Chapter 40 "Oh my God, she can't breathe!" A mother's scream cuts through the pediatric ward, sharp and desperate. I spin around to see her seven-year-old daughter thrashing on the bed, her lips already turning blue. My training kicks in before my mind catches up. "Defibrillator. Now." I yank the curtains closed around us, my hands already moving to position the girl's small body. The mother stands frozen behind me, sobbing. I can hear one of my nurses, Miranda, trying to comfort her, but I can't focus on anything except the child in front of me. "Where's the defibrillator?" I bark at another nurse lingering on the periphery. Her face goes white. "Dr. Fairfax, we... we don't have one." "What do you mean, we don't have one?" "The supply room is empty." I don't have time to process this. The girl's eyes are rolling back. I climb onto the bed, straddling her tiny frame, and start chest compressions. "One, two, three." My breath is steady even though my heart is thundering. I tilt her head back, exhale into her lungs, then return to compressions. "Find me a defibrillator from another ward. Now." Both nurses sprint out. The mother's sobs unfold behind me as I work. Compress. Breathe. Compress. Breathe. "Come on, sweetheart." Sweat drips into my eyes. "Come on, little one." On the fifth round of CPR, her body jerks. Air rushes into her lungs. Color floods back into her cheeks. She's breathing. I slide off the bed, my legs shaking. "You did it, baby girl. You're okay." The girl's eyes dart around frantically until she finds her mother. The woman rushes forward, but I catch her arm gently. "Let her breathe a little first." She nods, tears streaming down her face as she takes her little girl's hand. "Is she... Will she be okay?" "She's stable now. We'll monitor her closely." I force myself to stay calm and professional, even though rage is building in my chest like a tidal wave. I leave detailed instructions with the nurses and walk out of the ward. The moment I'm alone, fury explodes through me. Where the hell was the defibrillator? I storm down the hall toward the supply closet. The door slams against the wall when I throw it open. The shelves are practically bare. No defibrillators. No nebulizers. Even basic supplies like syringes are running low. "What the hell?" I breathe. "Dr. Fairfax?" I turn to find Miranda behind me, her face pale. "Where are all our supplies?" I demand. "I paged the department manager. He's coming up now." Adrian Vasquez appears moments later, looking concerned. I've always liked Adrian. He's one of the good ones. "We have a problem," I tell him, gesturing toward the empty shelves. He checks his tablet, frowning. "According to my records, this ward was fully restocked two days ago." He shows me the screen, which matches what he's saying. "Everything should be here." "But it's not." My stomach drops. "Who handled the distribution?" "Looks like... Eric Chapelle." I feel sick. Eric is Jeremy's lackey. Which means this isn't an accident. "Fourth floor," Adrian says quietly in answer to the question I didn't even ask yet. "Admin department." I don't thank him. I can't speak past the fury clogging my throat. The elevator ride feels endless. When the doors open, I march straight to Eric's office and burst through the door without knocking. "Eric Chapelle?" The rat-faced man behind the desk looks up. His eyes immediately drop to scan my body in a way that makes my skin crawl. "Who's asking?" His voice has a sleazy quality that makes me want to shower and scrub my skin until it's red and raw. "The doctor who almost lost a child because you stole my supplies," I reply. "That's who the fuck is asking." He stands up, still leering, but his throat bobs with a nervous swallow. The sound of it is disgusting. "L-listen, I just follow orders." "Where the fuck are my supplies, Eric?" "J-J-Jeremy told me to redistribute them to other wards." I don't waste another second on him. I turn and walk out, my mind already forming a plan. If they won't give me what I need to save children's lives, I'll take it myself. I grab a cart from Radiology and start raiding every supply room in the hospital. Nurses stare. Colleagues try to stop me, asking if I'm okay. "Everything's perfect," I tell each and every one of them, my voice too bright, too manic. "Just taking what my patients need to survive." By the time I make it back to the pediatric ward, my cart is overflowing. When it reaches my floor, the elevator doors open, and I'm face to face with... ... Jeremy Fleming. "Well, hello there," I say sweetly, ramming the cart at his legs. He jumps aside just in time. "Dr. Fairfax, what the hell do you think you're doing?" "Restocking supplies. You know, those things doctors need to keep children alive?" I keep pushing the cart forward, forcing him to walk beside me. "You're stealing hospital property." "I'm keeping it in the hospital." I pause and muse out loud, "Unless you don't think sick kids deserve medical care?" "This ward has what it needs." I stop walking and turn to face him, finger shaking in his face. "A seven-year-old girl almost died twenty minutes ago because I didn't have a defibrillator. A mother watched her daughter turn blue. If she had died, it would have been your fault." "But she didn't die." The careless way he says it makes me see red. "No, she did not. No thanks to you." He steps closer, close enough that I can smell his cologne. It makes me nauseous. "I've had enough of your attitude, Vesper." This close, his teeth are gray and small and malformed, like melted little TicTacs. "I've got lawyers who would love to destroy you." "Are you seriously threatening me right now? With lawyers? Are you not man enough to deal with problems yourself? Are you⁠-" His eyebrows fly up his forehead. He grabs my wrist and twists it behind my back. Pain shoots up my arm. "This is my hospital, you uppity little bitch. You either follow my rules, or⁠-" "Is there a problem here?" We both turn. To my surprise, Pavel stands at the end of the hallway, his usual boyish charm replaced by an aura of cold competence. "Who the hell are you?" Jeremy demands, but his grip on my wrist loosens. "Someone who looks out for Vesper." Pavel cracks his knuckles deliberately. "So I'll ask again: Is there a problem?" Jeremy drops my hand completely, his demeanor shifting back to fake professionalism. "No problem at all. Dr. Fairfax and I were just having a discussion." "Looked like more than talking to me." Jeremy's jaw tightens, but he forces a smile. "We're finished here." He turns and whisks away, his coat billowing behind him. I stand there, my wrist throbbing, watching him disappear around the corner. Wondering how much longer this game can continue before tragedy strikes all of us.