go. I have to watch her the whole time." In my previous life, Jocelyn had been taken because Mom and I hadn't kept her in sight. This time, Jocelyn wasn't leaving my sight. I planted myself in front of Mom's bed with my arms spread wide and refused to budge, no matter what Mike said. Mom frowned slightly. "If Ivan doesn't want her to go, we can wait a little longer. Come back in five minutes." Then she reached out and ruffled my hair. "But Ivan, Jocelyn needs to eat when she's hungry or she'll get sick. So when he comes back, don't fuss, okay?" Seeing Mom being so gentle with me brought everything back. I remembered losing her and Dad in my previous life, and all that fear and longing came rushing back at once. Tears spilled down my cheeks. I buried my face in Mom's arms and clutched her clothes. "That nurse is a bad guy. Don't let him take Jocelyn." Mom's expression changed immediately, and she gave Mike a suspicious look. Mike went pale for a second, then his eyes turned red. "Ivan, why would you say that? I worked so hard to get hired here. Male nurses already get judged enough as it is just because we're men. "Are you making me out to be the bad guy just because you don't want to be away from Jocelyn? Ms. Hanson, do you think I'm a bad guy too?" He looked at Mom with tears in his eyes, every bit the injured party. Mom was still suspicious, but his explanation sounded reasonable. He worked at the hospital, and I was only three. She wasn't about to decide he was dangerous based on my word alone. She looked down at me and tried to reassure me. "Don't be scared, Ivan. Mommy's here. I'll protect both of you." Then she gave Mike an apologetic look. "He's only three. Please don't take it personally." Mike gave a small smile, acting as though he was being gracious. "It's fine. I forgive him." Then he quickly circled to the other side of the bed and reached for Jocelyn. Panic surged through me, and my eyes filled with tears. Mom spoke up. "Ivan does have a point. Just feed her here. There's no need to take her next door." Mike's hand stopped inches from Jocelyn's swaddle, and a flash of irritation crossed his face. He turned back to Mom and spoke as if he were only trying to help. "Ms. Hanson, you just gave birth. You need to rest, and feeding the baby in here will only disturb you. It would be easier if I took her next door. Besides..." He gave a strained smile and sighed. "You're one of the hospital's VIP patients, and I'm just a new nurse. If Ms. Jefford finds out I didn't follow procedure or take proper care of you and the baby, I could lose my job." He made everything sound perfectly reasonable. When he mentioned Ms. Jefford, the head nurse, he even managed to look nervous and a little afraid. Mom's expression softened. She turned to me. "Ivan, how about we let the nurse take Jocelyn next door to be fed? It won't take long." I shook my head and clung to the edge of the bed with both hands, refusing to let go. Mom looked back at Mike. "Mr. Sutton, I'll explain it to Ms. Jefford. Just feed her here." Mike bit his lip, and tears spilled over. "Ms. Hanson, please. Don't put me in this position." Mom's face hardened. By then, she was clearly starting to think he was being difficult. She was just about to ask him to leave when Dad walked in. "Rosie, what's going on?" Chapter 3 Mom filled Dad in on what had happened, especially how I'd refused to let Mike take Jocelyn. Dad frowned. "We can feed the baby ourselves. You can go take care of something else for now." His voice was gentle, but his tone left no room for argument. Mike's face twitched, and for a second, his expression nearly cracked. He forced a dry smile. "Sir, your wife just gave birth. Breastfeeding can take a lot out of her, so it would be better if I—" "That won't be necessary." Dad cut him off again, his eyes turning wary. Mom held me in one arm and kept her other hand on Jocelyn's swaddle, making it clear that Mike could leave. Mike's gaze lingered on Jocelyn for a few seconds. Curled up in Mom's arms, I could tell from his eyes that he wasn't ready to give up. Then he turned and walked out. I leaned close to Mom's ear and whispered, "I'm scared, Mommy." Mom took off my shoes and pulled me into her arms to comfort me. Dad sat back down on the couch without a word, keeping his eyes on Jocelyn and me. "Don't be scared," Mom said. Seeing the warmth in Mom and Dad's eyes, I finally relaxed. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier until they finally slipped shut. I felt relieved. This time, no one was going to steal Jocelyn away. I didn't wake until the sun was already high the next morning. The moment I opened my eyes in Mom's arms, I looked for Jocelyn. But she was gone. I stood on the bed, my face draining of color as tears streamed down my cheeks. "Jocelyn's gone!" My crying woke Mom and Dad. The moment Mom saw the empty spot beside her, her eyes turned red. "Where's Jocelyn? Where did she go?" Dad's hands were shaking too. "When did I fall asleep? I wasn't even trying to sleep..." The last thing he remembered was the night before. After Mike left, Mom had fallen asleep with me in her arms. Dad stayed on the couch, determined to watch over us until morning. Then, without warning, his eyelids grew heavy, and his thoughts turned hazy. When he woke up, Jocelyn was gone. Panic and despair filled his voice. "Honey, stay calm. The hospital has security cameras. Jocelyn's going to be