The hallway got busy as doctors rushed towards the ward, nurses shouted out in alarm.
Code blue!
ICU!
Patient in distress!
Voices overlapped, blending into a blur of sound and instructions as medical staff pushed aside everyone in their path.
Equipment was wheeled in, defibrillators prepared, hands moving with trained precision.
"Vacate the ward!"
"Activate resuscitation!"
"Please leave the ward for a moment," the nurses said as they ushered them out of the ward, and the door shut with a soft thud as they commenced resuscitation.
Alex stood frozen at the door, his thoughts spun. The doctor's word echoed in his head.
"Her organs are already weak, I doubt she would survive for another month...Mr. Alex do you still want her to remain under treatment?"
He had inhaled deeply, his gaze flickered with unknown light. "It was just for another month, what's there to worry about?"
Cyndi's stared at the shut door, her heart raced with mixed feelings.
Over the years, Sonia had been her friend, though she was adopted, her family wasn't quite rich or influential to compare to her family the Whyte family but she had always been exceptional.
Cyndi always hates to admit it but she was envious of Sonia. Envious she doesn't have to stress on getting whatever she wants.
They were childhood friends who grew and bonded in the same neighbourhood; they shared every bit of their life together.
For Sonia she was her best friend but for Cyndi she only wanted to keep the friendship.
But the last straw was four years ago.
Four years ago, when the Hort family's matriarch chose Sonia as their daughter-in-law.
A decision she made after Sonia coincidentally saved her life in a life threatening accident, she had been hurt and hospitalized.
After her discharge, rather than a cash reward, she had given Sonia to her grandson… Alex Hort.
Cyndi's crush for five years, but she never had the opportunity to come close to him or even express her feelings.
As though fate was on her side, their paths had crossed a few months before the matriarch's order.
An order her grandson could never object to… not for a lifetime. Just like that… the love she hoped to build was taken away before it took root.
Cyndi was never reconciled with such an outcome. At first, she didn't expect Sonia to be the chosen bride until she asked her to be her chief bridesmaid in a week's time.
Alex leaned on the wall, staring at the door, his eyes boring holes into it. He would have preferred to be inside and watch the resuscitation.
Cyndi glanced at him, then at the shut door; she sighed. She was certain he was mustering all strength to keep his calm.
She had always known Alex was soft-hearted towards Sonia… or maybe had already fallen in love with her and never understood that.
Well that's to her advantage.
Her fist clenched at the thought that even at this moment… Sonia was still interfering, making him anxious.
"Honey," she said softly, stepping closer. "She is dead, right?"
Alex looked at her but said nothing. The words refused to leave his mouth. He couldn't bring himself to say it…
"It's usually said when the heart monitor flattens… it only means one thing," she pressed.
"It's noisy," he snapped, turning away.
He needed silence.
He needed space to sort through the chaos inside him.
And listening to Cyndi rant… shouldn't be part of it. Her impatience, her certainty was unbearable. A truth he didn't want to brush at all.
If nothing else, it was he who lost his wife. And he had to live like one…grieve like one… if only for this moment.
"Alex," Cyndi followed him, her voice tightening. "You can't be grieving her. This was supposed to be our dream come true. We waited for this moment, remember?"
"Cyndi, we are in the hospital and you should be careful what you say...walls have ears." Alex warned coldly and walked away.
"I didn't mean anything else but it would save every one time if she dies now... not like she can change the situation." She said with a pout.
Alex's footsteps faltered; in fury, he slammed his fist into the wall, his fist split, blood trailing down, but he didn't feel the pain. "Can you just shut up?"
"Alex," she gasped and blocked his path, anxiously checking on the injury. "Quick, let's go and have it treated."
"There's no need to," he smirked, taking his hand away from her grasp.
Inside, the situation was dire.
Panic and tension riddled the room as the doctors worked frantically to control the situation.
"Hurry, increase the oxygen level." The doctor instructed hopefully.
But just as the commands left the doctor's lips. The line on the monitor flattened.
The sharp, rhythmic sound that had anchored reality moments ago vanished, leaving behind an eerie silence that screamed louder than any alarm.
For a fraction of a second, the world seemed to freeze. The air in the ICU thickened, pressing down on everyone present like an unseen weight.
Their shoulders sagged with helplessness, their heart throbbed painfully.
No two ways about it...they had just lost a patient.
"Time of death?" A doctor asked.
"2:55pm." The nurse at the foot of the bed answered.
One by one they left the ward, their heads bowed in defeat, and in no time...it was a doctor and a nurse that remained.
The nurse reached for the oxygen mask.
"Wait?" Kelvin's voice cut through the silent ward.
His red eyes darted between the pale face and the monitor.
"Doctor..." An elderly nurse called softly.
He shook his head. "I am okay...just a moment" He muttered unsure if he really is or what he was expecting.
"You've always taken care of her...otherwise she wouldn't have lived to this time."
He scoffed. "But I still failed to save her."
After what felt like eternity, the doctor stepped out of the ward, his eyes cold and emotionless.
He slowly pulled his mask off, his gaze flickered between Cyndi and Alex.
"Kel, you are here," Alex asked, his voice trembling. "What's the situation?"