Chapter 7 - A King’s Care
In the guest suite on the second floor of the estate’s west wing, Annie sat perched on the edge of a massive four-poster bed draped in champagne-colored silk. She looked entirely out of place. Her worn pink maid dress had been replaced by a soft, oversized gray cashmere sweater and loose cotton trousers provided by Mrs. Gable, the estate’s elderly, kind-hearted head cook.
Across from her, kneeling on a leather stool, was Dr. Julian Reed, the chief of prosthetics and rehabilitative surgery at Duke Medical Center. Beside him, two surgical technicians were unpacking high-precision 3D optical scanners, carbon-fiber test sockets, and vacuum-assisted suspension sleeves from aluminum cases.
“The tissue degradation is moderate, but manageable,” Dr. Reed said gently, running a gloved hand across the scar tissue on Annie’s residual limb. “You’ve been enduring significant distal end-bearing pressure because the inner silicone liner collapsed. Honestly, Miss Carter, I don’t know how you managed to walk five steps on this assembly, let alone work an active shift.”
Annie looked down at her hands, her fingers picking nervously at the hem of the cashmere sweater. “You get used to it. After a while, you just… you stop listening to the pain.”
“You shouldn’t have to get used to agony, child,” Mrs. Gable said softly from the corner of the room, handing Annie a porcelain cup of warm chamomile tea. The old woman’s eyes were moist with indignation. “That miserable serpent Patricia… God forgive me, but I hope Nathan takes her apart piece by piece.”
“Mrs. Gable,” Dr. Reed murmured diplomatically, not wanting to know the details of syndicate justice. He activated a handheld handheld optical wand, and a soft blue laser grid danced across Annie’s limb, capturing the exact contour of her anatomy down to the millimeter on a portable monitor.
“What… what is that?” Annie asked, mesmerized by the glowing blue light.
“This is an optical surface scan for your new socket,” Dr. Reed explained with a reassuring smile. “Mr. Graves called my personal residence three hours ago. He didn’t just order a replacement; he authorized our tier-one bionic package. A full carbon-fiber active-vacuum socket, paired with the Genium X3 micro-processor knee and an all-terrain hydraulic ankle. It’s waterproof, self-balancing, and syncs via Bluetooth to calibrate to your exact walking cadence.”
Annie’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened in utter disbelief. “Dr. Reed… that… that costs more than my father made in two years.”
“The invoice was pre-paid in full twenty minutes ago, Miss Carter,” the doctor said quietly. “Along with an endowment to ensure you receive updated components every eighteen months for the rest of your life. Mr. Graves made it very clear that cost is not a factor. In fact, his exact words were: Give her the best engineering on planet Earth, or don’t bother coming back.”
A hot tear spilled over Annie’s rosy cheek, dripping into the steaming tea.
She had spent five years being treated as a defective object—a damaged girl whose father was dead and whose missing leg made her an inconvenience to be hidden away in service corridors and pantries. She had accepted that her life would always be an endless negotiation with pain, rust, and worn-out Velcro.
And now, the terrifying mob boss she had feared for three years was moving mountains of wealth and tearing through North Carolina to ensure she never limped again.
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Dr. Reed finished the scan and opened a sleek velvet case, revealing a lightweight, high-tech stabilization brace with plush gel padding. “Until the custom carbon assembly is fabricated tomorrow afternoon, this will immobilize the limb and completely eliminate the contact pressure on your inflamed skin. No more linoleum floors, Miss Carter. Doctor’s orders—and Mr. Graves’ orders.”
Annie allowed the doctor to fasten the soft, weightless brace around her leg. For the first time in six months, the burning pain in her stump receded into a cool, painless numbness. She closed her eyes, letting out a long, trembling breath, while outside the high arched windows, the distant rumble of thunder rolled across the dark Carolina sky.
