Chapter 85: Life on the Edge
Three black SUVs sped through the main gates of the Valois estate. The tires screeched as they came to a sudden halt in front of the lobby. Dozens of heavily armed guards immediately formed a tight perimeter. Their faces were tense. Their eyes scanned every corner of the surrounding woods.
"Brak!"
A car door flew open. Frans jumped out, carrying Agatha’s limp body in his arms. Her black clothes had turned a deep, dark red.
"Doctor Pierre! Get over here, now!" Frans shouted, his voice raspy.
Melynda followed from the car behind. She supported Xavier, who was constantly coughing up blood. Xavier tried to stay conscious, but his eyes kept rolling back. His head slumped onto his mother’s shoulder.
"Hurry! Get them to the underground medical wing!" Melynda ordered.
Dr. Pierre ran out of the lobby doors. He carried a medical bag and was followed by four nurses pushing steel gurneys. The old doctor’s face turned pale when he saw the state of his two patients.
"Get them on here! Do not move them too much!" Pierre yelled.
"Agatha threw up a lot of blood, Doc. Xavier too!" Frans said as he moved Agatha onto the gurney.
"Agatha’s breathing is very shallow, Mr. Frans. We need to get her on oxygen immediately!" Pierre said while checking Agatha’s pulse.
"Do whatever it takes! Save them both!" Melynda commanded with a shaking voice.
"I will do my absolute best, Ma'am. Everyone, please clear out of the medical wing!" Pierre said firmly.
They pushed the two gurneys into a private elevator. The red light above the door flashed, signaling an emergency procedure. Frans stood frozen in front of the elevator doors. His hands were covered in the dried blood of his two best friends.
Somewhere else, in a dark room filled with monitors, Marco stood still. He stared at a screen that now only showed static. The hiss of radio frequency filled the room.
"Brak!"
Marco slammed the earpiece that had been connected to Agatha onto the floor. He stomped on the small device until it was crushed into pieces. His rage boiled over, turning his face bright red.
"How is this possible? How could the brainwashing just disappear?" Marco growled.
"Forgive me, Sir. It seems there was an emotional trigger from the subject, Xavier, that was too strong," a man reported from in front of a computer.
"I gave her the maximum dose! She was supposed to be a heartless killing machine! She was supposed to finish Xavier without a second thought!" Marco screamed while slamming his fist onto the desk.
"Agatha’s mental strength was beyond our projections, Sir. She forcibly rejected the system’s commands from within her own mind. That is what caused her to scream hysterically before she finally snapped out of it," the man explained.
"Damn it! I lost The Rose just because of some trashy words from a dying man?" Marco laughed sarcastically. The sound was chilling.
"What is the next plan, Sir? Our team at the cabin was wiped out," the man asked.
"Tighten the surveillance on the Valois estate. They cannot hide forever. If I cannot have her as a weapon, then no one will," Marco said with a cold stare.
Back at the Valois estate, the hallway outside the operating room was dead silent. The only sound was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Melynda sat in a waiting chair with her head down. She gripped a handkerchief that was soaked with tears.
"Frans, drink some water. You are hurt too," Melynda said softly.
Frans shook his head. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "My injuries are nothing compared to theirs, Ma'am."
"Why is Pierre taking so long in there?" Melynda asked.
"The surgery must be heavy, Ma'am. Xavier has serious burns and internal bleeding. Agatha also took blunt force trauma to her chest and head," Frans explained.
"I am scared, Frans. I am scared of losing them both at once," Melynda whispered.
"Xavier is a fighter. So is Agatha. They have been through so much. They will make it," Frans said, trying to stay calm.
The door to the operating room opened slightly. A nurse ran out, looking frantic. Her face was dripping with sweat.
"Nurse! How are they?" Melynda asked, standing up.
"Mr. Xavier needs a blood donor immediately. Our medical bank is running low on his type because the bleeding was so severe," the nurse answered quickly.
"Take mine! My blood type is the same as my son’s!" Melynda cried out.
"Follow me right now, Ma'am," the nurse said.
Melynda followed the nurse inside. Frans was left alone in the hallway. He stared at the closed steel doors. His mind drifted back to what happened at the cabin. He remembered how Agatha slaughtered Marco’s men with that terrifying rage.
Two hours passed. Dr. Pierre stepped out of the operating room. He pulled off his surgical mask. He looked exhausted. There were spots of blood on his forehead.
"Doctor? How are they?" Frans asked, stepping closer.
Pierre took a long breath. He rubbed his face with his palms. "The situation is critical, Frans. Xavier just passed the most dangerous point after that transfusion. His burns are cleaned up, but we have to monitor the internal bleeding in his lungs very closely."
"What about Agatha?" Frans asked.
"Agatha is much more difficult. Her blood pressure keeps dropping. It felt like she lost the will to fight at first. But luckily, her heart rate is starting to stabilize even though she is still in a coma," Pierre explained.
"Can I see them?" Melynda asked, walking out of the donor room.
"Let them rest in the private ICU first, Ma'am. Their condition is still very vulnerable to infection," Pierre answered.
"But they will survive, right?" Melynda asked with watery eyes.
"We can only wait for the next twenty-four hours. That will be the deciding factor for both of them," Pierre said.
Frans walked toward the large glass window looking into the ICU. He saw Xavier and Agatha lying side by side. Cables and tubes were attached to their bodies. The steady beep from the heart monitors sounded lonely and sad.
"They look so fragile," Frans muttered.
"Ugh... mmmhh..." a faint groan came from Agatha’s direction through the monitor speakers.
Pierre immediately rushed back into the room. He checked Agatha’s monitor carefully. He saw a graph on the screen showing unusual activity. The doctor frowned.
"What is it, Doc?" Frans asked from behind the glass.
Pierre did not answer. He grabbed a portable ultrasound machine from the corner of the room. He applied cold gel to Agatha’s stomach, which was still covered in purple bruises. Pierre moved the probe slowly.
Melynda and Frans watched with held breath. Pierre was silent for a long time as he stared at the small screen. His eyes widened. He checked the graph over and over again.
"What is it, Pierre? Is there more bleeding in her stomach?" Melynda asked, panicking.
Pierre turned off the machine. He looked toward the glass with an expression that was hard to read. He walked out to meet Melynda and Frans.
"What is going on? Say something!" Frans shouted.
Pierre pulled off his latex gloves slowly. He looked at Melynda with a deep gaze.
"Mrs. Melynda, I found something while I was checking the internal bleeding in her abdomen," Pierre said.
"What is it? Is the injury that bad?" Melynda asked.
"It is not the bleeding I am talking about. Agatha is experiencing a miracle in the middle of this crisis," Pierre replied.
"What do you mean?" Frans asked, confused.
Pierre took a deep breath. He held Melynda’s shoulder for a moment.
"Agatha is pregnant, Ma'am. She is about six weeks along," Pierre said.
Melynda covered her mouth with both hands. Frans stood frozen. The hallway suddenly became deathly quiet.
"What?" Melynda whispered in disbelief.
"Yes, Ma'am. There is another life inside Agatha’s body fighting right along with her," Pierre said.
Melynda looked back through the glass. Her tears fell even faster now. She looked at Agatha, who was lying there so still.
"Xavier needs to know this," Frans muttered softly.
Pierre shook his head weakly. "We have to save the mother first before we think about that. This pregnancy is very high-risk because of the physical trauma she went through."
"Agatha... oh God," Melynda sobbed.
Pierre looked back at Agatha’s heart monitor, which was still beating weakly.
"That is exactly why she needs to wake up as soon as possible," Pierre said.