The operating theater's overhead lights glowed like twin suns as Leo lay on the gurney, chest bare save for the thin IV line and monitoring patches. Celeste Su stood beside him, her hand pressed to his small wrist, feeling the tremor of his heart beneath her palm.
Adrian Lu hovered at her other side, white‑coated and mask-covered, eyes tense but resolute. Around them, a team of surgeons and nurses prepared the nanobot infusion apparatus atop sterile drapes.
Dr. Park leaned close. “Ms. Su, this procedure will reinforce the nanobot scaffold in Leo's myocardium. It's akin to weaving micro‑threads into failing muscle. Should be twelve hours of surgery."
Celeste swallowed, eyes brimming. “Twelve hours," she echoed, voice a whisper.
Adrian laid a gloved hand on her shoulder. “I'll stay with
