“She’s fine. For now, she’s out of immediate danger.”

The moment Doc Mikee said those words, the tight grip around my chest finally loosened. It felt like I had just been pulled out of a dark, airless room. One where I had been suffocating and suddenly, a window had been thrown open, letting light and oxygen rush back in.

“What happened, Doc?” I asked, my voice breaking despite my effort to keep it steady. It came out almost as a whisper, laced with lingering fear. “Why did ...