Chapter 177 CHAPTER 177: A LIFE SAVED A FUTURE LOST
The drive back from the prison felt longer than the one Wayne had taken earlier that day.
The city lights blurred past the windshield, glowing faintly through the thin layer of rain that had begun to fall. The rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers filled the silence of the car.
Wayne barely noticed.
His mind was still replaying the encounter with Calvin.
The arrogance.
The hatred.
The twisted belief that everything somehow belonged to him.
Wayne tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
He will never touch them again.
That promise echoed inside his chest like a vow carved in stone.
But as the hospital came into view, towering against the dark sky, another feeling pushed through the anger.
Fear.
The kind of fear that had lived inside him since the moment Elara collapsed in his arms.
He parked quickly and stepped out, the cool night air hitting his face. Without hesitation, he walked through the hospital doors and toward the elevators that would take him back to the ICU.
His heart pounded harder with every step.
When Wayne reached Elara’s room, he paused at the doorway.
The room was dimly lit.
Machines hummed softly.
But something was different.
The nurse standing beside the bed smiled when she saw him.
“She moved her fingers again,” she whispered.
Wayne froze.
“What?”
The nurse nodded.
“It’s a good sign. Her body is responding.”
Wayne stepped closer to the bed, his heart racing.
Elara lay exactly where she had been for days, pale but peaceful, her chest rising and falling with the steady rhythm of the ventilator.
But when Wayne gently took her hand…
Her fingers twitched.
Just slightly.
But it was enough.
Wayne felt his chest tighten with emotion.
“Elara,” he whispered.
He leaned closer.
“Baby… can you hear me?”
Another small movement.
Wayne’s breath caught.
Tears immediately filled his eyes.
“That’s it,” he murmured softly. “Come back to me.”
The nurse quietly stepped out of the room to give him space.
Wayne gently brushed Elara’s hair away from her face.
“You scared me,” he whispered.
“You scared the hell out of me.”
His voice trembled slightly.
“But you’re still here.”
He pressed his forehead gently against her hand.
“And that’s all that matters.”
A short while later, Wayne walked down the hallway to the neonatal unit.
The warm room greeted him again, filled with quiet machines and tiny incubators.
Their daughter was still there.
Still fighting.
Still strong.
Wayne walked to her incubator and smiled faintly.
“Hey, princess,” he whispered.
The tiny baby moved slightly, stretching her tiny fingers.
Wayne chuckled softly.
“You’re stubborn.”
He leaned closer.
“You get that from your mother.”
A nurse approached with a warm smile.
“She gained a little weight today.”
Wayne’s face lit up.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“She’s improving faster than we expected.”
Wayne exhaled slowly, relief washing over him.
“Good,” he whispered.
“She has to meet her mom properly soon.”
When Wayne returned to Elara’s room, a doctor was waiting there.
Dr. Bennett.
The lead surgeon who had operated on Elara.
Wayne immediately sensed something serious in the man’s expression.
“How is she?” Wayne asked.
Dr. Bennett folded his hands.
“There’s good news.”
Wayne held his breath.
“Her brain activity is improving,” the doctor said. “The small movements you noticed are signs that she may wake up soon.”
Wayne’s shoulders relaxed slightly.
“That’s good.”
But the doctor’s expression didn’t change.
“There’s also something we need to discuss.”
Wayne’s stomach tightened.
“What is it?”
Dr. Bennett took a breath.
“The bullet entered through her lower back and caused severe internal damage before we were able to remove it.”
Wayne’s heart began to pound again.
“We had to perform emergency surgery to save her life and the baby.”
“I know,” Wayne said quietly.
The doctor nodded.
“And during that surgery… we had to repair significant trauma to her reproductive organs.”
Wayne’s brow furrowed slightly.
“What are you saying?”
The doctor met his eyes.
“It’s very unlikely she will ever be able to carry another pregnancy.”
The words hung in the air like a heavy weight.
Wayne stared at him.
For a moment, he didn’t respond.
He simply processed the information slowly.
“She… can’t have children again?” Wayne asked quietly.
Dr. Bennett shook his head gently.
“The damage was extensive. Even if she physically recovers, another pregnancy would be extremely dangerous for her life.”
Wayne looked down at Elara.
At her pale face.
At the machines keeping her alive.
A strange calm settled over him.
“She’s alive,” he said quietly.
The doctor nodded.
“Yes.”
Wayne exhaled slowly.
“Then that’s enough.”
Dr. Bennett studied him for a moment.
“You’re taking this well.”
Wayne looked back at him.
“We already have our daughter.”
He gestured slightly toward Elara.
“And I almost lost her.”
His voice grew softer.
“If having more children means risking her life… then we’re done.”
The doctor gave a small approving nod.
“That’s a very mature perspective.”
Wayne shrugged slightly.
“It’s not complicated.”
He squeezed Elara’s hand.
“She’s my life.”
After the doctor left, Wayne sat down beside the bed again.
The room was quiet.
He gently rubbed his thumb across Elara’s hand.
“You heard that, didn’t you?” he murmured softly.
He gave a small smile.
“I know you.”
“You’re probably already planning how to argue with the doctor about it.”
Wayne chuckled softly.
“But honestly?”
He leaned closer.
“I don’t care.”
He brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“We have our daughter.”
His voice softened with emotion.
“And that’s enough for me.”
He rested his forehead against her hand again.
“You just need to wake up.”
Hours passed.
Wayne refused to leave the room.
Late into the night, as the hospital grew quiet, something happened.
Elara’s eyelids fluttered.
Wayne noticed immediately.
“Elara?”
Her fingers moved again.
Her breathing shifted slightly.
Wayne stood up quickly.
“Hey… hey…”
Her eyes slowly opened.
Weak.
Confused.
But awake.
Wayne felt his heart nearly explode with relief.
“Elara,” he whispered.
Her eyes searched the room slowly before settling on him.
“Wayne…?”
Her voice was barely audible.
But it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
“I’m here,” he said quickly.
“I’m right here.”
Tears streamed down his face.
“You’re safe.”
Elara blinked slowly.
“What… happened?”
Wayne gently kissed her hand.
“You saved my life.”
Her brow furrowed slightly.
“The baby…”
Wayne smiled.
“She’s alive.”
Elara’s eyes widened weakly.
“She’s… okay?”
“She’s perfect.”
A tear slipped down Elara’s cheek.
Wayne leaned closer.
“You want to see her tomorrow?”
Elara nodded weakly.
“Yes…”
Wayne kissed her forehead gently.
“Get some rest.”
His voice softened.
“You’ve already fought enough.”
He squeezed her hand gently.
“And I’m not going anywhere.”
Not now.
Not ever.