The doctors faltered. Not because they didn’t care—but because they were afraid. Afraid of making the wrong move on a man like him.
Seconds stretched unbearably.
From the edge of the chaos, Mason watched.
He had seen this before—not in hospitals, but in shelters, in places where people didn’t have time to debate. He remembered a woman once saving a baby the same way.
Cold water.
Shock the body. Force it to react.
It wasn’t something written in textbooks. But he had seen it work.
Every instinct told him to stay where he was. Staying invisible kept him safe. Being seen usually meant trouble.
But if he stayed…
The baby would die.
He spotted the water cooler. A discarded plastic cup nearby.
A short distance separated him from a decision that could change everything.
Then—he moved.
He grabbed the cup. Filled it with ice-cold water. Turned toward the crowd.
“Stop!” security shouted.
He didn’t.
They lunged, but he slipped past them, quick and practiced. Survival had taught him how to move when people tried to catch him.
He dropped to his knees beside the baby.
Hands reached for him. Voices blurred into noise.
And then—
He poured the water over Ethan’s face.
For one long, terrifying second… nothing happened.