Month: November 2025

The next night, Sophie went back to the vending machine corridor. She watched from the shadows. The elevator across from Dr. Sheldon’s office hummed, then stopped. Dr. Sheldon wheeled a crib off the elevator and into his office. Sophie snuck down the hall and stood around the corner next to his office. The door swung

Rounds moved on. Dr. Wagner strode into the NICU, stop ping to talk to one of the pediatricians who was listening to Dr. Sheldon discuss one of the babies. Dr. Wagner put a hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture, and the doctor looked up and smiled broadly at him. The two doctors looked

Morning medical rounds began on time, with doctors, nurses, social workers, and pharmacists standing in a tight circle. Kim explained to Sophie that the team moved from pod to pod to discuss the condition of each baby, any changes over the past twenty-four hours, the latest lab results, and the plan for the day. Rounds

Mitch headed to the elevator to go up to the suite of admin istrative offices. The nurses called it the tower of terror, an apt description in Mitch’s opinion. He had a meeting with the powers that be, followed by a meeting with Charlie Buckley. The meeting with Charlie had nothing to do with Sophie

The following day, Sophie was busy changing Danny’s diaper. Kim came in and gave Sophie a happy good morning, then got started taking care of a baby at the other end of the pod. All the other mothers were out of the NICU, either showering or getting breakfast. “Mrs. Young.” Startled, Sophie turned around. Dr.

The next morning, Sophie made an appointment with Mr. Charles Buckley, in administration. His secretary said he could squeeze her in at eleven o’clock, briefly. He had an extremely busy day. Mr. Buckley came out to greet Sophie and motioned for her to follow him into his office. On the way down the hall, Sophie

Sophie convinced Kate to move out of her hotel and stay at her and Adam’s house. “I’m never there, and Adam could use the company. So could Blu,” she pleaded with her sister. “But where are you sleeping? Aren’t you going home at night?” “No, I can’t do that yet. I need to be here,

Sophie waited outside the hospital entrance for Kate. She had on her Ugg boots and her winter jacket that she could now fully zip up. The wind funneled up the hospital driveway, blowing cold air that froze her nostrils and made her eyes water. A taxi pulled up to the roundabout, and Kate jumped out

Dr. Mitch Wagner stood in the middle of the triage unit, doing what he loved best—orchestrating the activity of triage. It was early evening, and the unit was bustling with activity. Nurses were busy admitting and evaluating mothers. Some were in labor, oth ers complained of terrible nausea and vomiting, and there were those with

Sophie returned to her room to grab some makeup. Surprised to see Dr. Wagner standing in her room with his back to the door, she noticed him scrolling through the nurse’s computer. She cleared her throat to let him know she was there. He spun around and quickly closed the laptop. “Hi, Dr. Wagner.” “Sophie,