"We need to operate immediately," Dr. Lawson said, standing up. "If that abscess ruptures completely, the infection will flood her bloodstream. We are looking at a matter of hours before this becomes fatal."
"Do it," I said, my voice suddenly hard, stripped of all the fear and submission I had carried for years. "Save my daughter."
Just as Dr. Lawson reached for the phone on the wall to call the surgical team, the heavy wooden door to the examination room swung open with a violent crash.