Chapter 78 — The Longest Morning
Morning arrived at the Maldivian medical center.
But it did not feel like morning.
The sky outside the hospital windows was bright blue, the ocean calm and beautiful, tourists walking along beaches far away…
Yet inside the ICU floor—
Time felt frozen.
The group had been awake all night.
No one had slept properly.
The surgery had already crossed nine hours.
The hallway lights hummed softly above their heads.
Coffee cups sat untouched on the tables.
And every few minutes someone looked up at the red surgical light above the operating room doors.
Still on.
Still burning.
Still meaning one thing.
Cole was still fighting for his life.
---
The Waiting Room
Care sat on the couch closest to the operating room doors.
She hadn't moved in almost an hour.
Her hospital blanket was wrapped tightly around her shoulders, but it didn't stop the slight tremor in her hands.
Her eyes were fixed on the red light.
Unblinking.
Beside her, JJ stood with arms crossed, pacing slowly every few minutes.
Every step she took echoed softly in the hallway.
At the far wall, Keifer leaned silently with both hands in his pockets.
He looked calm.
But anyone who knew him could see the tension in his jaw.
The blood he donated earlier had left him pale, yet he refused to sit.
Across the room—
Ash sat between Lyra and Honey, clutching a cup of tea she had never drunk.
Her eyes were red from crying earlier.
But now she just stared at the floor.
As if afraid that speaking might make something worse happen.
Near the windows—
Alex stood with folded arms, staring outside at the ocean.
He wasn't seeing the ocean.
He was remembering another surgery room weeks ago.
When Lyra had been the one inside fighting for her life.
His jaw tightened.
Because he knew exactly what this waiting felt like.
Beside him, Lyra rested against the wall quietly.
Her arm still carried faint scars from her own surgery.
She understood too well what Care was feeling.
Near the coffee machine—
Percy and Aries whispered to each other quietly.
For once, neither of them had jokes.
Neither of them had sarcasm.
They simply watched the surgical doors.
Across the room—
Rakhi and Cin sat close together.
Cin's hands were folded tightly.
A rare sight.
Normally calm and analytical, today even he looked unsettled.
Near the far end of the hall—
Freya and Endrix sat beside each other.
Freya had her phone in hand but hadn't looked at it in hours.
Endrix stared at the floor.
Thinking.
Calculating.
But even logic had limits.
Because medicine was not code.
And life was not predictable.
Nearby—
Ben and Nova were not in the waiting room.
They were inside the operating theater.
Fighting to keep Cole alive.
And everyone here knew—
If those two were struggling…
The situation was bad.
Very bad.
---
The Tenth Hour
A nurse suddenly rushed past the waiting room.
Then another.
Then two more.
Care looked up immediately.
Her heartbeat quickened.
More nurses passed.
Carrying trays.
Medical bags.
Blood packets.
JJ stopped pacing.
Keifer straightened from the wall.
The tension in the hallway thickened.
The surgical doors opened briefly.
A nurse rushed out holding empty blood containers.
She hurried toward the storage room.
Ash whispered quietly.
"Why are they rushing like that…?"
No one answered.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
---
Inside the Operating Room
Bright surgical lights burned above the table.
Machines beeped rapidly.
Doctors moved quickly around the room.
Nova's voice cut sharply through the chaos.
"Blood pressure dropping."
Ben glanced at the monitor.
"Internal bleeding restarted."
Cin adjusted the surgical tools quickly.
"We need suction here!"
Another doctor rushed forward.
The anesthesiologist checked the oxygen monitor.
"Pulse weakening."
Nova's jaw tightened.
"Clamp."
A nurse immediately handed the instrument.
Ben worked quickly beside her.
But the blood kept appearing.
Too much.
Too fast.
Cin spoke urgently.
"Heart rate unstable."
Nova's voice remained controlled.
But sharper now.
"Another blood unit."
A nurse rushed toward the supply station.
Ben glanced briefly at Cole's face.
Unconscious.
Still.
