Chapter 4 - The Transfer in the Dark
The helicopter flight back to St. Catherine’s was silent.
Robert Kane was typing on his phone, his face illuminated by the cold blue light of the screen. Ethan sat by the window, his eyes fixed on the lights of the highway below. The tractor-trailer had been cleared, the traffic flowing once more like a slow, glowing river of red and white lights through the Ohio winter.
"Apex has reinstated the policy," Kane said quietly, putting his phone away. "It’s done, Ethan. The transfer to Cleveland has been approved. The pediatric social worker is arranging for Lily to stay in the hospital’s family suite during the evaluation."
"And the pilot?" Ethan asked. "For the life-flight?"
"The Cleveland Clinic’s critical care transport team is already on their way," Kane said. "They should be here by ten."
When they landed back at the hospital, the rain had stopped, replaced by a fine, freezing mist that clung to the pine trees around the parking lot.
Ethan walked up to the seventh floor. The corridor outside Room 714 was crowded with people. Three doctors in green scrubs were standing around a portable monitor, their voices low and tense.
Inside the room, Rachel Bennett was no longer sleeping.
She was awake, her eyes wide and glassy, her chest heaving as she struggled to pull air into her failing lungs. A doctor was adjusting the flow on her oxygen mask, while Nurse Vance held her hand, her thumb rubbing the back of Rachel’s pale wrist.
In the corner, Lily stood on the vinyl chair, her small hands pressed against the glass window, her eyes fixed on her mother’s face.
"Her pressure is dropping," Nurse Vance said as Ethan entered the room. "The milrinone isn't holding her anymore. Her kidneys are starting to shut down. We can't wait for the morning, Mr. Caldwell. She has to go now."
"The Cleveland team is twenty minutes away," Ethan said, stepping up to the side of the bed.
Rachel's eyes moved toward him. She couldn't speak through the heavy plastic of the oxygen mask, but she reached out, her fingers brushing against the wool of his sleeve. Her grip was incredibly weak, like the touch of a falling leaf.
"I... I didn't quit," she whispered, her voice a tiny, dry scratch against the plastic mask.
"I know," Ethan said, gently placing his large, warm hand over hers. "I know you didn't, Rachel. Your job is safe. Your insurance is active. We’re going to Cleveland tonight."
He looked at Lily. The girl had stopped tracing her spelling words. She had her pink backpack clutched to her chest, her large, dark eyes looking at Ethan with a mixture of terror and hope that he knew he would never forget.
"Lily," Ethan said, kneeling beside her chair.
"Yes, sir?"
"The doctors are going to take your mommy in a special helicopter tonight," he said. "To a big hospital where they have the best hearts in the world. And you’re going to go with them."
Lily looked at her mother, then at her bag. "Do I have enough money now?"
Ethan felt a tear, hot and heavy, slip down his cheek. He didn't brush it away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver-plated model of a Caldwell Freight truck—a promotional item he had carried in his pocket for luck since his first day as CEO.
He placed it in Lily’s hand, her small fingers closing around the cold metal.
"You don't need any more money, Lily," Ethan said softly. "The ride is already paid for. By the company."
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Lily looked at the little silver truck, then up at him, her small face breaking into the first, tiny smile he had seen all day.
"Thank you, Mr. Truck-Man," she whispered.
