"Not possible."
Elio hissed, his voice barely audible, his eyes fixed on the now cold and lifeless face.
Meanwhile, Emma trembled, her hand raised to cover her wide-open mouth.
"Petrus..."
She whispered, her voice hoarse with confusion and deep sorrow.
"PEEETTTTTTRRUUUUUUSSSSS.....!!"
Emma's body was engulfed by an uncontrollable wave of grief. She sat beside the corpse with an empty stare, her tear-filled eyes gazing at her husband's lifeless form.
Petrus's once warm smile now seemed cold and lifeless. Scars and bandages adorned his face and body, adding to the tragedy of his departure.
Emma gently held Petrus's hand, trying to feel the warmth that was now gone forever. She felt a piercing pain, as if every fiber of her being was breaking apart. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, leaving salty trails that reinforced her sense of loss.
The two nurses standing beside her could only watch with sympathy, feeling the depth of the woman's sorrow. The room was filled with sad moans and silence, strengthening the aura of loss that enveloped the morgue.
A few moments later, Emma turned to the bed beside her husband's. Trembling, she reached for the edge of the white cloth covering the tiny body next to him.
Her heart and mind were in turmoil with unimaginable anxiety, afraid of what she might find beneath the cloth. With slow movements, she uncovered the tiny body, and when she saw the face lying beneath it, her heart almost stopped.
"Miaaaaaa.....!!"
Emma cried hysterically as she saw Mia lifeless.
Her eyes still radiated innocence, but her body lay stiff, no longer holding the warmth of life. Mia, the little baby she loved so much, now lay motionless before her. Several small wounds adorned her tiny body, leaving painful marks in Emma's heart.
Emma's cries broke out hysterically, creating sounds that shook the room. She hugged the small body lying on the bed tightly, trying to feel the warmth that was lost.
Elio approached Emma with hesitant but warm steps. His eyes felt heavy watching Emma sway next to Petrus and Mia's corpse. He gently grasped Emma's shoulder, feeling the same tremors of pain fill him.
Without a word, Elio simply held Emma's shoulder tightly as a sign of solidarity and support. He let Emma cry, absorbing every sigh of sadness that escaped her lips, while tears also flowed from his own eyes.
Elio, caught up in deep sorrow, suddenly remembered the presence of his wife, Vera. His deep concern instantly appeared on his face, his eyes searching for answers to Vera's fate amidst the darkness enveloping the room.
"Doctor, where is Vera?"
Elio asked with a trembling voice, trying to contain the anxiety flooding his heart.
The doctor remained silent for a moment, burdened by the responsibility to give the true answer. However, seeing the expression of despair on Elio's face, he finally agreed to reveal Vera's whereabouts.
"Follow me, sir!"
Elio nodded firmly. He was eager to know where Vera was, even though imagining her condition made him even more anxious.
With a heart pounding, Elio followed the direction of the doctor and quickly left the morgue for the intensive care unit.
"I'm sure you'll be okay, Vera."
Elio whispered in his heart, trying to calm himself.
Meanwhile, Emma, still immersed in deep sorrow, was left alone in the morgue. She sat beside the bed, gazing at the lifeless faces of her husband and baby with a sense of profound loss.
Two nurses remained by Emma's side to watch over her, ready to provide support and comfort in these difficult moments. Only the sound of their breaths and the sad moans filled the room, creating an atmosphere of deep pain and sorrow.
***
Elio was escorted by the doctor into a quiet room, adorned with dim light and neatly arranged medical equipment around it. He inhaled the pungent smell of sterility as he entered the silent room. The dim light accentuated the shadows on the white walls.
"This is your wife's room, sir. Please prepare yourself to see her condition."
The doctor spoke softly, but his words sounded faint amidst the heart-wrenching silence.
After a few steps, he reached the side of the bed where his wife lay. Elio's eyes felt heavy as he saw Vera lying on the white bed. Her pale face, surrounded by medical devices, made her appear more fragile than usual. Elio held his breath, transfixed by the sight that shattered his heart.
"Mrs. Vera has suffered severe injuries and is in critical condition. We did our best for her, but..."
The doctor gave Elio a brief explanation of Vera's condition, but his words seemed distant to Elio, who was too focused on the figure lying before him.
"Vera... Oh, God... Vera... My love..."
His heart pounded fast, his hands trembling as he approached the bed.
His sobs broke out, intermittently interrupted by emotional tremors shaking him. He reached for Vera's weakly lying hand, trembling.
"Forgive me, my dear. I'm here with you. I will never leave you."
His sobbing voice pierced the silent room, creating an aura of despair enveloping Elio.
"Vera, please don't leave me. Just as I never left you."
Elio hoped to see signs of slight consciousness on Vera's now helpless face, but the only response he received was the tormenting silence.
The doctor nodded understandingly, leaving Elio alone with Vera in the silence of the room.
The room felt silent, with only Elio's unbearable sobbing heard. He sat by the bedside, holding Vera's weakly lying hand, trying to calm himself even though his heart was shattered into pieces.
"Vera... my love... Can you hear me? I'm here, with you. Please, wake up!"
Elio's voice sounded trembling and full of desperation.
He continued, recounting the beautiful memories they shared together, hoping that his voice could be heard by Vera.
"Do you remember when we first met? At that time, we didn't love each other yet. You mocked me and said I was just a bookworm, and I responded to your mockery by calling you short."
Elio went on,
"Almost every day, we teased each other when we met. I even almost got beaten up by your father for insulting you too often. But who would have thought that on a day when we didn't meet and didn't tease each other, we would feel lost without each other. We felt that something was missing if we didn't exchange glances."
However, Vera remained lying helpless, her face pale with no signs of life. The heart-wrenching silence filled the room, reminding Elio of the unimaginable loss he was facing. In his solitude and pain, he felt shattered by the helplessness enveloping him.