The ambulance screeched to a violent halt in front of the ER lobby. The rear doors swung wide, and the medical team leaped out. "Patient is in critical condition! Sudden cardiac arrest, prep the OR now!" shouted one of the medics who remained atop the gurney, relentlessly pumping Leo's chest with rhythmic, powerful CPR.
Celine jumped down after them, her feet nearly tripping as she sprinted to keep up with the gurney as it was raced down the hospital corridors. Her eyes never left Leo's deathly pale face or the oxygen mask now clouded with a thin mist.
"Leo... please... don't go." The words echoed through her mind, the only prayer she could piece together amidst the paralyzing panic.
As the gurney was shoved into the operating room and the automatic doors shut with a final, booming thud, the strength in Celine's legs suddenly vanished. She collapsed onto the cold hospital floor. Her shoulders shook violently. She covered her face with hands still stained with Leo's drying blood.
