Erin Walker hovered at the foot of Liam's hospital bed, monitoring the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest on the vital signs monitor. The steady beep—still irregular but stable—was a small victory. She sipped lukewarm coffee from a Styrofoam cup and glanced at the clock: 3:27 AM.
Outside the pediatric wing, the corridor lights hummed. Erin pulled her cardigan tighter around her shoulders. Liam's nighttime spike in arrhythmia had landed him back in ICU, and the attending nurse, Claudia Reyes, had promised to call if anything changed.
A soft knock at the doorframe startled her.
“Erin?" Ben Carter's voice was low. He stepped in, his firefighter's jacket folded over one arm. His familiar easy confidence filled the cramped room. “I got your message."
Erin set down her coffee, exhaustion et
