Chapter 5: The Hospital Corridor
The sterile white walls of St. Jude Memorial Hospital hummed with the quiet, continuous drone of overhead ventilation. Hours had passed since the terrifying incident at the terminal, yet the images remained burned into the father’s mind with terrifying clarity. He sat in a rigid plastic chair in the private family waiting room, his suit jacket draped over the adjacent seat, his white shirt collar stained with sweat and old tears. Through the glass partition of the recovery room just down the hall, he could see Ethan resting peacefully, hooked up to a series of unobtrusive monitors that beeped in a reassuring, steady rhythm.
The attending physician, a kind-eyed woman named Dr. Sterling with silver-streaked hair, pushed open the waiting room door and stepped inside. She held a clipboard tightly against her chest, her expression serious yet reassuring. ""Mr. Vance,"" she said softly, using his last name for the first time. ""Ethan is resting. His vitals have stabilized significantly, and the preliminary blood panels show no signs of acute trauma or systemic failure. Whatever caused that sudden collapse, the lack of oxygen was brief enough thanks to those immediate chest compressions.""
Arthur Vance rubbed his tired eyes, feeling the abrasive grit of exhaustion beneath his eyelids. ""The compressions,"" he murmured, his voice hoarse. ""If it hadn't been for that little girl... I wouldn't even have a son right now, Dr. Sterling. But she vanished. She disappeared into the airport crowd before I could even ask her name."" Dr. Sterling nodded thoughtfully, walking over to lean against the edge of a small wooden table. She flipped open the chart, scanning the notes written by the paramedics who had transported them from Terminal 4.
May you like
""The paramedics mentioned that in their report,"" Dr. Sterling said, her tone cautious. ""They noted that the technique used was textbook-level pediatric CPR, delivered with surprising physical maturity. It's unusual, to say the least. Have you noticed anything unusual about Ethan's recent medical history, Mr. Vance? Any sudden episodes, stress factors, or anything else that might explain why his heart simply stopped while sitting in a wheelchair?"" Arthur stared down at his wedding ring, turning it slowly around his finger as a dark shadow crossed his mind. He knew Ethan's condition was complicated, but he had never imagined it would lead to a public catastrophe.
***
