a scalpel on the tray of surgical implements to his right. He gripped it so hard his knuckles flashed white as his head whipped around behind him, to one side, then the next. His heartbeat began to stabilize as no one emerged from the wall of machines and monitors. The beeping from the machines pulled him back to the task at hand. 

"You've got one card to play, so go on and play it…," raw determination replaced frantic movements as Grimaldi began to focus on what needed to be done. Despite that, he lost count of the number of times he looked over his shoulder during the next several hours and the meticulous procedure he threw himself into accomplishing.

 

***

 

She could feel the breeze caress her skin as the sound of the birds nearby greeted...

Please subscribe to keep reading.