Chapter 1 - The Surgeon's Hands
Nathan stared at the scratched silver bracelet in his trembling hands.
The date engraved inside was the exact day he had driven Sarah away.
He remembered buying it for her eighteenth birthday, promising he would always protect her.
He had broken that promise, but the little girl on his floor had not.
"Rosa, get the medical kit from my study immediately!" Nathan barked, his voice echoing in the massive room.
Rosa sprinted down the hall, her slippers sliding on the polished hardwood floors.
Nathan gently rubbed Lily's frozen arms, trying to stimulate the blood flow without burning her sensitive skin.
The two infants were starting to stir, crying softly as the warmth of the fireplace finally reached them.
He checked their airways, relieved to find them clear despite the freezing temperatures outside.
Rosa returned with a large red trauma bag, her hands shaking as she unzipped it.
Nathan started an IV line on Lily, his hands moving with the practiced precision of a master surgeon.
He watched the warm saline mix with her blood, praying it was not too late.
The little girl took a sudden, gasping breath, her green eyes fluttering open.
"Uncle Nathan?" she whispered, her voice barely louder than the crackling fire.
"I am here, Lily," Nathan replied, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Did I save them?" she asked, looking frantically toward the bundled blankets.
"You saved them, sweetheart," he assured her, kissing her cold forehead.
"Mommy needs you," Lily cried, gripping his shirt with surprising strength.
"The monster hit her, and she didn't get up."
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Nathan's blood turned to ice at her words.
He knew exactly who the monster was.
