The nurse glanced up from the Computer on Wheels where she updated the chart.“Her blood pressure’s still elevated, but stable.Dr.Patel left orders to start the prep for dialysis if necessary, but we’re hoping that won’t be needed.Either way, she shouldn’t eat or drink after midnight.The guess is she will have surgery of some kind either tomorrow or the next day, depending on…” She trailed off, looking uncomfortable and more than a little frustrated.“Depending on what happens at Dr.Patel’s meeting with the transplant board this afternoon, she will either have the dialysis shunt inserted tomorrow or the transplant will take place the next day.”She looked pointedly at my bandaged hand.“Would you like me to take a look at that?”
I shook my head.“It’s fine.”
“Regardless, I’ll bring you some bandages and peroxide.If you happen to use them to clean your hand before it gets infected, then gangrenous, then rots off, so much the better.”She gave me a bright smile.
Jag shifted from his position against the wall, his voice startling everyone since he’d been silent since our return.“Let her clean it, Knight.Last thing Brynn needs is you getting an infection before surgery.”
The logic was so sound I quickly apologized and extended my hand.Once cleaned and bandaged, I apologized again.“Thanks.I appreciate you being thoughtful enough not to ask what the hell I did,” I muttered when she finished.
She gave me a gentle smile.“Honey, I know the news you guys got today.To my way of thinking, if you didn’t come back from that meeting with busted knuckles, I’d probably think the committee might be right.They’re dead wrong and everyone here knows it.So, no matter what you did to bust up your knuckles, ain’t my business.I’m a nurse.”She gripped my shoulder briefly before slipping from the room, leaving us to our vigil once more.
Knuckles had taken up position by the door, looking more like a bodyguard than a visitor.Hannah and Lavender continued their quiet conversation, with Ada occasionally joining in.Jag remained silent, but his presence was oddly comforting, a solid, unwavering force in a situation spiraling beyond our control.
Knuckles’ phone buzzed and received a text and nodded to himself.“Lana’s in the parking lot on her way up.Apparently, regardless of what I try to tell Hannah, it’s possible to pick up time by going really fast.”His sarcastic tone also had an undertone of humor.
Ten minutes later, I heard the sharp, decisive clicking of a woman’s pumps on the tile as she moved with purpose down the hallway.The sound grew louder, more distinct, until it stopped directly outside Brynn’s door.
Knuckles moved aside and Lana Thompson strode into the room exactly as she’d promised.Her charcoal suit was impeccably tailored, her red hair pulled back in a severe knot at the nape of her neck.She carried a leather briefcase that looked like it cost more than my first motorcycle, and her gaze scanned the room with laser precision, taking in every detail before landing on me.
“Knight,” she said, her voice carrying that particular blend of authority and compassion that had made her legendary in legal circles.“Let’s talk about saving your daughter.”She didn’t waste time with pleasantries, just nodded to Knuckles before turning her attention to me and Lavender.“I need everything,” she said, her voice crisp as a new hundred-dollar bill.“Medical records, committee objections, transplant protocols.And I need them now.”She wasn’t asking -- she was commanding, and I’d never been so grateful to have someone else take control of a situation that had been spiraling beyond my grasp.
Lavender was already on her feet, digging through the canvas tote she’d taken to carrying our medical paperwork in.“Here’s Brynn’s complete file,” she said, handing over a thick folder.“Knight’s donor workup is in there too, along with the transcript of the committee’s initial decision to deny the surgery.”
Lana set her briefcase on the small table by the window, flipping it open with practiced ease.She extracted a hybrid laptop and fired it up.
Her red-lacquered nails drummed a rapid tattoo against the keys.The room had gone quiet, even the beeping of Brynn’s monitors seeming to fade into background noise as Lana absorbed the details of our situation.Her face remained impassive, but I caught the slight tightening around her eyes, the almost imperceptible downturn of her mouth.
“Bureaucratic bullshit,” she muttered.“They’re using your criminal history as a smokescreen for something else.”She flipped through Lavender’s folder rapidly, pausing occasionally to make notes on her laptop.“How long has Brynn been on the transplant list?”
“About seven months,” Lavender said, twisting her fingers together.“They found out about the issue with her blood in the process of getting her on the list.”
Lana’s eyes flicked to Brynn’s sleeping form, something softening in her expression for just a moment before the professional mask slipped back into place.She continued scanning documents, occasionally asking clarifying questions that Lavender or I answered as best we could.The minutes ticked by, but unlike the endless waiting before, this felt productive, purposeful.
Finally, Lana closed her laptop with a decisiveclick.She planted both palms on the table, looking up at all of us gathered around Brynn’s bed.“They can’t deny a biological father the right to save his daughter based on a past he’s clearly moved beyond,” she announced, her tone brooking no argument.“Someone is playing God and I intend to stop this shit now.And if they try, I’ll make sure they understand exactly what kind of legal and public relations nightmare they’re inviting.”The certainty in her voice sent a surge of hope through my chest.This wasn’t bravado.This was a professional assessment from someone who’d fought these battles before and won.
“You think you can change their minds?”I asked, needing to hear her say it directly.
Lana’s smile was sharp enough to cut glass.“I don’t think, Knight.I know.Two members of that committee are overreaching their authority, likely due to personal bias.One question.”She tapped a manicured finger against one of the documents.“Before you talked to Dr.Patel, had they started your pre-op screening?”
I frowned.“I think so.Did the last round early this morning.Supposed to be in case we were ready to go with the transplant in twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
She nodded.“And have they told you the surgery’s been canceled?”
“No.”
“OK.I need you all to do me a favor, but especially you, Knight.”She flipped through the papers Lavender had given her until she found the document she wanted, handing it to me.“If you get a visit from any of these physicians, I want you to call me on speaker the second they say they want to talk to you.I’d rather you not tell them you’re calling your lawyer.I’m not saying you should lie.Refer to me as a friend helping you navigate the hurdles the hospital has thrown at you with this situation.”
I nodded.“I can do that.”
“Good.Now, the Chief of Nephrology is already on your side, according to Dr.Patel’s notes.So is the transplant coordinator.I just need to neutralize the opposition and remind the fence-sitters what’s actually at stake here, which is a child’s life, not their personal feelings about your lifestyle choices.I will also remind them you are a free man.I can go in and sing your praises all day long, but that’s not going to work with these people.These are the kind of men who only understand brute force.It’s how they get what they want and they’re good at intimidation, steamrolling over anyone in their path under the pretense of it being better to ask forgiveness than permission.”She gave me a hard look, one I recognized in every single member of Kiss of Death.Someone’s life wouldn’t be the same once this woman finished with them.“I’m betting you’re going to get a visit.Soon.Whoever comes will want to separate you from everyone.Let them.Then do what I told you.”
My gaze narrowed.“What’s going on, Lana?”
She shook her head.“Not until I’m sure.I’m not going to accuse anyone of anything until I have definitive proof.Which is why I don’t want you to lie to them.Technically, I’m not the type of lawyer who would handle this type of case.I’m a family lawyer.But it’s kind of like being a doctor.If you represent yourself as such, you have to follow the rules of your profession.And that means I can’t entrap these guys.But we have no intention of taking anything I do to court.It won’t get that far.”
“You sound pretty sure of that.”I had an idea of what she thought was happening.
“I am.”When I just looked at her, she gave me a smile.It wasn’t a pleasant smile.“All I can say right now, Knight, is that you’ve got to be the luckiest son of a bitch alive.Because, if the person responsible for this is who I think it is, you’re looking at the only person in the entire world who can fix this.”
