"Are there any family members here to sign this critical condition notice?" A doctor in a white coat approached Ethan and Aria, holding a document. Beneath his calm exterior, his brow was furrowed; the situation was worse than they had anticipated.
Hearing the words "critical condition notice," Ethan froze. His bloodstained hands began to tremble slightly. The usually carefree young man was now panicking. Through the slightly ajar door of the operating room behind the doctor, he caught a glimpse of Elton. The old fella lay there silently, a breathing machine strapped to his head, struggling to breathe. The nearby monitor beeped steadily, like the ticking of a countdown clock—each beep was a reminder of the life slipping away, driving Ethan into a state of agitation.
"You were always so lively, weren't you? Please, wake up... I can't do this without you, Elton," Ethan mumbled anxiously under his breath.
Aria, standing beside him, maintained the last shred of her composure. She looked at the doctor, her eyes filled with helplessness. "Doctor, I'm sorry to say this, but the patient inside... he doesn't have any family."
The doctor's calm face softened with a hint of sympathy. He slowly lowered the critical condition notice he was holding. "This is difficult. His condition is critical. Every second from now on is a race against death, but..."
"Doctor, I'm his family! I'll sign!" Ethan shouted. As the echo of his words faded, his trembling lips failed to form any more. He was holding back his pain. When Aria looked at him again, his eyes were red. It was the first time she had seen Ethan like this. In this state, it would have been better if he just broke down and cried, to release the overwhelming emotions within him. He quickly picked up the pen and, at the bottom of the document, signed: Ethan Black.
The doctor, holding the signed document, returned to the operating room, where the doctors and nurses were working frantically. The cold door of the operating room slowly closed. Just a wall separated them—no one knew whether it would be life or death when that door opened again.
Indeed, the walls of a hospital have heard more prayers than the walls of a church, and the departure gates have witnessed more kisses than any wedding ever will...
"He went to the midnight bar today." Ethan continued confirming this with Aria, and Ethan vaguely felt that Elton being beaten wasn't just a coincidence. A seed of hatred was planted in Ethan's heart, and he decided to find those bastards who hurt Elton and make them pay.
Elton's emergency treatment lasted a full five hours. His injuries were so severe that when the doctors finally came out of the operating room, they looked so tired, even a bit worn out. Just thank God, Elton survived. His emaciated body, however, had a strong will to live. When the attending doctor came out, he told Ethan and the others:
"He had a strong will to live, which helped us pull him back from the brink of death."
Ethan took a deep breath, and his tense nerves finally relaxed. Elton was pushed into the ICU under their watchful eyes. The old man's face was pale. After all, he had just gone through a battle with death, like a tough fight.
"It's only been one night, how could he have lost so much weight?" Ethan ran a few steps forward, trying to catch another look at Elton.
The nurse stopped him. "He just had surgery and is very weak. Even bacteria could infect his wounds. Please don't get too close, sir."
Ethan stopped in his tracks. The news of Elton surviving brought him a sense of calm. He decided to head back to the midnight bar; he needed to find out what had really happened. Aria, who had stayed up all night, looked exhausted. They both leaned against each other on a bench in the hospital corridor. Aria's head rested on Ethan's shoulder, and then it slid down into his lap. Her head lay there, with the soft fat of his thigh serving as a pillow.
Ethan didn't wake Aria, even though his leg was getting a bit numb. He gently brushed away a strand of hair from Aria's face. The sky was gradually brightening, the sun slowly rising. Sunlight filtered through the skylight in the hospital corridor and fell gently on Aria's hair, highlighting its golden strands.
The sunlight made her hair shimmer, as bright as the rippling surface of a lake. Aria's profile was very beautiful, with her well-defined features appearing even more striking. Ethan was protecting the two most important people in his life.Like a knight. At this moment, he was no longer carefree but stood guard over his angel like a true man.
Time quickly passed to noon. Aria woke up and saw Ethan still sitting in the same position.
"Ethan, I'm so sorry for falling asleep on your leg. Did you really sit like this the whole time?" Aria said, a bit embarrassed, sitting beside him with her head down and eyes looking up at Ethan.
"I'm fine, Aria. Just wait here. I'll go get something to eat and be right back," Ethan said gently. He then stood up, and the leg Aria had been lying on had gone numb and stiff. He dragged the stiff leg with his other leg, stumbling forward like a limping centipede, looking quite comical. Indeed, a man's maturity can be fleeting; in no time, Ethan reverted to his old self. To Aria, he was still the clumsy young man, the 234 who had pulled her to escape in Fortress Omega, the clever one who had thought of using airplane wings as oars in the Death Valley desert. Aria covered her mouth with her hands and secretly laughed at Ethan.
Before long, Ethan returned with bread and two cups of coffee. He drank the coffee to wake himself up. Next, he was heading to the midnight bar to seek the truth. He instructed Aria to stay put and went to the bar alone.
The bloodstain at the bar's entrance was still there, left by Elton. Ethan glanced at the dark brown stain, reinforcing his resolve for revenge. He descended the long underground stairs to the basement level. The bar looked the same as before. People passing by wore indifferent expressions, as if nothing had happened here.
Ethan found an empty seat in the back row on the left. It had a good view, perfect for observing everyone's actions and expressions. When the waiter approached, Ethan threw $500 onto the tray holding the menu.
"I need to know what happened here last night," Ethan said, staring directly into the waiter's eyes.
"Sorry, I was off duty last night," the waiter replied. Clearly, the waiter used a clever excuse to avoid giving Ethan any useful information. It seemed like everyone was afraid of some controlling force, making them choose to remain silent.
Ethan continued to wait for a long time. After ordering one cocktail and draft beer after another, he finally got up to use the restroom. After finishing, he heard a man talking on the phone, enthusiastically introducing a car.
"This voice sounds so familiar," Ethan thought. The man turned around, and Ethan recognized his face—it was the top salesman, Vanka!
"Hey, what a surprise to see you here, Ethan! How's the new car?" Vanka greeted enthusiastically.
"Hey, Vanka. It's great to run into you here," Ethan replied dizzily, a bit lightheaded from the alcohol.
"So, what brings you here tonight? And where's that beautiful lady?" Vanka asked, looking around happily.
"I'm here because of my friend—no, my family. They were severely injured here last night, and I'm looking for answers," Ethan said casually, though he didn't really expect Vanka to provide any useful information. What Vanka said next stunned Ethan.
"I happened to be here last night. I know the truth, but it's not safe to talk about it here—there are too many spies. Follow me to a different place."