Racing to the ER
Elena’s voice trembled over the phone, “Caleb, I’m on my way. Meet me at the emergency entrance.”
I sprinted through the sliding doors of Willow Creek Hospital, the sterile scent of antiseptic mixing with the faint smell of fresh coffee from the lobby.
She was already there, hands clenched around a clipboard, eyes dark with worry.
“Lucy’s vitals spiked on the way in,” a nurse whispered as we slipped into the triage room.
“What’s her heart doing?” I asked, feeling the weight of the tiny hand I’d held just minutes before.
Dr. Patel leaned over the monitor, his brow furrowed. “She’s in acute heart failure. The echocardiogram shows a transmural defect—essentially a hole that’s leaking blood faster than her body can compensate.”
He paused, letting the words sink. “It’s a rare congenital condition, one we’ve only seen a handful of times. She needs an emergency repair, within the next twelve hours, or the tissue damage becomes irreversible.”
