Shadows of Control

A group of doctors and nurses rushed into the room after the knock. "Mrs. Stratton," the doctor said, startled to see Emily there as the door swung open. His eyes briefly flicked to Milo, but the urgency of the situation redirected his focus. He hurried to the monitor by Alex's bed, his expression growing serious. "We've noticed an unusually high heart rate from Mr. Stratton," he explained, pointing to the numbers displayed on the screen. Where Alex's heart rate typically lingered in the mid-60s, it now spiked into the 90s.

"We'd like to run a few more tests now if possible," the doctor added, glancing quickly at Emily and then again at Milo, standing beside her.