The nurses’ station outside the ICU was quiet until the elevator chimed. William Croft stepped out. He wasn’t wearing a suit; he was wearing the jeans and sweater he had worn to the school run. Victoria Vance walked beside him, her hand resting lightly on his arm for support.
They had heard the shouting from the room.
Dr. Khan met them in the hall. “He refused, William. He’s forbidden us from screening you.”
William didn’t look surprised. He looked at the closed door of Room 302, knowing the stubborn, wounded boy inside. He thought of Leo. He thought of the baby Isabella was carrying–the cousin his son deserved to know.
William began rolling up his left sleeve.
“He thinks he’s the CEO of this situation,” William said calmly, walking past Maya toward the prep room. “But he’s not the boss of my kidneys.”
He looked back at Victoria, who gave him a nod of fierce approval.
“He doesn’t get to decide if he lives,” William stated, pushing open the doors to the surgical wing. “I do. Prep the OR.”