Chapter 1396:


    “Don’t worry, Maia. Your privacy stays with us.”


    “And always remember, we’re one unit. Whatever challenges show up, we’ll handle them together.”


    A tightening sensation rose in Maia’s chest, and she drew in a steadying breath. The weight of their support gradually calmed her.


    “Thank you, everyone,” she said with genuine warmth.


    A sharp glow red to life above the operating room doors as the indicator light switched on.


    That harsh red message dering “Emergency in Progress” pressed against the air and seemed to tighten every breath in the room.


    At the center table, Maia stepped into the lead position and lifted her hands so the circting nurse could slide the sterile gloves into ce.


    Before the nurse even finished, Carsen shifted away from the secondary spot and slipped into her original ce, trading positions with Maia in one swift motion.


    The change caught Maia off guard. “Dr. Walsh? You…”


    Carsen cut her off before the rest of her question formed. “Listen carefully,” he said, and his steady eyes did not waver from Maia’s. His voice carried the weight of a settled decision. “For tonight, you are the surgeon in charge.”


    He offered another firm reminder. “The report will show your name at the top.”


    His words left Maia rattled, and an odd tremor moved through her chest.


    Was Carsen preparing to take over the procedure himself? Even if he stayed in the secondary role, he would still be exposing himself to significant risk.


    That realization settled heavily on Maia, and she understood exactly what he intended.


    Before she managed to form a word, Carsen swept his eyes across the room with practiced calm and spoke. “We are starting the operation right now. The patient sustained two gunshot wounds. The first one entered through the front of the left shoulder. It moved along the back edge of the corbone and came out near the inner side of the scap. His left upper lung is badly injured, and there is noticeable bleeding gathering inside the chest.”


    He stopped for a beat, and his expression deepened. “The second bullet struck the head.”


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    That single detail made her chest clench, and Maia felt her pulse stagger out of rhythm.


    A new thought surfaced, and she wondered if Carsen meant to tend to the older wound Chris carried.


    Her eyes returned to Carsen. She remembered thest time he turned down her request.


    This time, Carsen slid the scan results toward her and traced a finger along a faint, ominous blur on the image. “There are metal fragments lodged under the temporal bone. Their shapes are uneven with edges that can cut. Any mistake could cause those pieces to shift and press against the temporal lobe. The risk is severe.”


    A hush settled over the operating room, and every sound seemed to fall away.


    Even though the entire team recognized the injury as an old one, not a single person questioned it.


    Each member of the staff moved with quiet intention, responding to him as though they shared an unspoken pact, and their cooperation unfolded with natural ease, as if this arrangement had always been expected.


    “Everyone, stay sharp. The operation ahead will test us to our limits.” Carsen lifted his gaze, sweeping it across the room. “I expect zero errors.”


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