Chapter 104: A Gamble of Lives
Pierre wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The emergency light glinted off the rows of glass bottles atop the rough wooden table. He picked up a large syringe and filled it with clear liquid from the last remaining bottle. The doctor’s hands were still trembling slightly. He knew the bottle that had shattered earlier was their only backup.
"Mr. Xavier, please press down on Mrs. Agatha’s shoulders. Do not let her move too much while this fluid is entering her system," Pierre instructed. His voice was thick with tension.
Xavier immediately stood at the head of the bed. He gripped his wife’s shoulders with firm hands. His eyes never left Agatha’s face, which had turned as white as paper. "Do it, Pierre. Do not waste any more time."
Pierre inserted the needle into the IV line connected to Agatha’s arm. "This fluid will feel like it is burning, ma’am. Please, fight the pain."
A second later, Agatha’s body jolted violently.
"Ah! It burns! Xavier, it’s so hot!" Agatha screamed. Her voice pierced the silence of the room. Her eyes flew open. The muscles in her neck corded until the veins were clearly visible.
"Hold her tighter, sir!" Pierre shouted. He continued to press the plunger of the syringe slowly.
Xavier pinned Agatha’s body down with his own weight to keep her from falling off the table. "I am here, Agatha! Hold my hand! You can do this!"
"Ah! Ugh. No. Stop. Xavier, it hurts too much. Ah!" Agatha raved. She began to thrash. Her legs kicked at the air. The sound of her shoes scraping against the wooden table echoed repeatedly.
Brak!
One piece of medical equipment at the edge of the table fell due to Agatha’s movements. Xavier ignored it. He continued to whisper words of encouragement into Agatha’s ear, even though his own heart was breaking at the sight of her suffering.
"Pierre! Why is she like this? You said there would only be a slight reaction!" Xavier barked. His face was flushed with emotion and exhaustion.
"This is a forced cellular detoxification, sir! Her blood cells are fighting the neutralizer. I cannot speed it up!" Pierre replied without looking away. The doctor’s eyes were fixed on the small monitor showing the graph of Agatha’s heart rate.
Pip. Pip. Pip. Pip.
The beeping of the monitor quickened. The green line jumped up and down erratically.
"Her heart rate is too high, Pierre! She won’t be able to take it!" Xavier yelled again. He saw tears begin to leak from the corners of Agatha’s tightly closed eyes.
Agatha gripped Xavier’s shirt sleeve until the fabric tore. "Xavier. Our baby. Ah! My stomach. It feels like it is being sliced open. Ugh. Mmh."
Pierre looked at the urine bag under the table. The fluid flowing there was still dark and murky, a sign that the toxin still dominated. "We have to increase the dose slightly. This is the final risk."
"No! Look at her condition! You will kill her if you increase the dose!" Xavier released one hand from Agatha’s shoulder and grabbed Pierre’s collar. "Enough! Stop everything!"
"Sir, if I stop now, the toxins that have already broken down will return to the heart and brain. It will be fatal within seconds!" Pierre defended himself. His eyes met Xavier’s with sheer determination.
"I don’t care! I would rather lose the baby than lose her! Pierre, just save Agatha! Stop the procedure for the baby!" Xavier ordered with a thundering voice.
Agatha, who had seemed on the verge of losing consciousness, suddenly opened her eyes. She reached for Xavier’s hand as it gripped Pierre. Strength surged from somewhere unknown.
"Don’t. Don’t stop. Ah. Ugh," Agatha struggled to speak through her gasping breath.
"Agatha, you cannot go on like this. You will die!" Xavier said. His voice was now pleading.
"No. Xavier. This child must survive. Continue, Pierre. I am ordering you. Continue!" Agatha screamed with the last of her strength. She glared at Pierre, signaling the doctor to ignore her husband.
Xavier stared at his wife in disbelief. "You are insane, Agatha! You are gambling with your own life!"
"We promised. Xavier. Do not let. This child die. Ah! Ah!" Agatha arched her back again. The new wave of pain that hit seemed far stronger than before.
Pierre did not wait any longer. He took the additional dose and injected it into the IV line. "Forgive me, Mr. Xavier. I must follow the patient’s wishes."
The room was filled once more with Agatha’s groans. Xavier could only cradle his wife’s head, letting her hair become soaked with their mingled sweat and tears. He felt utterly helpless. The world seemed to consist only of this wooden table, the sharp scent of antiseptic, and Agatha’s ragged breathing.
"Mmh. Ah. Xavier. Hold my stomach," Agatha whispered.
Xavier placed his hand over Agatha’s belly. He could feel her stomach muscles hardening. Beneath his palm, there was a small life fighting alongside her against the harsh chemicals entering their system.
Ten minutes passed like hours. The sound of the heart monitor began to slow gradually. Pip. Pip. Pip.
"Sir, look at the waste bag," Pierre said in a low voice.
Xavier looked down. The fluid flowing through the drainage tube was no longer dark. Its color had turned to a normal, clear yellow. Pierre immediately checked a small blood sample from Agatha’s fingertip using a rapid test kit.
The seconds of waiting were agonizing. Xavier held his breath. Pierre stared at the test device without blinking.
"It worked," Pierre whispered. He let out a long breath as if the entire weight on his shoulders had just been lifted. "All the toxin has been cleared from Mrs. Agatha’s system. Every bit of it."
Xavier immediately went limp. He rested his head beside Agatha’s pillow. "Thank you. Thank God."
Agatha was no longer struggling. Her body lay limp on the table. Her breath was still short, but it had begun to regulate. She turned slowly toward Xavier and gave a very thin smile, one that was almost invisible.
"Our child?" Agatha asked faintly.
Pierre quickly took a handheld Doppler and pressed it to Agatha’s stomach. He moved the device with extreme precision. The room became deathly silent. Everyone held their breath to listen for the one sound that mattered most.
Dug dug. Dug dug. Dug dug.
The sound of a fast, strong heartbeat echoed from the Doppler’s small speaker. It was not Agatha’s heart. It was the heartbeat of the fetus developing inside her.
"He is still there, ma’am. He is a very strong fighter, just like his mother," Pierre said with a wide smile.
Agatha closed her eyes again. This time, it was with a sense of peace. Tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. Xavier kissed Agatha’s hand repeatedly. He felt as though he had just regained his world, which had almost been lost.
"Rest, Agatha. You did it," Xavier whispered.
Pierre began tidying his medical equipment. He removed the IV needle and bandaged the injection site on Agatha’s arm. "We must move her to the upstairs bedroom where it is more comfortable. She needs to sleep for a few hours to regain her energy."