Chapter 8
588words
"Ember, Ember…" His bloodshot eyes were filled with tears as he grasped her cold, lifeless hand, desperately trying to warm her unresponsive body.
Doctors and nurses rushed over, hastily placing Ember on a stretcher and wheeling her to the emergency room.
"Ember, you can't leave me. Please, I'm begging you!
"Don't die, Ember. Don't die. I'm begging you, please don't die…" Atlas followed closely behind, his voice trembling uncontrollably as he spoke.
"The patient has multiple fractures in all four limbs, with severe damage to the legs.
"Her internal organs are ruptured, causing massive internal bleeding, and her brain has suffered significant trauma.
"She's losing blood fast—prepare for a transfusion immediately!"
Each word from the doctors hit Atlas like a hammer, and his legs nearly gave out beneath him. The light above the operating room turned on, and the doors closed, shutting him out.
Atlas couldn't bring himself to imagine a world without Ember…
No. He refused to believe it!
Kaylee approached him and gently patted his back. "Atlas, don't worry. Ember is strong. She'll pull through. I'm sure of it. If you stress yourself out, your parents will be so worried about you."
Though her words sounded caring, inwardly, Kaylee was celebrating.
Finally, that meddling Ember was going to die! Once she was gone, the position of Mrs. Ferguson would be hers for the taking.
Even though Atlas seemed heartbroken now, she was confident that she could win his heart entirely with time.
Ember would be nothing but a corpse—how could she compete with her? The thought filled her with such glee that she almost laughed aloud.
But at that moment, Atlas wasn't paying attention to Kaylee's attempts to comfort him. His mind was consumed with worry for Ember. He paced the hallway relentlessly as he made call after call to contact specialists from around the world.
"We have to save Ember. I'll spare no expense and no effort. Whatever it takes, I just want her to stand in front of me again…"
Lost in his desperation, he failed to notice the stairs ahead and missed a step, tumbling down violently.
Kaylee screamed and rushed toward him. "Atlas!"
As his consciousness was fading, Atlas was still murmuring, "Ember, you can't… You can't leave me…"
When Atlas woke up, he was drenched in cold sweat.
He had dreamed of Ember. Her body was covered in blood, and her face was streaked with tears as she slowly disappeared before him.
He had tried to grasp her hand, reaching desperately, but she still managed to slip away no matter how hard he tried.
Jerking awake, Atlas threw off the covers, ready to bolt out of bed.
"Ember! Ember, where are you?"
But the next moment, he collapsed to the floor as a searing pain shot through his knees.
Kaylee, who was by his bedside, rushed to help him up. "Atlas, your legs are fractured. You need to stay in bed and rest. Please, take care of yourself first, won't you?"
But Atlas ignored her words entirely. He clutched her hand tightly, his grip so firm that Kaylee winced in pain.
"Atlas, you're hurting me!"
"Where's Ember? I need to see Ember!"
Seeing his frantic state, Kaylee gritted her teeth and finally said, "Ember… is in a vegetative state now!"
Atlas froze, and his eyes widened with disbelief. "What did you say?"