Fighting silently.
Ben whispered under his breath.
"Come on, man…"
The monitor beeped faster.
Then slower.
Then faster again.
The room filled with tension.
---
Outside the Doors
Back in the waiting room—
The surgical light flickered slightly.
Care noticed immediately.
Her breath caught.
The doors suddenly opened again.
Another doctor rushed out quickly.
"More blood!"
He disappeared down the hallway.
Ash stood up suddenly.
"What's happening?"
JJ grabbed her arm gently.
"Sit down."
But Ash shook her head.
"No. Something is wrong."
Care slowly stood from the couch.
Her legs felt weak.
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
"Why do they need more blood?"
Her voice trembled.
No one answered.
Because everyone was watching the operating room doors.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Praying.
---
Inside — The Collapse
The surgical monitor suddenly screamed.
A loud continuous alarm.
Cin looked up instantly.
"Heart rate crashing!"
Nova's eyes widened.
"No—"
Ben checked the pulse monitor.
"Cardiac arrest!"
Everything exploded into movement.
"Defibrillator!"
A nurse rushed forward.
The paddles were placed against Cole's chest.
Nova stepped back slightly.
"Clear!"
The shock hit.
Cole's body jolted slightly.
The monitor showed nothing.
Flat.
A single continuous line.
The room froze.
Then—
"Again!"
The paddles charged.
"Clear!"
Another shock.
The line flickered.
Then flattened again.
Ben whispered hoarsely.
"Come on…"
Nova clenched her jaw.
"Again!"
Shock.
Nothing.
Cin checked the pulse again.
His voice came quietly.
"No response."
Nova looked at the monitor.
Then at the clock.
Ten hours and forty-two minutes.
Her hands slowly lowered.
The room became silent.
The machines stopped beeping.
The flatline echoed softly.
Nova spoke quietly.
"Time of death…"
---
The Doors Open
In the hallway—
Everyone looked up.
The operating room doors slowly opened.
Nova stepped out first.
Her surgical mask hung loosely around her neck.
Her gloves were stained red.
Ben came out behind her.
Cin followed.
Their faces said everything.
Before anyone spoke.
Before any words came.
Care already knew.
She took one step forward.
Her voice barely audible.
"…No."
Nova looked at her.
Her eyes full of quiet sorrow.
"We tried everything."
Care shook her head slowly.
"No."
Ben looked down at the floor.
Cin gently removed his glasses.
Care's breathing became uneven.
"That's not possible."
Her voice cracked.
"You said he was stable."
Nova stepped closer.
"We lost him."
The words shattered the hallway.
Care screamed.
A raw, broken scream that echoed through the hospital.
"No!"
She ran toward the operating room.
JJ tried to stop her.
"Care—"
But Care pushed past everyone.
She burst through the surgical doors.
Inside the room—
Cole lay on the table.
Motionless.
The monitor beside him showed a flat line.
Care stumbled toward him.
Her hands shaking violently.
She grabbed his arm.
Cold.
Her voice broke completely.
"Wake up!"
Nothing.
Tears streamed down her face.
"You promised me!"
Her scream echoed through the room.
"You said I wouldn't die!"
Her knees collapsed beside the table.
JJ rushed inside behind her.
Percy and Aries followed.
Keifer grabbed Care before she hit the floor completely.
But she fought against him desperately.
"No!"
She reached toward Cole again.
"You idiot!"
Her voice shattered.
"You weren't supposed to leave me!"
JJ held her shoulders tightly.
"Care—"
But Care was screaming.
Crying uncontrollably.
Her whole body shaking.
Ash stood frozen at the doorway.
Her hands covering her mouth.
Lyra leaned against Alex for support.
Honey cried quietly.
Freya turned away.
Endrix lowered his head.
The entire room filled with grief.
And Care—
Collapsed completely in Keifer's arms.
Still crying.
Still calling Cole's name.
But the room stayed silent.
Because the monitor beside him—
Still showed nothing.
Just a single straight line.