Aries stood frozen in place, as if the world had forced him into a dilemma. He wished he could split himself in two. Both women needed him right now.
“This patient is critical! The mother and baby are in danger!” one of the nurses shouted.
Aries felt as if a knife had pierced his chest.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” Liana looked at Aries through her pain. Seeing her husband’s face suddenly turn pale made her anxious.
Aries looked at Liana, then at Reina, who was being wheeled into the room. Two women who should never have been in the same room.
“No … this can’t be happening,” Aries murmured.
“Sir, please push his wife into the room next door.”
Aries nodded, but his eyes kept darting toward Reina, who was now being frantically treated by the medical team.
“Her blood pressure is dropping!”
“Fetal distress! The baby’s heartbeat is almost gone!”
“Prepare the operating room!”
Aries bit his lip, holding back a scream that was on the verge of breaking free. Liana was lifted from the wheelchair onto the examination bed. She clutched Aries’s hand tightly, as if her life depended on that grip.
“Babe … don’t leave me,” she whispered through her tears.
Aries felt himself falling apart at Liana’s moans. “I’m not going anywhere, babe,” he replied, his voice trembling.
But when he turned, they were wheeling Reina into the operating room. Reina’s face had grown even paler, her eyes half-open. Aries’s body tensed again. Then suddenly, a nurse shouted from the hallway.
“Reina’s guardian is needed! Who’s her family?”
Aries closed his eyes. Liana’s hand was still gripping his, seeking his protection as her husband. But his heart was being pulled by the cries from a world he should never have touched, and the nurse shouted again, louder this time, making Aries’s defenses collapse instantly.
“Who’s the patient’s family? We need a signature for emergency surgery!”
“I’m her mother.”
A middle-aged woman approached Reina. From a distance, Aries could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Reina wasn’t alone now. A mother was there to accompany her through the struggle between life and death.
Liana writhed, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “Babe … I … I can’t take it anymore.”
Aries held her hand. “You can do this, babe. I’m right here.”
The delivery went on for a long time. Liana’s screams echoed among the sounds of the monitors and the doctors’ instructions. Every minute felt like an hour.
“The baby’s head is out! Ma’am, push again!”
Liana screamed as loudly as she could, pouring out every last ounce of strength before she closed her eyes and lost consciousness. Aries nearly cried when he saw her.
“Thank God, Mrs. Liana’s baby has been born.”
Aries immediately lowered his head to look at the tiny angel Liana had given birth to. There was no crying, and there was no movement either. The doctor and nurses exchanged glances, then moved quickly to administer aid.
“Resuscitation! Hurry!”
“Put the baby in the incubator! No heartbeat detected!”
Aries froze. It felt as though the blood in his body had stopped flowing. His body trembled as overwhelming fear consumed him.
“Doctor, why isn’t the baby moving?” Aries asked, unable to hide his fear.
The doctor let out a long sigh, then signaled to a nurse to lead Aries a few steps away.
“Mr. Aries, we tried everything we could. But unfortunately, we weren’t able to save Mrs. Liana’s baby.”
It felt as though lightning had struck Aries. His world seemed to collapse in an instant. What had he just heard?
“No … that’s impossible … please try again, Doctor!” Aries sobbed, clutching the doctor’s arm.
“Please save our baby! I’ll do anything. I’m begging you, save our baby …”
The doctor lowered his head sorrowfully. “We did everything we could. But fate had other plans. We couldn’t save your baby.”
Aries’s hand fell limply at his side. His chest felt hollow. What would he say to Liana when she woke up?
“Don’t tell Liana,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
“Don’t … let her find out yet. She won’t be able to handle it.”
The doctor nodded, though he looked hesitant. “We’ll monitor her condition for now.”