“Come with me, please,” he pleaded. “You need help breathing!”
“No, no…” Elissa shook her head, her hands still cradling Addy’s lifeless face, unwilling to let go.
If she kept sobbing like this, Ernest feared she would collapse entirely. He shot a pleading glance at the nurse, silently urging her to intervene.
The nurse stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. “Miss Holland, we need to tend to him now. Please, step outside for just a moment. We’ll call you back as soon as we’re finished.”
“No, no…” Elissa shook her head fiercely, her resolve unyielding.
“Elissa…” Ernest reached out, his voice soft but heavy with worry.
“Miss Holland!” The nurse and Ernest moved in unison, gently attempting to guide her away.
“I’m not leaving!” Elissa’s voice cracked with defiance.
In a sudden surge of grief, Elissa flung herself onto Addy, her arms wrapping tightly around his still form. Tears streamed down her face as she clung to him, her sobs wrenching the air. “Grandpa, please wake up! You can’t leave me! This can’t be real!”
Just hours ago, she had been by his side for a routine check-up. The doctor had been optimistic, saying his condition was on the mend. Yet now, here he lay cold, motionless, his eyes forever closed.
How could she possibly come to terms with this?
“Grandpa! Wake up!” Elissa seized Addy’s arm, tugging as if she could will him back to life. “Get up! Please, get up!”
But he remained still, untouched by her pleas.
“Grandpa, please! I’m begging you!” Her voice broke, raw with anguish, as her tears fell unchecked.
“Elissa.” Ernest could bear it no longer. He placed his hands on her shoulders, his touch gentle yet resolute. “You need to calm down. Your grandpa is gone. He loved you dearly. He wouldn’t want to see you breaking like this. Let’s go, alright?”
“Gone?” Elissa’s bloodshot eyes blazed as she turned on Ernest, her voice a hoarse scream. “You’re lying! Stop it! Just stop!”
Her words, jagged with pain, seemed to drain the last of her strength. Her legs gave way, and she crumpled.
“Elissa!” Ernest caught her just in time, scooping her into his arms. “Quentin!” he shouted toward the door.
“Here!” Quentin burst in, pushing a wheelchair and carrying an oxygen bag, a nurse close behind.
“Hurry! She needs oxygen now!”
“Got it!”
The nurse swiftly fitted an oxygen mask over Elissa’s face as Ernest carried her out of the emergency room. Though Elissa’s mind clung to consciousness, her body felt like a hollow shell, utterly spent.
Her vision dimmed, the world fading into a suffocating darkness.
When Elissa awoke, she found herself in a hospital room, the sharp scent of disinfectant hanging heavy in the air.
.
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