Chapter 18 - Three Pounds of Hope
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Three days later.
The afternoon sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
I was sitting in a wheelchair, holding an IV pole, parked right beside a high-tech incubator. Inside lay my tiny daughter, Aurora, hooked up to miniature monitors and a breathing tube, her little fingers resting against the clear acrylic wall.
Dr. Thorne walked up beside me, checking her charts.
"She’s a fighter, Evelyn," Dr. Thorne smiled. "Her lung capacity is improving daily. She has a long road ahead in the NICU, but she is out of immediate danger."
I reached through the incubator portal and gently touched her tiny foot with my pinky finger. Aurora’s little toes curled around my skin.
My father walked in, carrying a cup of tea. He set it down and looked at his granddaughter with immense pride.
"She has your stubbornness," Harrison chuckled softly.
"She has our family’s strength," I corrected gently.
Arthur Sterling entered the room quietly, holding a stack of legal documents.
"Julian’s bail request was denied today," Arthur reported. "His trial is set for next month. Cross Enterprises has been successfully restructured under the Vance Holdings umbrella, preserving all four thousand jobs."
"And Chloe?" I asked.
May you like
"She turned state's evidence against Julian to save herself, but she’s still facing two years for corporate embezzlement," Arthur replied. "Julian asked me to hand you this letter."
Arthur held out a sealed white envelope.
