Chapter 6 - The Race Against Time
The ambulance sirens wailed through the gridlocked Manhattan streets, a haunting soundtrack to the longest ride of Eliana’s life.
Inside the emergency room of New York Presbyterian Hospital, the atmosphere was a blur of frantic motion, shouting doctors, and blinding fluorescent lights. Eliana was barred from entering the trauma bay, forced to wait in a sterile, cold waiting room that smelled of antiseptic and despair.
Hours bled into eternity.
Finally, Dr. Harrison—a senior cardiologist with graying temples—pushed through the double doors, looking exhausted and grim.
Eliana bolted from her chair, her hands trembling. "Doctor? How is he?"
Dr. Harrison let out a heavy sigh, removing his surgical mask. "Miss Brooks... Mr. Caldwell suffered a massive myocardial infarction. His heart stopped twice on the operating table. We managed to stabilize him for the moment, but the damage to his heart muscle is extensive. Furthermore, he has developed severe acute heart failure. His heart is simply too weak to pump effectively on its own."
The room seemed to tilt sideways. "Can you operate?" Eliana asked, her voice dangerously thin.
"Not conventionally," Dr. Harrison said gently. "His age, combined with underlying strain, makes a standard bypass too risky right now. What he needs is an immediate, specialized mechanical assist device—a total artificial heart or a bridge-to-transplant ventricular assist system. But there's a catch. Because of supply chain shortages and specialized manufacturing requirements, the specific model compatible with his blood type and anatomy is currently out of stock nationwide. We’ve placed him on the national registry, but frankly... time is running out. He has less than twenty-four hours."
Eliana stood frozen. The world felt entirely hollow. The man who had saved her, raised her, and given her a future was slipping away, and money, power, and empires couldn't buy him another heartbeat.
Then, a sudden spark of fierce resolve ignited in her chest. She wiped her tears, her jaw setting into the exact expression she had worn as an eight-year-old girl holding four quarters.
"Where is the nearest medical manufacturing distribution hub?" she asked, her voice suddenly ice-cold and steady.
May you like
Dr. Harrison blinked in surprise. "Uh... the global logistics warehouse for BioCore Tech is located in New Jersey, but their inventory is locked behind priority distribution contracts. You can't just walk in and take one."
"Watch me," Eliana said, turning on her heel and grabbing her coat.
