Chapter 14
1876words
I stood at the operating table, that face that once broke my heart now under my hands.
I was no longer the helpless girlfriend who fell to her knees, but the top cardiothoracic surgeon at the Elders Hospital, Dr. Stirling. My gaze was focused and cold, with only a slight, desperately suppressed tremor revealing itself through my fingers tightly gripping the scalpel.
"Blood pressure continuing to drop, 70/40." The anesthesiologist's voice was calm without a trace of emotion, yet it hit my heart like a hammer.
"Prepare autologous blood transfusion, increase the norepinephrine dosage." My voice didn't have the slightest fluctuation as I skillfully cut open Leo's thoracic cavity, exposing a heart severely damaged by bullet fragments. The metal detector's buzzing was sharp and rapid, each sound a reminder of how close death was to us.
Time was slipping away second by second. Sweat soaked the loose strands of hair on my forehead, sticking to my skin, cold and itchy. My eyes were fixed on the fluctuating line on the monitor; that fragile green line was my entire world at that moment.
I must win, I cannot lose. I used forceps to carefully extract the last bullet fragment embedded in the myocardium, my movements as precise as a textbook demonstration.
However, at that moment, the most terrifying thing happened. The vibrant line on the monitor suddenly became a straight line, and a piercing, continuous beeping sound filled the entire operating room.
"The patient is in ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest!" The nurse's voice carried a trace of panic.
My mind went "buzz" and went blank. I stared at that cold flat line, feeling as if my own heart had stopped beating too.
No. I couldn't let him die right in front of me.
"One milligram of epinephrine, IV push! Prepare for defibrillation!" My voice was hoarse but carried an undeniable command. I tossed aside the instruments in my hand and began chest compressions with my hands interlocked.
One, two, three... I used all my strength, each compression felt like I was trying to infuse my own life force into his body.
"Charge to 200 joules!"
I took the defibrillator and, holding it over Leo's exposed chest, shouted: "Clear!"
The current passed through, Leo's body jerked violently upward, then fell heavily back down. On the monitor, that straight line stubbornly continued to extend.
"No response! Continue compressions! Charge to 360 joules!" My eyes were bloodshot as I was practically wrestling with death itself.
I couldn't remember how many times I repeated the compressions and defibrillation, I only knew I couldn't stop. My arms were so sore they were nearly numb, but one thought kept me going: Live, Leo. You must live.
"Clear!"
Another defibrillation. This time, the flat line on the monitor finally showed a faint fluctuation, and then, one, two... weak but regular heartbeats reappeared.
"Spontaneous heartbeat restored! Blood pressure rising!" My assistant's voice was filled with the wild joy of surviving a catastrophe.
Everyone in the operating room let out a sigh of relief. As I watched the green line jumping again, my nerves, stretched to the limit, finally snapped. I stepped back, my body going limp, and I almost fell, fortunately caught in time by the nurse behind me.
I succeeded. I snatched him back from the hands of death.
---
A few days later, the VIP Ward was bathed in afternoon sunlight, coating everything with a warm golden glow. Leo was reclining against the headboard, his face still pale, but those blue eyes had regained their spirit. He watched me as I peeled an apple for him, a hint of playful mockery hanging at the corners of his mouth.
"Honestly, Dr. Stirling, next time you perform surgery on me, could you make the stitches a bit prettier?" He pointed to the area on his abdomen wrapped in gauze. "These stitches look just like the socks I mended during my rookie days."
I gave him an exasperated look and stuffed a piece of apple into his mouth. "You should be grateful there's any stitching at all instead of being so picky. You should thank your lucky stars I was the surgeon in charge; with someone else, you might be having tea with God right now."
"So I should also thank you for not drawing a turtle on my body while I was unconscious?" Leo joked indistinctly while chewing the apple.
I was amused by him, and some of the gloom that had been weighing on my heart for days dissipated. I liked him this way; no matter how bad the situation, he could always dissolve the heaviness with his damn sense of humor.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching him eat an apple, but my heart was filled with mixed emotions. These days, I had been thinking about our future. Every time Leo went on a mission, I felt like I was walking on a tightrope, but this time, the tightrope broke. I almost lost him. This fear, I never want to experience it a second time.
"What are you thinking about?" Leo noticed my silence and reached out to hold my hand. His palm was warm and strong, making me feel at ease.
"Nothing," I shook my head, forcing myself to smile, "Just wondering when you can be discharged from the hospital, the bills here aren't cheap."
