Chapter 19: The Key to Authority

"Hailey?" Ryan called out my name from behind.

Only when the heart monitor beside Edward on the hospital bed told me that things hadn't yet reached the worst possible outcome did I realize I had been holding my breath. "I'm fine."

It wasn't a lie. I found it hard to believe it. Ever since I saw Edward, my heart had been constantly shrouded in fear, but my professional knowledge still managed to call back my rationality.

That was right. No matter how anxious I was, I must remain calm. If I couldn't hold up the entire family and protect Edward's life at this critical moment, what had I really learned in my twenty-eight years of life?

I sat beside Edward's hospital bed, holding his hand.

"I assume you've already taken anti-heart failure measures for Mr. Edward?" I asked Ryan.

He nodded. "ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and diuretics, hoping this will improve his cardiac function and prevent heart failure attacks. But these are only temporary measures. You should also be very clea