Max, Ethan, and Nathan were kneeling and sitting and watching over her with the same expression, the same worried, watchful, completely devoted expression as though she were the fixed point around which everything else in the room was organized.
The centre of something. The most important thing in any space she occupied.
The air in the room was very still.
Samuel had appeared at the door at some point quietly, not entering, just present in the doorway, the way he was present in most situations, useful and unobtrusive.
He had the doctor with him; one of the nurses must have gone for him while Max was on the stairs, and the doctor entered carefully, navigating the room with the careful awareness of someone who understands that the medical situation here is not the only situation that requires handling.
He moved toward the bed.
None of the three of them moved.