"Don't worry, the Department of Defense will reimburse it," Leo squeezed my palm, "When I'm better, let's go on vacation, to a place with no gunshots, only the sound of waves."
I didn't answer, just lowered my head to look at our joined hands. His promise was beautiful, but I knew that kind of life for us might forever remain just a luxury.
---
A week later, Leo recovered quickly. That afternoon, when I walked into the hospital room, I was holding a brown paper envelope. My expression was calm, unnaturally calm.
"I need to tell you something." She sat on the edge of the bed and placed the envelope on the bedside table.
Leo looked at the envelope, then at her, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding. "What is it?"
"I resigned." Chloe's voice was soft, yet it exploded like a bomb in the quiet hospital room.
The smile on Leo's face instantly froze. "What did you say? Why?"
"Leo," Chloe took a deep breath, finally gathering the courage to look directly into his eyes, "I've had enough. I've had enough of not knowing whether you'll come back every time you go out; I've had enough of going crazy calling you whenever I see news about a firefight somewhere; I've had enough of seeing you covered in blood on the operating table, feeling like my world could collapse at any moment."
Her voice began to tremble, but she held back her tears. "That night when you were brought in, I thought countless times that if you survived, I would break up with you. I don't want to live in constant fear anymore. I'm just an ordinary person, and I just want to live an ordinary life with an ordinary person."
Leo's heart sank bit by bit as he felt the invisible knife cutting the connection between them. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. What could he say? He couldn't give her the stability she wanted.
"But..." I changed my tone, picked up the envelope, slowly tore it open in front of Leo, revealing the resignation letter inside, "I can't do it. I tried to give you up, Leo, but I found I simply can't. A world without you terrifies me more than a world where you might die at any moment."
Looking into his shocked eyes, I said word by word: "What I'm tearing up isn't just this resignation letter, but my former self—that cowardly person who only knew how to run away. I'm not running anymore, Leo. I'm not resigning, and I'm not breaking up with you. I want to be your girlfriend—the one who can bear all this, the girlfriend who belongs to 'Apollo.' Whatever your world is like, I'll face it with you. Whether it's a hail of bullets or peaceful days, I'll be by your side."
Leo stared at me, gazing at the unprecedented determination in my eyes. He had never imagined that this woman who always sought protection in his arms harbored such immense strength deep within her heart. He extended his arms and embraced me tightly, as if wanting to meld me into his own flesh and blood.
"Chloe……" his voice was hoarse, with a heavy nasal tone, "you don't need to change anything for me……"
"I'm not changing for you," I said, my voice muffled against his chest, "I'm doing it for us. For our future."
---
One month later, on the terrace of an upscale restaurant in New York, the night was enchanting.
"So, what happened with that resignation letter in the end?" Mark asked curiously.
"The dean rejected it, saying the hospital couldn't lose such an excellent talent like me." Chloe smiled and took a sip of champagne, "But I still decided to leave Presbyterian. I'm planning to open my own private clinic, which will give me more flexibility with my time."
"Sounds good. Will we get discounts when we come for appointments?" Eva teased.
"Of course, I'll give you a discount." Chloe clinked glasses with her.
"What about you, Mark? I heard your retirement application..." Leo looked at Mark.
Mark glanced at Eva beside him, his face showing an irrepressible happy smile. "The General tore it up. He called me into his office, gave me a good scolding, and said that the man his daughter has set her eyes on shouldn't be a coward. Then, he told me to get back to the unit."
"Congratulations, 'Hardess'." Leo raised his glass, "Looks like you won't be drinking coffee at the Pentagon after all."
"Yes, I still belong to the battlefield." Mark's eyes were bright and determined as he held Eva's hand, "And, I've also found the position I want to defend for a lifetime."
Eva's face radiated with a happy blush as she leaned on Mark's shoulder, her eyes full of love. She didn't need him to clip his wings for her; what she wanted was to fly higher together with him.
Chloe leaned into Leo's embrace, looking at Mark and Eva across from them, and also at this man by her side who was lost and found again. In the distance were the brilliant lights of countless homes in New York, and nearby was the warm embrace of her lover. She knew that the path ahead might still be full of unknowns and challenges, but this time, she was no longer afraid. Because she knew that no matter what happened, they would stand together and face it together. Leo gently took her hand and lowered his head to place a kiss on the back of her hand. It was a kiss full of gratitude and cherishing; he was kissing not only his lover but also his guardian angel who had pulled him back from the edge of death.
