Chapter 7

Time crawled by. The red light above the operating room door glared down like a bloodshot eye, staring unblinkingly at the people in the hallway.

Conrad pushed himself up from the floor. He paced the corridor like a caged animal, his suit jacket soaked through with cold sweat.

Audrey sat on the bench, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, praying. She didn't look at Conrad. The air was thick with suffocating silence.

Suddenly, the OR door cracked open. A nurse hurried out, clutching a clipboard.

Conrad lunged at her, grabbing her arm. "How is she?" he demanded, his voice hoarse and broken.

The nurse looked anxious. "The patient has lost a massive amount of blood. The uterus is severely damaged. You need to sign the critical condition notice immediately."

Conrad stared at the thin piece of paper. He took the pen she offered, but his hand shook so violently he couldn't form the letters.

Just then, a wailing cry echoed down the hall, shattering the tense atmosphere.

Cristin came running toward them, her hair a mess, one high heel missing. She threw herself at Conrad, grabbing his sleeve.

"Conrad!" she sobbed. "Else... Else slit her wrists in her room! There's blood everywhere! You have to come!"

Conrad stared at her, his mind blank. "That's impossible," he muttered.

Cristin fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "She feels so guilty! She thinks it's her fault the baby died! She doesn't want to live anymore! Please, you have to see her!"

She grabbed his legs, wailing, "She saved your life all those years ago! She would have died for you! Are you going to let her die now?"

Conrad was torn. One side of the hall held his wife and his unborn child, fighting for their lives. The other side held the woman he believed had once saved his life.

Audrey jumped up, her face red with fury. She shoved Cristin away. "You're lying! Why now? Why the hell would she try to kill herself right now?"

Cristin collapsed on the floor, throwing a tantrum. "You're the heartless one! If Else dies, Conrad will never forgive himself! His conscience will never be clear!"

Those words hit Conrad like a curse. The moral debt he owed Else, the ingrained belief that he owed her his life, paralyzed him.

The nurse tapped her foot impatiently. "Sir, we don't have time. Please sign."

Conrad gritted his teeth. He scribbled his signature on the critical notice and shoved the clipboard back at the nurse.

He turned to Audrey, his eyes bloodshot. "Stay here," he said, his voice raw. "Watch her. I have to go check on Else."

Audrey stared at him in disbelief. She drew back her hand and slapped him hard across the face. "You heartless bastard!" she screamed.

Conrad took the hit. A red handprint bloomed on his cheek, but he didn't fight back. He took one last, long look at the OR doors.

Then, he turned and walked away, following Cristin down the hall.

Audrey watched his retreating back, her whole body trembling with rage. "If you walk away now, Conrad," she yelled after him, "she will never forgive you! Never!"

Conrad's step faltered for a fraction of a second. But he didn't turn around. He disappeared around the corner.

Inside the operating room, Caleb was working furiously. "Suture," he barked. "Her BP is dropping."

The anesthesiologist looked up. "Doctor, we're running out of blood. She needs a transfusion."

Caleb held out his hand. "Give me the Rh-negative O blood."

The nurse hesitated, her face paling. "Doctor... the blood bank is out. There was a major multi-car pile-up on the interstate an hour ago that depleted our entire emergency supply of O-negative. The next shipment won't arrive for at least two hours."

Caleb's scalpel paused for a split second. "Then call the donor registry! Get it here! Now!"

On the table, Crista's face was as white as the sheets. The line on the heart monitor began to flatten, the peaks becoming smaller and smaller.