d shrill, cut through the controlled chaos of the emergency ro

e dangerously unstable. "I'm keeping him alive. It's called being a doctor

the situation. Seraphina, dressed in pristine white pants and a cashmere sweater, look

turing vaguely at the overburdened nurses. "He needs to

shock. He needs to be stabilized here, where I have the right equipment I brought from the plant's

ess. She was used to getting her way, but in this world, m

to argue further, a surprisin

ars, but her eyes were clear and determined. She had ridden in the ambula

olidarity that stunned me. "Do what she says. Get her what she needs." She looked directly at Serap

pure hatred before storming off, presumably to make

nes that beeped and whirred around him. The toxic agent he had inhaled was aggressive, shutting down his lungs faster than

igh-risk and not approved for civilian application. But it was our only shot. I explained the situation to Mr. Hayes and Elea

e," I said, my voice

had pulled up on a tablet, then at his dying son

elicate process. I worked alongside the hospital's head pharmacist, my hands moving with a precision born of years of training. The minutes stretched into hours. I di

d with a pale, clear liquid. It looked like w

dy began to convulse. The monitors shrieked, a piercing alarm that signaled a full-scale c

hing!" a n

commanded, my voice cu

outing, "Clear!" as I sent a jolt of electricity through his body. His chest jumped. We did it again. And again. On

oft, rhythmic beep of the monitor. H

ashed over me. I leaned against a counter, my legs tremb

e small waiting area, finally drinking a cup of coffee, when the press arrived. Mr. Hayes, composed once more

k my son's fiancée, Seraphina Thorne. When the accident happened, she was the one who kept a clear head. She coordinated th

t once. Seraphina smiled demurely, accepting the praise, even placing a comforting hand on Mr

, leaving behind a cold, hollow ache. I had run into a collapsing building, breathed

television. I needed to get out of there. As I turned, I saw David's paren

bbing my hands. "I know you're the one

u did a good job, Evelyn. A very... useful one." He han

trying to pay me off, to reduce my life-saving interventi

t a sharp, stabbing pain in my side, a cramp from dehydrat

said, my voice trembling. "

ed down at my hands. They were shaking uncontrollably. The physical and emotional toll of the last twenty-four hours was crashing down on me all at once.

d, and in more pain than I had ever known. And as I listened to Seraphina' s voice on the TV, accepting praise for my work, I felt a profound, soul-crushing d