Page 81 of The Beat of her Heart

But Sophie needed her.

Adrienne swallowed, recalling Giselle’s assurance earlier. The words were so unlike anything Giselle would usually say. Normally, Giselle avoided giving parents any false hope. It was a principle she stuck to, one they’d debated more than once.

But now she’d offered Addie reassurance, something she’d never heard from herbefore. It was almost enough to give Addie a sliver of calm.

Maybe Giselle had changed. Maybe the person she’d seen behind those cold walls was real, not just a projection of what she’d wanted. But it didn’t matter now. All she wanted was for Sophie to be alright.

There was nothing she could do now but wait and watch, her mind replaying Giselle’s promise over and over, hoping it would be enough.

25

GISELLE

Giselle stood in the OR, staring down at Sophie, the child’s face pale and vulnerable under the harsh lights.

She took a slow breath, forcing herself to focus on the tools laid out before her, on the movements she’d practiced a thousand times. But today, everything felt different. Each step felt as if she were moving through sand.

Her team was quiet, their eyes darting between her and the child on the table. She didn’t need to look at them to know they were tense, waiting for her to guide them through this.

The pressure was relentless, making her hands feel unsteady in a way they hadn’t been in years.

Giselle’s mind kept drifting, each thought tangling with the next. She couldn’t stop thinking about Addie—about her face, her eyes, the fear, and the accusation that had lingered in her gaze earlier.

“Clamp,” she ordered.

A nurse handed her the tool, but there was something hesitant in the motion, a hesitation that only tightened the knot in her chest. She was used to being in control and knowing exactly what came next. But now every move felt unfamiliar, as if she were losing her footing more and more with each second that passed.

Giselle’s hands moved with precision as she made the initial incision, exposing Sophie’s chest cavity. Her gaze was sharp and unyielding as she focused on the delicate structures beneath the skin. The sight of Sophie’s small form, vulnerable and fragile, forced her to steady her breathing and lock every part of her mind onto the job before her. This wasn’t just about skill now—it wasabout speed, accuracy, and unbreakable focus.

“Retractor,” she said, her voice low and controlled.

The nurse placed it into her hand and Giselle secured it in place, opening the area around Sophie’s heart. Her heartbeat drummed against her ribs, but she pushed it aside, letting muscle memory take over.

She assessed the bleeding, noting the accumulation of fluid pressing against the heart and compressing it into an unnatural shape. This was the cause of Sophie’s rapid decline.

“Drain,” Giselle ordered, reaching out as she watched the steady buildup of blood around the heart. Her nurse passed the tool and Giselle worked swiftly, inserting it to relieve the pressure surrounding the pericardial sac.

Blood began to flow through the drain and Sophie’s heart visibly relaxed, resuming its normal shape. Relief whispered at the edges of her mind, but she kept her expression neutral, every movement of her hands deliberate, each step measured.

“Good,” she said, almost to herself. “Suction here. Watch the levels.”

Her nurse nodded, focusing on the suctioning as Giselle worked to stabilize Sophie’s heart function. She looked up, catching a brief glimpse of Addie in the viewing room, her face pale and her gaze locked onto the scene below.

Addie’s hand was pressed against the glass, her expression a mix of fear and accusation that cut right into Giselle’s focus. She forced herself to look back at Sophie, her mind hammering out the need to focus, to fix this, no matter the weight pressing against her chest.

“Keep the drain steady,” Giselle instructed, glancing at the monitor as Sophie’s heartbeat leveled into a steadier rhythm.

Her shoulders eased, the tense knot there loosening, if only slightly. She checked the heart, looking for signs of further complications, each small detail taking shape in her mind like pieces of a puzzle.

“Clamp,” she said, stretching her hand out. The nurse handed her the tool, and Giselle worked to secure one of the small,torn blood vessels near the heart, closing it off with careful precision.

Everything was running smoothly—until it wasn’t.

The heart monitor blared, the rhythm erratic, the line jumping in uneven peaks and valleys. Giselle’s eyes snapped to Sophie’s heart, noting a sudden pooling of blood, faster than before. Something had reopened, an unseen tear letting blood flood into the cavity again, compressing the heart.

“Suction, now!” she ordered, the calm in her voice cracking, urgency sharpening her tone. The nurse moved instantly, but the blood was building too quickly, covering every visible structure, making it impossible to identify the source. She clenched her jaw, pushing away the surge of dread rising in her chest.

The blood wouldn’t stop, no matter how fast they suctioned.

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