Jack looked past her at the cluster of blue gowns around bed twelve. "Is this what you warned me about?"
"Yes. Dr. Shaw and the critical-care team are preparing for temporary mechanical support. We'll explain the procedure and the risks before asking you to make any decisions."
For a fraction of a second, Jack hated the word decisions. He had spent the previous three days obeying instructions: stand here, sign here, wait here, wash your hands, put on a gown, take the gown off, come back when the room was ready. Now the people who knew how to keep his daughter alive were asking him to choose something, and he would have traded every tool he owned for the certainty that he was choosing right.
They took him into the consultation room again. Dr. Shaw sketched a simple diagram showing the heart, the major blood vessels, and the external system they hoped would support Lily while the inflammation subsided. He explained that the procedure itself carried significant risks, including bleeding, infection, and complications affecting the brain or other organs. He also explained that without stronger support, the danger from Lily's failing circulation was growing.
"Do you recommend it?" Jack asked.
"I do," Shaw said. "We wouldn't put this option in front of you lightly."
"And if she were your little girl?"
The surgeon lowered his pen. Some physicians disliked the question because it invited an answer based on emotions rather than careful judgment. Shaw understood why Jack asked it. "I would want the team with the most experience caring for her, and I would ask them to be honest about the chances and the risks," he said. "That's what we're trying to do."
Jack looked at Claire. "Do you agree?"
"Yes," she replied. "I think this gives Lily the best chance right now. It doesn't guarantee the outcome, and I won't pretend it does."
He took the consent form with both hands. The pages were dense with medical terms and descriptions that seemed to reduce his daughter's small, stubborn life to a collection of possible complications. He read the important sections twice and asked three questions about what Lily might feel, who would remain with her, and whether he could see her afterward. Nobody hurried him. When he finally signed, he set the pen down as carefully as if it belonged to somebody else.
As the team prepared, Leah invited Jack back to the bedside for a brief moment. Lily's eyes were closed, and she was receiving medicine to keep her comfortable. He bent close to her ear, conscious of the many people waiting on the other side of the curtain.
"You hear me, Lil?" he whispered. "You don't have to be brave for anybody. I'll do the worrying. You just keep being you."