David collapsed to his knees, clinging to the door frame for support. Was his mother really going to leave him?
After all the years of struggling to make ends meet, accumulating debt, and sacrificing everything for her care, the thought of losing her was unbearable.
The shock left David reeling for several minutes, as chaos erupted in his mother's ward.
Laura's heart rate plummeted, sending the medical team into a frenzy of urgent whispers and swift actions.
The ECG monitor rhythmic beeps rapidly intensifies, signaling that Laura's heart rate was plummeting.
"Her heart rate is dropping rapidly! We need to act fast!" Doctor James urged.
"Get the crash cart ready! We're going to start CPR immediately." Another doctor in the ward barked.
"Doctor Simon, should we call for backup?" Another nurse from behind them asked.
"Absolutely, page the cardiac team. We need all hands on deck for this," doctor Simon replied.
"I already called for backup," Rebecca, the nurse who called doctor James earlier said.
Tiny droplets of sweat had formed on Doctor James's forehead, and he swiftly swept them away with his coat sleeve.
He was already frustrated, "Why isn't she responding to the chest compressions? Let's increase the force!"
"Keep pushing! We can't lose her. Charge the defibrillator!"
With determination in his eyes, Doctor James ordered, "Clear! Everyone stand back!"
The sound of the defibrillator charging and then discharging was heard.
"No response. Let's try again. Clear!" The determination in doctor James' eyes already started to waver.
Doctor James pressed the defibrillator paddle on both sides of her body, making another attempt with the defibrillator, but still no response, her body only jerked lightly.
"Her heart's not responding. We've done everything we can!" He said disheartened.
"Let's continue CPR for a few more minutes. We can't give up just yet!" Doctor Simon said as he prepared to do a cpr on her.
David shakenly stood up from the floor and walked slowly, with the walk supporting his movements.
David's heart ached with the thought of losing his mother too soon, leaving him with a lifetime of regrets and unspoken words.
David got to the ward and wanted to watch from the watch window on the door.
But a nurse pushed him back saying, "excuse me sir, I'm afraid you cannot be here right now, please wait aside."
"Is- is my mother okay? Is she responding? Please tell me she's responding," David asked frantically.
"The doctors are doing their best sir, please be patient," she said and went back inside the ward.
The situation had pushed Doctor Simon to his limits, and he couldn't contain his frustration anymore.
"We are losing her! Keep pushing harder," doctor James urged.
"I can't maintain this pace much longer, my hands are shaking!" Doctor Simon said as sweat streamed down his face.
"Stay calm and keep the compressions steady."
"I don't know if we're going to be able to revive her. It's been too long."
In the next instant, the ECG monitor flatlined, its steady beep a somber announcement that Laura's life had slipped away.
A heavy stillness filled the room, and then Doctor James slowly removed his gloves, his eyes downcast, before quietly exiting the ward.
David, who was fervently praying for his mom's life, sighted doctor James who was coming out of the ward with a saddened look on his face.
David rushed up to him, "is my mother okay? How is she? Please tell me she's alright!" David begged.
Just then, Betty walked up to David and doctor James, her blue eyes, curious about what was happening.
"I'm sorry we did everything we could, but she didn't make it," doctor James announced in a disappointed tone.
Betty covered her mouth in shock as she overheard the news, while David felt like something had struck him so hard that he fell to the ground, tears gathering in his eyes, threatening to fall.
Doctor James knew how much David had suffered the past four years, paying for bills that he couldn't even afford to go to college.
He worked his butt off just to end up with more than hundred thousand dollars worth of debt.
David could not hold it in, he felt his little world crumbling down.
He clutched his heart tightly, as he felt a deep sharp pain; his eyes red, the whole place seemed to be spinning.
Doctor James left with a pitiful look on his face as he saw David's state. Betty then rushed to David and embraced him, stroking his head.
David cried in her arms, his tears soaking her sunset yellow dress; he couldn't believe the only thing he had was gone. She was his everything and his reason to live.
Life was pointless without her presence, he knew she would never wake up from her coma, but he did not expect it to happen so soon.
The sound of beeping machines and muffled voices in the background faded into oblivion and all that remained was the stinging ache in his heart.
David's grief was overwhelming, his tears flowing unchecked for two minutes. But soon, his eyes were dry, his pain too great to be expressed.
He pulled away from Betty's embrace and ran out of the hospital, with Betty pursuing him.
"David! David!! David, wait! Where are you going?!" She yelled to him, just outside the hospital, as she watched him disappear into the darkness of the night.
Running and panting heavily, he didn't even know where his legs were taking him, he just kept running till his legs got tired and he slowly walked towards the bustling highway.
He collapsed on his knees, to the ground as he let out another wave of tears, hair disheveled.
Passersby walked around him without taking a second glance at his pitiful self, reminding him how lonely he was.
He struggled to get up but tripped over himself, "shit!" He silently cursed himself; inducing the gossip of people around.
"What a poor soul, something horrible must have happened to him."
"He probably got rejected or something."
"It's just some drunk weirdo, he's probably fed up with life."
"What a wimp, tch!"
"Poor thing."
David gets up one more time and slowly drags himself down the street.
Without any sense of direction, he just walked down, eyes empty, mind fuzzy. He tripped over himself, got up and just kept walking.
David had never felt such pain and didn't even know how to react to it, his blank mind couldn't even think of anything except his mom.
"I wonder how cold her hands are?" He muttered, as he clutched his heart.
Meanwhile at the hospital, as soon as Betty returned to the floor, she heard the commotion of something miraculous that had happened, the nurses and doctors that were previously in Laura's ward, rushed back to the ward.
Curious about what was happening, Betty stopped a hurrying nurse and asked, "did something happen?"
"Oh yes, the patient who was just pronounced dead just a few minutes ago, her heart is beating again!" The nurse announced, with a hint of disbelief and awe in her voice.
"What?" Betty replied, shocked.