No response.

I shot off a couple more messages, but there was still nothing. She was probably too busy—again. And I was right. The mother of baby number 1,385 had suffered a severe postpartum hemorrhage, so Nora had to abandon her phone and rush back into the OR.

---

By the time Nora finally emerged from surgery, the sun was already up. She was still wearing the aftermath of the night—scrubs stained with blood, and her hands bore the traces of a ...