“Suction.
“It’s rising.
More blood.
The operating room transformed into a perfectly coordinated storm.
Every person knew what to do.
I barely heard the voices.
I just saw the surgical field.
The artery.
The injury.
The exit.
“Amelia,” Daniel said, “we have three minutes before we lose control.
“Give me two.
My hands didn't shake.
They never did.
The outside world is gone.
The airport.
Vanessa.
Marcus.
The videos.
The humiliation.
Everything ceased to exist.
Only Ethan remained.
A life on a table.
I found the point.
Clamp.
Suture.
Reconstruction.
“Pressure going up.
Nobody celebrated.
Too much was still missing. Four hours later the second crisis arrived.
The heart did not respond as expected.
“He’s not going out of bypass.
Again.
Nothing.
—Amelia...
Again.
Nothing.
I looked at the monitor.
Then I looked at Daniel.
He understood immediately.
—ECMO.
“Prepare Him.
We had foreseen the possibility.
Minutes later we connected the stand.
