Chapter 13 - THE NICU MIRACLE
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Saint Jude’s Hospital was a quiet sanctuary of soft chimes, hushed voices, and low amber lights.
Row after row of glass incubators lined the room, housing the city’s smallest fighters.
Khloe stood beside Incubator 7, wearing a sterile gown and mask. Inside the clear plastic dome lay a tiny baby girl, weighing barely three pounds. Miniature monitors were attached to her chest, and a small breathing tube was taped gently to her mouth, rising and falling in steady, rhythmic pulses.
The digital display above the crib read: BABY MORETTI — BORN WEEK 29.
Khloe reached through the soft rubber ports of the incubator, her index finger resting gently against the baby’s palm. The tiny, fragile fingers curled instinctively around Khloe’s nail, holding on with a surprising, fierce strength.
Tears welled in Khloe’s eyes—not of pain, but of profound, overwhelming warmth.
"She has your grip," a soft voice spoke from behind her.
Khloe turned her head. Dominic stood in the doorway, his massive frame softened by the gentle light of the nursery. He had taken off his dark suit jacket, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.
"Doc Aris says her lung function improved by twenty percent overnight," Dominic said, walking over to stand beside his sister. He looked down at the tiny baby with an expression of quiet, fiercely protective wonder. "They're removing the ventilator tomorrow."
"She's strong, Dom," Khloe whispered, smiling through her tears as she stroked her daughter’s cheek. "She survived the poison. She survived the storm."
"She's a Moretti," Dominic said simply, leaning down to lay a hand on Khloe's shoulder. "Strength is in her blood."
He pulled a small silver box from his pocket and set it gently on top of the incubator stand.
Khloe looked at it. "What's this?"
"The deed to the lakefront estate in Aspen," Dominic replied. "Julian finished the security upgrades this morning. The cameras are on an isolated quantum server, the perimeter is locked, and the staff is completely vetted. When she's discharged next week, you and the baby are going home."
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Khloe looked up at her eldest brother, her heart swelling. "What about the city? What about the trial?"
"Luca is handling the prosecution," Dominic said, his dark eyes flashing with absolute resolve. "Gabriel is restructuring Mercer Global, and Matteo is clearing the last of Marcus’s debts from your name. You don't have to fight anymore, Khloe. Your brothers are taking the field."
