A small smile crosses Fiona's face. "That sounds like Livvie."
"She's been scared," I admit. "The Tribunal's order… it was tearing her apart. Trying to protect everyone, knowing she couldn't."
"She always did that. Even as a child. Tried to carry the world on her shoulders."
"She doesn't have to anymore. That's my job now."
Fiona reaches over and pats my hand. The gesture is so motherly, so unexpected, that it nearly breaks me. My own mother didn’t bother to show a single shred of empathy.
"She adores ya,” she says. “I’ve never heard her talk about anyone the way she talks about you.”
"Yeah,” I scoff. “And look where that got her."
"It got her a man who would storm into hell to save her. A man who loves her enough to take on the most dangerous organization in the city. A man who sees her as more than just a pawn in someone else's game."
Before I can respond, Dr. Chen emerges from the surgical wing. His scrubs are clean this time, which could be good or bad. A sudden quiet falls over us all as we hold our breath for the news.
"The artery is repaired," he announces. "Blood flow has been restored."
Relief crashes over me, but I can sense there is more.
"And the nerve damage?"
"The brachial plexus was severely traumatized. We didwhat we could, but it's too early to tell the extent of permanent damage. She may regain full function, or she may have permanent weakness and numbness in her left arm."
Livvie's left arm. Her fingering hand. The hand that creates music.
"What are the odds?" I ask.
"Honestly? Fifty-fifty. The next few weeks will tell us more as the swelling goes down and we can assess nerve function."
"When can I see her?"
"She's being moved to the ICU now. Once she's stable, immediate family can visit. But she'll be unconscious for several more hours."
He gives us the room number and leaves. I'm already heading for the elevator when both fathers try to corner me.
"Kingston, we need to discuss what happened," Dad says.
"Not now."
"The Tribunal won't just disappear. We need a plan to handle this mess," Cormac adds.
"I said not now." I turn to face them both. "My wife is unconscious. Your politics will wait until after I see her. Understood?"
"This isn't politics," Cormac snaps. "This is survival."
I glare at him. "Then you should have thought about that before you let them threaten your daughter."
The elevator doors slide open and I step inside. Fiona follows me.
"May I?" she asks.
I nod. The doors close on Cormac and my dad. Fuck them for putting us here in the first place.
"They’ll never understand,"she says as we ride up.
"No. They won't."
