Yet, some of the finest doctors in the United States regularly sat in this room, humbled as Morgan was now, by the mysteries of the human bodies they tried so hard to save. Humbled by the hubris it took to think that they could change people's fates.

Morgan sat up at the sound of the door creaking open. His green scrubs pulled at his broad shoulders and he shrugged against them. How'd it go? His voice came out in a croak.

Good. Or as good as it could be. Lexa went to the counter to get herself a cup of coffee. No one wants to hear that their child might have a genetic disorder that will follow her for the rest of her life. Still, if the daughter has the condition, you probably just saved her life as well as her father's.

She sat down across from Morgan, turning the coffee cup around in slow circles in front of her. How did you know to look for fibromuscular dysplasia? What clued you in?

Morgan rubbed the back of his neck. It was the combination of symptoms. The aneurysms for sure. Add in the tinnitus, the occasional blood pressure spikes, and the migraines, and it all came together.

For you. She took a sip of her coffee and made a face. Maybe the bitterness wasnt all in Morgans head, after all. It didn't come together for anyone else. I was thinking maybe Ehlers-Danlos or even Loeys-Dietz.

Thats great, Lexa. You were on the right track. Youd have figured out that it was something genetic. You were only one step away. Every time Morgan looked at Lexa, he saw Fiona. Lexa was about the same age as Fiona was when she'd disappeared. The coloring was there with the dark hair and blue eyes. There was more to it, though. There was an inquisitiveness, a curiosity coupled with a first-class mind.

As much as Morgan enjoyed having his resident acknowledge his expertise, he would have much rather had his little sister there next to him. Man, the team they would have made.

A step that would have been too late if Ayres had cracked his skull. Me almost diagnosing Rohr correctly after he died on the table wouldnt have given Sofia back her husband or given Catalina back her father. She bowed her head. Her dark hair glinted in the harsh fluorescent light.

Poor kid. She was way too hard on herself. She was right, though. Peoples lives were in their hands. So what kept you from making that one last step? he asked.

Lexa looked up at him. I thought I should look at environmental factors, too. Maybe hed been exposed to something at work or at home that could have triggered the aneurysms.