Chapter 2
Before Daniel could respond, a sharp crack came from inside the annex. The beam across my leg shifted. Mason screamed.
Every conversation stopped. The Vale extraction team ran toward us. Two medics stabilized the fractured wall while another crawled beneath a tilted section of concrete. A woman with a red helmet reached Mason first.
“I’m Dr. Lena Ortiz,” she said softly. “Your grandfather sent us.” Mason’s lips trembled. “Is my mom going to die?” “No,” she answered with the calm certainty he needed. “But I need you to help me keep her awake. Can you do that?” He nodded.
Dr. Ortiz placed an oxygen mask over his face and checked his temperature. It was over 103 degrees. His breathing was shallow, worsened by dust inhalation and hours of fever. A second medic examined the beam pinning me. “Possible crush injury. We need hydraulic support before we lift.”
My father moved as close as the safety officers allowed. “Amelia,” he called. I turned toward his voice. For the first time since the collapse, my control broke. “Dad.” “I’m here.”
Those two words did what Daniel’s presence had failed to do. They made me feel that Mason and I were no longer alone.
The extraction took thirty-seven minutes. The team secured the ceiling, cut through twisted reinforcement bars, and slid an inflatable lifting bag beneath the steel beam. Every movement sent pain through my leg, but I kept my eyes on Mason as Dr. Ortiz moved him toward the opening.
When they finally carried him out, my father met the stretcher and placed one hand against Mason’s hair. “Grandpa,” Mason whispered through the oxygen mask. “You did well, cadet. Stay with the doctor.”
Daniel tried to approach. “Mason, I’m here.” My son turned his face away. It was a small movement, but Daniel reacted as if someone had struck him. Vanessa watched from the ambulance. Her earlier panic had disappeared. She now seemed acutely aware of the responders, hotel employees, and cameras surrounding them.
The team freed me minutes later. The instant the beam lifted, pain surged so fiercely that I lost consciousness. I woke inside the helicopter with my leg immobilized and an IV in my arm. Mason lay on the stretcher beside me, connected to oxygen and a monitor. My father sat between us.
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“Is he safe?” I asked. “He has a respiratory infection, dehydration, and dust irritation,” my father said. “His lungs are clear of serious injury. They expect a full recovery.”
I closed my eyes. “Daniel left us.” My father’s hand tightened around mine. “I know.” “He saw Mason.” “I know that too.” “You do not have to decide anything today,” he said. “Your only responsibility is to recover and care for your son. Everything else can wait.”
