Snow melted slowly outside Boston Memorial, puddling beneath protest signs and camera tripods. But inside the ICU, the temperature had begun to rise.
Literally.
Lily's cheeks were flushed again—this time not from joy, but from fever.
“She's spiking," Zahra said grimly, watching the monitor. “Temp's 103.4. Immune markers climbing. WBC count's nearly double baseline."
Katherine stood by the bed, barely able to keep upright. “Is it rejection?"
“Not classic rejection," Zahra replied. “It's bio-scaffold instability. Her immune system is recognizing the polymer as foreign. The nanoparticle inhibitor's half-life may be too short."
“Then dose again," Aiden said, already grabbing her file.
“Not without FDA clearance. One dose was a stretch. Two could trigger cascade failure."
“She's dying,"
