hapter 110
“You are the doctor asked, his smire fight with disbelief
Inodded. “Yes P’in AIX *–
Everything after that happened fast–foo fast to make sensent.
The doctor tomed, snapping orders like goudite Anurse materialled from around the corner rolling cart and waved me down a hallway, their pare clipped, voices fight with urgency.
+25 BONUS
- r. Another tech arrived with a
Behind me, Elena was still frozen in place, staring like the floor had disappeared beneath her. Like I’d just ripped open a door she wasn’t ready to walk throhigh at this wasn’t about her. Or me. Or whatever sat between us like rubble.
It was about the boy bleeding out in the next room.
They led me into a side lab–too bright, too clean, too quiet. The scent of antiseptic hit me like a wall. Cabinets lined the room in neat rows, stocked with medical supplies. Amonitor lilinked green in the corner. I couldn’t focus on any of it
The nurse—small, no–nonsense, already gloved–gestured to the chair in the middle of the room. I sat down and rolled up my sleeve with mechanical precision.
“Tourniquet coming on,” she said, voice even. Her fingers worked last, wrapping the band tight around my arm. The pressure made my pulse spike. I could feel it in my throat, my temples, the space behind my eyes.
“You good?” she asked, already swabbing my skin.
I gave a shallow nod.
A sting. The slide of the needle. The tube filled almost immediately–dark, spiraling red. I couldn’t look away from it.
Every drop that left my body felt heavy. Heavy with meaning With tear.
This wasn’t just a blood donation. This was something else. Bigger Sharper.
The nurse adjusted the bag, checked the flow. “Nice and steady,” she said. “You’ve got strong
me veins.”
I didn’t answer. My chest felt tight. Like I’d been holding my breath since the moment they’d taken Aiden from my arms.
I didn’t know him.
Not really
But I’d carried him. Held him. Watched him bleed all over my clothes. Watched Elena fall apart in ways I’d never seen before.
That boy mattered.
I closed my eyes for a second and tried to slow my breathing. I pictured the blood doing what it needed to. Fueling him. Saving him Buying time.
Topened my eyes again, locking them on the bag as it swelled, slow and steady, with the blood draining from my veins. I willed it to fill faster. Willed my body to move the process along like it know what was at stake
Be enough. Goddess, please let it be enough.
Each minute dragged like it had claws. I had no way of knowing how many more Aiden had. If any. And I was here–tethered to a chair, pumping blood like it was all I had to offer.
Chapter 110
+25 BONUS
Maybe it was
Wien the nurse finally returned, she was holding a cup of water in one hand and a protein bar in the other. Her smile was kind. Tho kind. I couldn’t take it.
“You’re doing great,” she said softly, setting the water within reach “Once this bag’s full, we’ll get some fluids in you and let you rest. If you’re still up for it, we’ll draw again in an hour.”
I shook my head. “Can’t you take it all now?” My voice came out rough, strained. “He needs it now.
She reached out and patted my hand, gentle but firm “So do you”
Lelenched my jaw. “Bad-
“We can’t have you collapsing halfway through,” she said, matter–of–fact, “We do this the right way. One pint at a time. The last thing we need is another emergency. Or worse, someone who can’t finish donating at all.”
1 looked down.
The bag was nearly full now, the tubing still pulsing faintly with the rhythm of my heartbeat. My chest tightened as I thought about what would happen if it wasn’t enough if I was too slow, too late.
