Chapter 12 - A Storm That Refused to Pass
Rain hammered the hospital windows with relentless force.
From the intensive care corridor, Elena could barely see the runway lights through the darkness. Every few seconds lightning illuminated the sky before disappearing behind thick clouds.
Her eyes remained fixed on Lucia.
Inside the room, doctors and nurses moved with quiet precision.
Every monitor, every syringe, every whispered instruction reminded Elena that her daughter's life rested in hands she had never met only a day earlier.
Adrian stepped away from the window after ending another phone call.
"The airport confirmed it."
Elena looked at him immediately.
"Dr. Voss?"
"His aircraft can't depart."
"For how long?"
"No one knows."
She slowly lowered herself into one of the waiting chairs.
"No..."
Harrow joined them carrying several scans.
"The weather system stretches farther than expected. Every medical flight between London and Reykjavik has been grounded."
Elena buried her face in her hands.
"There has to be another way."
"There may be."
Both Adrian and Elena looked toward him.
Harrow spread the scans across the table.
"Dr. Voss designed a specialized airway reconstruction technique five years ago. I've studied it."
"You can perform it?"
"I've assisted."
"But never led it?" Adrian asked.
Harrow hesitated.
"No."
Silence filled the corridor.
The answer was honest.
Too honest.
Elena finally spoke.
"If you were holding your own daughter in there..."
She pointed toward Lucia.
"...would you wait for the storm?"
Harrow didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked through the glass toward the sleeping infant.
Then he quietly admitted,
"I don't know."
The honesty hurt.
But Elena appreciated it more than false promises.
A nurse hurried into the corridor.
"Doctor, the latest blood gases are back."
Harrow reviewed the report.
His expression darkened.
"She's becoming more dependent on oxygen."
Elena's heart pounded.
"What does that mean?"
"It means waiting carries its own danger."
Adrian looked toward the storm outside.
For the first time that night, he realized they weren't racing against one problem.
May you like
They were racing against time itself.
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