Chapter 2 - Through the Glass
Linda stopped abruptly in front of the pediatric wing's heavy double doors. She paused, pulling a small compact mirror from her purse to quickly check her appearance, wiping away a stray streak of rain from her cheek before pressing her palm against the electronic scanner. The door clicked open, and she slipped inside.
Dominic bypassed the scanner by sliding smoothly in right behind an attending physician carrying a stack of charts, earning a brief, distracted nod. He tracked Linda down a long, linoleum-floored hallway until she stopped outside Room 412.
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Instead of bursting through the door to demand answers, Dominic stepped to the side, peering through the vertical rectangular wire-glass window built into the door. His breath hitched—a rare, involuntary reaction for a man who had stared down barrels and betrayal without blinking.
Linda was standing beside a narrow, rolling hospital bed. The harsh fluorescent light caught her face, washing away the rigid, defensive armor she wore at his estate. In its place was a look of heartbreaking, raw tenderness. Sitting up in the bed was a small boy—no older than six—with pale skin, hollow cheeks, and a stark lack of hair. He wore a faded blue hospital gown that swallowed his frail frame.
