I ran. Fast. Every stride I took sent jolts through my legs, but I didn’t slow down. Not with Xiao Lian’s small, frail body clinging to me, her shallow breaths warming my neck.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, my voice low, firm, as if I could anchor her with words alone. “Stay with me, kid. You’re stronger than this.”
Her fingers barely curled around my shirt, her head resting weakly against my shoulder. Blood matted her hair. But I kept running.
Reynolds followed, panting behind me, his longer legs struggling to match my frantic pace. His face was tight with panic, but I didn’t have time to look back.
We burst through the hospital doors. The fluorescent lights glared down, cold and unforgiving.
“Emergency! She’s been hit—possible spinal and neck trauma!” I barked.
The place erupted int
