Chapter 7 - The Trial of Fire
Within two hours, Grace Parker was admitted to the private VIP pavilion at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital's partner facility in Memphis—a transfer arranged personally by Julian Vance through a two-million-dollar wire transfer to the hospital board.
The top chief of oncology and a team of six surgical specialists were assembled in the conference room by midnight.
Julian stood outside the glass wall of the Intensive Care Unit, holding a cup of untouched black coffee. Beside him, fast asleep on a plush leather sofa, lay Lily, wrapped in Julian’s heavy charcoal suit jacket, her small guitar resting against the wall.
Dr. Aris Thorne, the lead surgeon, stepped out of the ICU, pulling off his surgical cap.
"How is she?" Julian demanded instantly.
"She's stabilized, Mr. Vance," Dr. Thorne said, his tone serious yet guardedly hopeful. "The tumor in her abdomen is advanced, but it hasn't invaded the major arteries as her previous records indicated. The lack of treatment was killing her faster than the cancer itself. Malnutrition, severe anemia, systemic weakness."
"Can you operate?"
"Yes," Thorne nodded. "We’ve scheduled the surgery for tomorrow morning at six AM. With proper blood transfusions and targeted chemotherapy afterward, her survival probability rises from ten percent to seventy-five percent."
Julian let out a long, ragged breath, running his hand through his hair. "Do whatever it takes. I don't care what it costs."
"She’s a fighter, Mr. Vance," Thorne added, looking toward Lily on the couch. "And it seems she has quite a motivation."
By five o'clock the following evening, news of the event had detonated across the internet.
A leak from the American Spotlight crew had reached TMZ and the major entertainment networks. Headline news across America blasted the story:
"RUTHLESS JUDGE JULIAN VANCE GIVES GOLDEN BUZZER TO 7-YEAR-OLD STREET SINGER — UNCOVERS SHE IS HIS SECRET DAUGHTER!"
The publicity was nuclear.
Rival network executives called it a staged stunt. Gossip blogs posted fake stories claiming Grace had trapped the billionaire mogul.
When the live Grand Finale of American Spotlight arrived two weeks later in Los Angeles, the show recorded the highest viewership ratings in television history. Over forty million households tuned in live.
In the green room backstage at the Dolby Theatre, Lily sat in a small chair. She wore a simple, beautiful sky-blue dress, her curls neatly styled.
Grace stood beside her.
She was thin, her hair cut short from the initial chemo treatments, but her cheeks had color, her eyes were bright, and the life had returned to her face. The surgery had been a complete success—the tumor was eighty percent removed, with full remission expected within six months.
The heavy door opened, and Julian walked in.
He was no longer sitting at the judges' desk tonight. He had resigned from his position on the judging panel three days prior to eliminate any conflict of interest, allowing Beau Montgomery and Brianna Cole to sit with a guest judge.
Julian wore a simple black dress suit. He walked over and knelt beside Lily.
"Are you nervous, little bird?" Julian asked softly.
"No," Lily said, shaking her head. "Because my mom is sitting in the front row."
May you like
Julian smiled—a genuine, warm smile that illuminated his face—before turning to look at Grace. He stepped up, pulled Grace into his arms, and kissed her forehead gently.
"It’s time," a stage manager called from the hallway.
