“The patient’s heart has stopped, prepare for defibrillation!”
Upon hearing this, Finn fell off his wheelchair, his knees hitting the ground, a sharp pain shooting through his legs as if they had been severed.
The male nurse tried to help him up, but Finn pushed him away, determined to make his way to the operating room despite the excruciating pain with each step.
Each step felt like struggling in a thicket as a dying beast, his body wracked with agony.
“Increase the defibrillation!”
Aoife’s body convulsed under the shock, her face still pale and lifeless.
“No!” Finn’s hands clenched tightly, unable to stop his fingers from trembling. “Aoife, please, don’t give up on yourself. Please, live…”
After three minutes of resuscitation, the doctors were on the verge of giving up when the flatlined heartbeat on the monitor suddenly surged back to life.
The doctors breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but their brows remained furrowed.
This time, Finn didn’t struggle anymore. He was helped back onto his wheelchair by the male nurse, watching as the doctors came out. He quickly grabbed someone and asked, “Is Aoife out of danger now?”
The doctors shook their heads. “Not yet. Situations like the one just now could happen anytime.”
As the flickering flames of hope were once again extinguished, Finn dared not think of Aoife experiencing another episode of a stopped heart. He would surely lose his mind.
Ignoring the pleas, Finn stayed by Aoife’s side in the room, this time keeping silent, afraid that his voice might repel her from waking up.
The doctors noticed Finn’s ailing knees, hearing that he had knelt outside for more than eight hours and had fallen off his wheelchair just now.
A normal person wouldn’t be able to endure half an hour of kneeling, let alone eight hours. There was once a person who knelt on the cement ground for four hours, crippling his legs for life. Even now, he limped when he walked.
And Finn knelt for eight hours…
The doctors couldn’t afford to delay. If something happened to Finn here, they might be in big trouble when he came to. No one would doubt Finn’s vengeful heart.
Finally, the head of the hospital approached Finn. “Mr. Snearl, let’s get your legs checked. It seems the injury is serious.”
“I’m fine,” Finn replied hoarsely, his attention solely on Aoife. His body felt numb as if he had lost awareness.
“Let’s just have a quick look.”
Reluctantly, Finn rolled up his pant leg, revealing a swollen knee that looked like it had been injected with water.
“Mr. Snearl, your legs need prompt attention. Let’s get an X-ray now.”
Only now did Finn notice his legs. He knew the severity of his injuries better than anyone. Despite the time that had passed, he still couldn’t stand up. The legs were numb and felt broken.
“I understand the situation. Don’t worry, I won’t hold the hospital accountable for any outcome,” Finn said, gazing at his legs. “If they’re useless, then so be it.”
If Aoife didn’t make it, his legs wouldn’t matter. If she did, his broken legs would serve as his punishment. If she woke up and wanted to leave him, it would be easier for her to go.
After all, a lame person couldn’t catch up with a determined one.
Finn stayed awake by Aoife’s side for 42 hours, his mind throbbing as though it might explode, but thankfully, there were no more instances of her heart stopping.
The next day, the doctors conducted a thorough examination in the early morning and informed Finn that Aoife’s condition had improved significantly. As long as she made it through the next four to five days, the critical period would be over.
Surviving the critical period meant no immediate danger to life, but it also meant the uncertainty of whether Aoife would wake up or remain in a vegetative state.
The ones responsible for pulling Aoife through the crisis were the tireless doctors and every living cell in her body.
Finn nodded, unable to push himself any further. His mind briefly blacked out, and he slept for four hours.
Seeing Finn asleep, the doctors had him taken for a leg examination.
Fractured patella, knee damage. The legs were a bit tricky to treat, as Finn showed reluctance to receive proper care until Aoife woke up. By then, he had missed the optimal treatment window. Even if they cured him now, his knee would ache on cold days, and he would forever walk with a limp.
When Finn woke up, he first froze, then immediately tried to find Aoife. Attempting to move his legs, he gasped in shock.
His two legs could only move at the thigh; the lower legs were completely immobile.
His struggles caught the attention of a nurse who called for a doctor.
After a brief explanation of Finn’s leg condition, the severity was not exaggerated to frighten him.
Finn remained calm. “I understand.”
Nothing more?
Finn simply stated, “If I’m lame, then so be it.”
“How’s Aoife?”
“Miss Powell showed no changes during your four-hour sleep.”
“Good.”
Aoife was transferred out of the critical care room to a regular ward but remained unconscious.
Finn dreaded the thought of Aoife turning into a vegetable. As of now, all he could do was place his hopes in a higher power.
The world was strange, pushing those who wanted to live towards death and desperately saving those who wished for death.
A week after the incident, Aoife woke up, and Finn hadn’t left her side throughout that time. His knee had only received basic wound care.
Despite the constant reassurance from those around him that Aoife would wake up, Finn couldn’t bear her prolonged slumber.
He was caught in a dilemma, like a trapped beast facing insurmountable odds. What if Aoife didn’t wake up? What if she did?
He didn’t know how to face Aoife, but one thing was certain – he’d rather have her alive, than see her in this state.
Finn gently held Aoife’s hand, sometimes finding a whole day encapsulated in that touch. She appeared serene like a statue, but suddenly her fingers twitched.
Finn noticed immediately and rang for assistance. The ordinary ward had been turned into a special observation room, and doctors promptly arrived at the sound of the bell.
“Mr. Snearl, what’s…”
Finn interrupted, “Aoife’s fingers moved. Is she waking up?”
The doctor’s expression turned serious. “Let me check.”
As Aoife gradually regained consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes, staring stiffly at the ceiling and flinching when the light hit her eyes. With her vision restored, her hearing returned as well, but she was bewildered by the noisy surroundings.
Aoife’s eyes, once weathered by time, now sparkled with fear but also a hint of innocence, like a newborn deer, timid and uncertain.
“Miss Powell has woken up.”
Finn gripped the wheelchair’s armrest, trying to stand up to reach Aoife, but found himself unable to.
It wasn’t just his legs that prevented him from standing, but also the fear in his heart about how to face Aoife.
After much struggle, Finn finally pushed his wheelchair to Aoife’s side.
With a breathing apparatus on her face, Aoife was breathing heavily, a mist forming above her. Terrified, she calmed down upon seeing Finn, reaching out to hold his hand and silently mouthed a familiar name.
“Ethan.”