Chapter 86: Fading Hope
The neon lights on the medical wing ceiling flickered low. The ticking of the wall clock sounded like the strike of a sledgehammer in Frans’s ears. Forty-eight hours had passed since Xavier and Agatha were brought into the isolation ward. There was no sign they would open their eyes. Frans leaned his back against the cold wall. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep.
"Frans, you need to eat something. You'll pass out if you keep this up," Melynda said softly.
Melynda walked over, carrying a cup of black coffee. Her face looked years older than it had just two days ago. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were much deeper now.
"I’m not hungry, Ma'am. I just want to see them wake up," Frans replied.
"Doctor Pierre said Xavier’s condition is stable. It is only a matter of time before he comes around," Melynda said.
"But Agatha? She hasn't passed her critical window at all. Pierre is checking her monitors every hour," Frans said with a worried tone.
"We have to believe in their strength, Frans. They have fought this far. God won't let them give up now," Melynda whispered.
Frans took the coffee but just held it. "How is the security outside?"
"We tripled the guard. Nobody gets in without special clearance from me or you. Marco D’Angelo is probably looking for a crack in the wall, but I won’t give him one," Melynda answered firmly.
Suddenly, the alarm inside Agatha’s ICU room shrieked.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The red light above the door spun rapidly. Frans and Melynda jumped. They rushed toward the large glass window.
"Doctor! What is happening?" Frans shouted.
Dr. Pierre ran in with three nurses. His face was frantic. He immediately checked the monitor displaying Agatha’s heart rhythm.
"Her blood pressure is dropping! She is going into cardiogenic shock!" Pierre yelled to the nurses.
"Get the defibrillator ready! Move!" Pierre ordered.
"Ugh... mmmhh..." a muffled groan came from behind Agatha’s oxygen mask.
Agatha’s body began to twitch. The heart monitor showed a line that was nearly flat. The noise of medical equipment filled the room.
"Charge to two hundred joules! Everyone clear!" Pierre shouted.
"Thump!"
Agatha’s body lifted off the mattress as the electric current hit her chest. Her head slumped back onto the pillow. However, the monitor still showed a chaotic line.
"No response, Doctor!" one nurse reported.
"Go to three hundred! Do it again!" Pierre yelled. Sweat poured down his forehead.
Frans punched the ICU glass with his fist. "Agatha! Wake up! Don't give up now! Think about your baby!"
Melynda closed her eyes and began to pray with a trembling voice. "Lord, please do not take her. Not now."
"Thump!"
Agatha’s body jolted once more. Pierre stared at the monitor with his breath held. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
"Beep... beep... beep..."
The heart rhythm on the screen slowly began to regulate, even though it was still very weak. Pierre took a long breath and wiped the sweat away with his sleeve. He checked Agatha’s pupils with a small penlight.
"She’s back. She’s stable," Pierre said, sounding drained.
Pierre gave a few more instructions to the nurses before finally walking out to meet Melynda and Frans.
"What happened, Pierre? Why so sudden?" Melynda asked.
"Her body is rejecting the massive trauma she took, Ma’am. Add that to the hormonal changes from the pregnancy. This is a very difficult situation for her immune system," Pierre explained.
"Is the baby okay?" Frans asked quickly.
"The fetal heart rate dipped for a moment, but it’s back to normal now. Agatha is an incredibly strong woman. It's like her soul refuses to leave because she knows there is another life inside her," Pierre said.
"Thank you, Doctor. Thank you for saving her again," Melynda said through her tears.
"Don’t thank me yet, Ma’am. She isn't out of the woods. We have to monitor her every minute," Pierre said.
Silence fell over the hallway again. Frans sat on the floor, exhausted. The tension from moments ago had drained his energy completely. He looked at his shaking hands.
"I’m going to check on Xavier for a bit," Pierre said.
Pierre walked into the next room. Xavier lay there with layers of bandages covering his burns. His breathing looked steadier than Agatha’s. Pierre checked the IV lines and made sure there were no blockages.
"Xavier, your wife is fighting hard. You need to wake up and look after her," Pierre whispered in Xavier’s ear.
There was no response. Xavier remained silent as a grave.
Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the lobby elevator. The sound of boots hitting the marble floor was commanding. The guards in the hallway stood up straight and saluted.
"Who is coming?" Frans asked, standing up and reaching for his weapon.
Melynda looked toward the hallway. Her eyes widened when she saw who was walking toward them. An old man in an expensive gray suit with perfectly styled silver hair appeared around the corner. His face was hard and full of authority.
"Don Cardios?" Melynda whispered.
The old man stopped right in front of Melynda. Beside him stood a muscular young man with a very flat expression. The young man carried a small black briefcase.
"How is their condition, Mrs. Melynda?" Don Cardios asked in a heavy voice that vibrated through the room.
"Critical, Don. They haven't woken up yet," Melynda answered in a low voice.
Don Cardios looked toward the ICU glass. He watched Xavier and Agatha one after the other. There was no sadness on his face, only a cold, unreadable stare.
"I’ve heard everything from my spies at the D’Angelo base. Marco D’Angelo has truly lost his mind," Don Cardios said.
"He crossed the line, Don. He brainwashed Agatha and tried to kill Xavier," Frans said.
Don Cardios turned to Frans. "And you let that happen, Frans?"
Frans looked down. "That is my mistake, Don. I failed to protect them."
Don Cardios didn't respond further. He gestured to his personal aide standing beside him.
"Marco, check their medical records. I want every detail on the injuries they took," Don Cardios ordered.
The young aide gave a stiff nod. "Yes, Don."
This aide, named Marco, was a completely different person from Marco D’Angelo. He was Don Cardios’s most trusted and most lethal man.
"Doctor Pierre, give me the full report now," Marco said in a cold, unquestionable tone.
Pierre was stunned for a moment by their presence. He looked at Melynda for approval. Melynda gave a small nod.
"Follow me to the data room, Mr. Marco," Pierre said.
Don Cardios turned back to Melynda. He stepped closer and whispered right into her ear.
"I didn't just come for a visit, Melynda. I bring bad news that could destroy what’s left of the Valois estate if we don’t move fast," Don Cardios whispered.
Melynda frowned. "What news is that, Don?"
Don Cardios pulled a brown envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to Melynda.
"Read this. And don't let anyone know except Frans," Don Cardios said.
Melynda took the envelope with trembling hands. She opened it slowly and began to read the lines of text inside. Melynda’s face suddenly went pale. She looked at Don Cardios with a look of pure horror.
"This... this is impossible," Melynda whispered.
"Everything is possible for a man who has lost everything, Melynda," Don Cardios replied.
Frans tried to step closer to see the envelope, but Don Cardios blocked his path with one hand.
"It isn't time for you to know yet, young man. Right now, we have to make sure Xavier and Agatha wake up before the sun rises tomorrow," Don Cardios said.
"What do you mean, Don? The doctor said they need time to recover!" Frans protested.
Don Cardios looked at Frans with a razor-sharp gaze. "Time is a luxury we don't have. Because in twelve hours, Marco D’Angelo is going to level this place to the ground."
The atmosphere in the medical hallway turned chilling. Frans and Melynda looked at each other. The hope that had appeared when Agatha stabilized was gone, replaced by a new and bigger fear.
"Marco, get the reserve teams on the outer perimeter. Don't let a single fly in unless its head is separated from its body," Don Cardios ordered his aide.
"Already done, Don," replied Marco, who had just returned from the data room.
Don Cardios stared at the closed door to Xavier’s room.
"Wake up, Xavier. The real war is just beginning," Don Cardios muttered.