**[Operating Theater – Grace Free Clinic, Pre-Dawn]**
The lights overhead burned white and sterile.
Two operating tables stood side by side. On one lay Nathan, pale beneath the drape, electrodes attached to his chest. On the other—Aileen, unconscious, arms folded gently across her torso.
The lead surgeon looked between the two. “Vitals?"
“Stable," the nurse said. “Both sedated. Transfusion lines ready. Hart's BP slightly elevated."
“Expected. Let's move."
Steel flashed under the lights. Gloves snapped. The world narrowed to scalpel and skin.
---
**[Outside the OR – Press Gathering]**
Reporters began to cluster outside the clinic's barricades, microphones raised.
“…we've confirmed that Nathan Hart, CEO of Hart Holdings, is undergoing a live kidney donation procedure…"
“…sources s
