Chapter 2 - The Storm Outside
Julian pushed himself upright, his vision spinning as the epinephrine coursed through his veins. Outside the floor-to-ceiling mansion windows, lightning cracked across an iron-grey sky, unleashing a savage downpour that battered the glass. The wedding guests were sequestered in the glass ballroom at the opposite wing, completely oblivious to the tragedy unfolding in the silent grand hall.
""What do you mean her last one?"" Julian demanded, gripping Teresa's shoulder. His knuckles were pale, the gold wedding band gleaming under the chandelier. ""Where is her prescription? Her backup?""
Teresa's lips trembled as she held the little girl tighter. ""She has severe systemic mastocytosis, sir. Her body triggers massive anaphylactic shocks without warning. Her mother was supposed to arrive with the imported specialty vials an hour ago from the clinic downtown, but the coastal bridge washed out in the flash flood. That single pen was Ellie’s emergency safeguard.""
Ellie stood between them, tiny and uncomplaining. She adjusted the lace ribbon of her cream dress, but Julian noticed something that made his blood run cold. Her lips were pale, faint blue tints creeping along the edges, and her breathing was growing noticeably shallow.
""Call the private clinic again,"" Julian ordered, pulling his phone from his tuxedo pocket. ""Tell them to send a medevac chopper. Money is no object.""
""Sir, air traffic is grounded because of the gale winds,"" Teresa whispered, a tear escaping down her cheek. ""Nothing is flying until this squall passes. She gave you her life.""
Ellie looked up at Julian, offering a faint, fragile smile. ""It's okay, mister. You're getting married today. You have to be okay.""
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A chill far worse than suffocation seized Julian's chest. He looked down at his own hands, steady and filled with borrowed life, while the child who granted it was slipping into the dark.
Then, from the hallway entrance, a loud knock echoed. A courier in a drenched yellow raincoat stood outside the glass doors, holding a sealed thermal lockbox.
