Heather turned away, exhaling sharply. She didn't know why she was mad at him. But for some reason, she was.
The emergency room door opened. Her head snapped up. She stood slightly, her body tensing as the doctor stepped out and approached them.
"Are you the parents of Alex..." The doctor glanced at the medical chart in his hand, scanning the details before continuing, "Remington?"
"Yes." Heather responded instantly, voice urgent.
The doctor studied them briefly, then asked, "Do either of you have any medical conditions I should be aware of?"
Heather blinked, her confusion clear. She glanced at Caius, then back at the doctor. She frowned. "I don't understand. Is that question *important*?"
The doctor's expression didn't shift. "I'm afraid it is. I need to know if either of you have any medical condition that might make bad news harder to process."
Heather felt her stomach drop. Her breathing quickened. She could *feel* herself unraveling.
