The Masters had to wait a couple of hours before they were allowed to meet Bianca. A few hours spent pacing outside her room felt like another eternity. When they finally led the two Masters inside, the men were shocked into silence.

Bianca lay pale and fragile against the white sheets, lashes dark against her cheeks, breathing shallow but steady. Without her baby bump, she looked small and wan as she lay, breathing shallowly.

The doctors had worked hard to staunch the bleeding, ...