Chapter 934

"What's wrong?" Evelyn Carter stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.

Alexander Hamilton steadied her swaying frame with quick reflexes. "The blood bank is running low. A critical patient needs a transfusion."

His voice was soft, but it sent Evelyn's nerves taut. As a doctor, she knew exactly how rare Rh-negative blood was. Only a few thousand registered donors existed in all of Hudson City. In emergencies, every second counted.

"Which hospital?" she demanded before catching herself.

Alexander was already grabbing his coat. "The OR upstairs."

His movements were decisive, without hesitation. Evelyn studied his sharp profile, struck by how unfamiliar he seemed. When had the aloof CEO of Hamilton Group become so compassionate?

"I'm coming with you." She snatched her bag and followed.

Alexander frowned. "In your condition—"

"I'm a doctor," she cut in. "Do you think someone who's seen life and death would fear an operating room?"

The elevator was packed. Alexander subtly shielded her with his arm, and the crowd parted. Evelyn noticed his wedding band glinting under the lights.

Outside the OR, a familiar figure made her chest tighten.

"Vivian?"

Vivian Dempsey looked up, her swollen eyes wide with panic. She lunged forward, gripping Evelyn's hands. "It's Grandma... The caregiver said the kettle exploded—"

Evelyn felt her friend's icy, trembling fingers. She pulled Vivian into an embrace just as a nurse whisked Alexander away.

"This wasn't your fault." She rubbed Vivian's back, feeling the fragile shoulders shudder with sobs.

Grandma Dempsey had been despondent since returning from abroad. Vivian had suggested the nursing home for a change of scenery—no one expected this tragedy. Now guilt threatened to crush the usually cheerful girl.

"The doctor said... if they can't stop the bleeding—" Vivian choked on the words.

Evelyn suddenly grasped her shoulders. "What's Grandma's blood type?"

"RH-negative, but the blood bank—"

Before she finished, both women turned toward the donation room. Vivian's tears froze mid-fall. "Alexander, he..."

At the end of the hallway, the man approached with a gauze pad pressed to his arm. His rolled-up sleeves revealed the needle mark. Sunlight through the windows outlined him in gold.

Vivian sprang up and bowed deeply. "Thank you! I was wrong before—"

"It was nothing." Alexander steadied her with a light touch, then glanced at Evelyn's slight baby bump. "Consider it blessings for the child."

The words unlocked a flood of memories. Evelyn looked away, throat burning. Their first lost child remained the deepest scar.

Vivian studied them both and suddenly laughed through tears. "Seems I need to reevaluate Mr. Hamilton." She blew her nose loudly. "When Grandma wakes up, I'll tell her exactly who saved her."

The OR light turned green. A surgeon emerged, relief visible above his mask. "The patient is stable."

Three hearts settled at once. Alexander stepped back quietly as the two women embraced, weeping. He gazed at the puncture mark on his arm and thought—this might be the most worthwhile pain he'd ever known.