okay." Mom collapsed onto the bed, breathing hard and trembling all over. The scene was painfully familiar. It took me back to the day Jocelyn disappeared in my previous life. Mom had cried so hard she could barely see, slapping herself over and over. Dad had held her tightly, his face as white as a sheet. I had huddled in a corner, terrified, doing nothing but cry. This time, Dad was the one blaming himself, but otherwise nothing had changed. Even after getting a second chance, was I really going to fail to protect Jocelyn again? Hospital security arrived within minutes. Dr. Telfer, the hospital director, showed up with Mom's attending physician and several nurses. Soon, the room was packed. The commotion had even drawn relatives of patients from other floors. Dad demanded, "Who was on duty last night? What happened to the security cameras? Where is my daughter?" Sweat beaded across Dr. Telfer's forehead. One of the security guards went pale. "Mr. Cooper, the security cameras went down last night. We're still trying to figure out what happened." Dad was livid. "You people are useless!" Relatives of other patients gathered in the hallway, whispering among themselves. "I heard a newborn went missing. A baby girl." "What kind of parents can't even keep track of their own child?" "Exactly. And they're rich, too. Now they're crying over it?" The color slowly drained from Mom's face as she listened. Her lips trembled, and her nails dug into her palms until they bled. Dad swayed on his feet, then slapped himself hard across the face. The sharp crack silenced the entire hallway for a moment. Inside the room, Mom sobbed while Dad blamed himself. The doctors and nurses were tense, and the onlookers watched coldly as one mocking comment after another came our way. I stood in the corner with tears streaming down my face, completely lost and with no idea what to do. Chapter 4 Mom and Dad had already sent Mike away the night before, so why was Jocelyn still missing? In my previous life, Mike had vanished right after taking her. Mom and Dad searched all over Glemston, but they never found him. So why was he still standing there in the crowd this time, looking completely calm? Question after question ran through my mind, but none of it made sense. While the room was still in chaos, I steeled myself and ran straight to Dad and Dr. Telfer. "I know who took Jocelyn!" I shouted. I pointed at Mike, standing among the hospital staff, and cried, "He did it! He took Jocelyn!" The room went dead silent. All eyes turned to Mike. His mouth fell open, and he stared at me as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard. His eyes were red as he protested, "Kiddo, how can you make something like that up? I only came into the room once last night to feed the baby. Your mom and dad said no, so I left. Besides, I'm a nurse. Why would I steal a baby?" He cried so convincingly that he looked like the one being wronged. The other nurses quickly jumped in. "That's right. I saw Mike leave the room empty-handed last night. He even cried afterward because he was afraid Ms. Jefford would scold him for not finishing the job." "Exactly. We can all vouch for him." "Mike didn't even have a chance to take her." They all chimed in, and people started giving me strange looks. Even Dad, who'd been suspicious of Mike, began to hesitate. "No! It was him! He took Jocelyn. I'm not lying..." I cried, desperate to make them believe me. Mike started crying even harder. "Do you have any proof? Ms. Hanson, I know your family is rich, but I'm just a nurse. Why would I do something like that? Even if you suspect me, you can't use your money and influence to push me around. "I worked so hard to get this job. It means everything to me. If you don't believe me, check the security footage or ask anyone else who was on duty. I didn't do anything. I only kept looking at the baby because I was worried about her." He looked deeply hurt and angry, but he refused to back down. Everyone around him started feeling sorry for him. Someone even pulled out a phone and started recording. "Look at these rich people bullying a nurse. Don't worry, Mr. Sutton. We'll back you up. We won't let them pin this on you." With tears still in his eyes, Mike gave the crowd a grateful nod. "Thank you. Thank you all for believing me." Then he came over and made sure no one else could see his face. He flashed me a vicious smile, as if daring me to do something about it. I lost it and lunged at Mike, hitting him as I screamed, "You took Jocelyn! You're a bad guy!" Dad grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back. "Ivan, calm down." The onlookers only egged things on. "Look at that! The rich kid's hitting people now." "So this is how rich families raise their kids?" "No wonder the baby went missing. Maybe she didn't want to grow up in a family like this." "Shut up!" The veins in Dad's forehead bulged. Mom bit her lip, looking so broken she seemed ready to collapse. Dad held me tight as tears pooled in my eyes. Mike looked completely sure he'd won. He put on a concerned expression and said, "Ms. Hanson, Mr. Cooper, if there's nothing else, I should get back to work. I still have patients on other floors, and I don't want to keep you from searching for your daughter." He glanced at me, then turned to leave. "Wait!" Mike turned back, a trace of amusement in his eyes. "What is it now?" I stared at him. "I know where you hid Jocelyn!"