Chapter 12: The Storm
That evening, a sudden, violent summer thunderstorm rolled over Manhattan. The sky turned an ominous shade of purple, and torrential rain lashed against the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse. Lightning cracked, followed by a boom of thunder so loud it rattled the picture frames on the walls.
In his customized bedroom, Leo sat frozen on his bed. For most children, thunderstorms were scary, but for a child dependent on electrical medical equipment, a storm represented a very real, very terrifying threat. Every flash of lightning reminded Leo of power outages, alarms blaring, and the suffocating feeling of his machines failing.
Suddenly, the lights in the penthouse flickered, dimmed, and completely went out.
Leo let out a terrified shriek. "Dad! Dad, the power!"
Before Richard could even make it down the hallway, Maya was already bursting through the door joining Leo's room to the guest wing. She had a heavy-duty flashlight in her hand, casting a warm, steady beam across the darkness.
"I'm here, Leo! It's okay!" Maya said, climbing onto his bed and shining the light on his face.
"The machines," Leo panicked, his breathing growing shallow and rapid, which triggered a soft, warning beep from his monitor. "The power is out, Maya!"
"Leo, look at me," Maya commanded, using that same steady, authoritative tone she had used in the airport terminal. "Your battery is practically brand new. Remember what the engineers told us? It can run your oxygen and monitors for forty-eight hours without a single charge. And this building has massive generators in the basement. The lights will be back on in two minutes."
"Are you sure?" Leo whimpered, clutching his blanket.
"I'm positive," Maya promised. "But just in case, we are going to build a fortress. Fortresses are storm-proof."
She quickly pulled the heavy duvets off the bed and draped them over the tall chairs in the corner of his room, creating a makeshift tent. She tossed some pillows inside and crawled in, gesturing for Leo to follow. Distracted by the mission, Leo grabbed his favorite stuffed animal—the bear Maya had given back to him—and army-crawled into the tent.
Maya propped the flashlight up so it illuminated their small sanctuary. "See? Safe and sound. When Toby used to get scared of the dark, we played a game called 'Count the Colors.' You want to play?"
May you like
Leo nodded slowly, his breathing finally returning to normal. By the time Richard reached the doorway, heart pounding in his chest, the backup generators kicked in, flooding the penthouse with light. He peaked into the room and saw the two children huddled inside the blanket fort, laughing together as Maya made silly shadow puppets on the fabric.
Richard leaned against the doorframe, letting out a deep breath. Maya wasn't just Leo's savior; she had become his anchor.
