chapter503

"How dare you! Lydia is Mr. Jefferson's fianc e. She gets to decide whether you stay or go," Aiden snapped.

Dr. Louis realized he'd seriously underestimated her, and now he'd lost the bet too. Shame burned through him, but more than anything, he needed to know who this young woman really was.

"I'll leave if you want, but can you at least tell me your ranking in the Medical Association?" he asked.

Lydia let out a small laugh. I don't really keep up with those rankings, but I think my name's at the top."

The moment those words left her mouth, the whole operating room fell into a stunned silence. Two whole minutes ticked by before anyone managed to process what she'd said. It was only when Lydia started Connor's IV and hooked up the monitors herself that reality seemed to snap back into place.

First. She said she was ranked first. Wasn't that... Miracle Hands? The Miracle Hands everyone talked about?

No way. Had they really just watched Miracle Hands perform surgery right in front of them?

But all they could remember was how fast she'd worked, like someone had pressed fast-forward on reality. They barely remembered the details, just her impossible speed.

Regret crashed over them. No wonder Mr. Jefferson's assistant had told them to pay close attention before the surgery. They felt like idiots now.

Lydia ignored them and motioned for Aiden to help her wheel Connor to the ICU.

Wait, please! Dr. Louis finally snapped out of his daze and rushed after her, his face full of regret. "I'm so sorry. We were blind. We didn't recognize your skill."

Lydia didn't even look back. "You get what you deserve." That was all she said. She had no time for people who didn't matter.

Chris had been pacing outside the operating room, anxious and restless. The second he saw Lydia pushing Connor out herself, he ran over, practically tripping over his own feet.

"Lydia, how's my brother?" His voice shook with worry.

He'll be fine. He's not going anywhere," Lydia said, her tone steady.

Relief washed over Chris. I knew it. As long as you were here, I knew everything would turn out okay."

Once Connor was settled in the ICU, Lydia finally turned to Chris. "Tell me what happened tonight."

Chris' jaw tightened as he remembered, his usual warmth cooling into something hard. "Connor said he had some work to handle We were halfway there when a bunch of cars showed up out of nowhere and boxed us in. The people inside moved like professionals. They didn't care about anything, just rammed into us over and over."

"How did he get shot?" Lydia's question was quiet, but direct.

"The car was totaled. We had to get out, but the attackers didn't care about their own lives. They started shooting at us like maniacs I'm not as fast as Connor. I couldn't dodge in time. He got shot protecting me."

Chris' voice dropped. He stared at the floor, shoulders hunched with guilt. Grandpa wanted to send me to the military so Connor could train me himself, but Connor refused He said I was the youngest and should live the life I wanted, not spend every day ready to sacrifice everything like he does."

He swallowed hard. "Connor acts cold, but he's always looking out for me and Mikey. This time, I'm the one who dragged him down."

Chris' eyes were rimmed red, his words shaky. If anything really happened to Connor because of him, he'd never forgive himself.

Thank you for saving my brother, Lydia. You're our family's lucky star. I mean it. You'll always be my sister-in-law, no matter what."

Lydia wasn't great at comforting people. After a moment of quiet, she just said, "Those people tonight were after him from the very beginning."