The news crushed her. She had nearly died saving the child she loved, yet she was dismissed without even seeing him again.
Maya returned to her small apartment in Chicago, where her younger brother Ryan lived. Ryan was nineteen and battling leukemia. Maya had taken the nanny job mainly to help pay for his treatment.
Soon after she arrived home, another devastating message arrived. Ryan’s next treatment had been denied by insurance, leaving a bill of 47,000 dollars.
The severance money would barely cover rent.
Despite her own failing health, Maya took several exhausting jobs. She worked early mornings at a convenience store and evenings in a café, doing whatever she could to keep paying for Ryan’s care.
Meanwhile Daniel felt increasingly uneasy.
Since Maya’s departure, Leo had changed dramatically. The cheerful child barely spoke and refused to eat properly. The new nanny—Natalie’s niece Amber—had perfect qualifications, yet Leo rejected her completely.
At night Daniel often found his son quietly staring out the window.
Finally he asked, “Do you miss Maya?”
Leo’s silent tears answered him.