Chapter 10 - The Emergency Suite
By midnight, the mansion had been transformed into a private surgical suite.
Dr. Vance—Liam’s personal, off-the-books surgeon—had arrived via helicopter, accompanied by two surgical nurses and three crates of sterile equipment.
While the estate staff cleared the body casings from the lower floor, Dr. Vance and I worked under intense halogen lights in the master bedroom to repair the damage to Liam's leg.
"The tibia is still intact," Dr. Vance reported, examining the fresh X-rays mounted on the portable lightbox. "Surprisingly, the impact didn't refracture the bone, but the pin-site displacement is severe. We need to remove the external fixator tonight and transition him to an internal titanium plate."
"He's lost two units of blood," I pointed out, monitoring the anesthesia machine beside the bed. "His hemoglobin is 8.2. If you put him under general anesthesia, his blood pressure will crash."
Dr. Vance looked at me over his surgical mask, surprised by my sharp clinical assessment. "Local block with spinal anesthesia, then. Keep him conscious, but numb from the waist down."
Liam lay on the portable operating table, a blue drape obscuring his lower body. Because of the spinal block, he couldn't feel his legs, but his mind was completely alert.
I stood at the head of the table, holding his hand.
Throughout the three-hour procedure—the sickening sound of surgical drills, the clinking of steel plates, and the heavy smell of cauterized flesh—Liam never released my fingers. His grip was an anchor, holding both of us grounded in the middle of the chaos.
"How's Tommy?" Liam asked quietly, his voice raspy from the oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth.
"He called this morning before the attack," I whispered, leaning down so only he could hear me over the hum of the monitors. "The clinic in Switzerland accepted his file. The fifty thousand you gave me covered his entry deposit. He flies out on Monday."
Liam closed his eyes, a deep, satisfied breath expanding his chest. "Good. That's good."
"You saved his life, Liam," I said, my voice trembling with emotion. "You gave him a chance."
Liam opened his eyes, staring directly into mine. "You saved mine first, Clara. I'm just settling the debt."
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"It was never a debt," I whispered.
He squeezed my hand tighter, his thumb stroking my knuckles. "It is now. Because as long as I owe you, you have to stay."
