Chapter 173: Critical.
Leonard.
I really cannot tell what exactly had gone wrong at this terrible moment, but waiting out here in the cold corridor for the doctor’s report felt like being dragged through the fiery depths of hell itself.
She had been just fine only a short while ago—happy, breathing, and completely whole. So how in the world did this happen so suddenly?
Lugard and Lawrence were pacing restlessly back and forth across the hard floor, their heavy steps echoing off the walls, but I sat down dead still on the hard bench.
My fists were clenched so tight my knuckles were ghostly white, my fingers gripping the fabric of my trousers tightly as if holding on for dear life.
Why was it taking forever?
I wondered in silent agony, my frantic eyes darting up to glance once again at the heavy door behind which Theresa was lying inside, probably fighting for her life with every single breath at this very moment.
And after what felt like an absolute eternity of agonizing silence, the door finally pushed open with a quiet creak, and a weary nurse appeared from within the room.
The moment she stepped into the hallway, Lugard and Lawrence immediately froze dead in their tracks, snapping out of their pacing, and instantly rushed toward her with desperate urgency while I quickly stood up from the bench as well, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs.
"Nurse, how is she doing?" we all echoed in frantic unison, our chaotic voices filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated worry and deep concern.
"I can’t say for now, but I need to go get something," she said hastily, her eyes darting away as she tried to move past us down the narrow corridor.
But before she could take another step, I immediately blocked her path, planting myself firmly right in front of her as I raised my brows in sharp, demanding confusion.
"What do you mean you can’t say?" I asked, the sheer panic and frustration making my voice rough.
Before the nurse could even formulate an answer, Lugard immediately reached out and grabbed her firmly by her wrist, halting her completely.
"You actually don’t know what you are saying or doing right now, do you?" he asked, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone that sent an unmistakable chill through the air.
His eyes remained fixed on hers, dark with barely restrained desperation as he searched her face for something—anything—that would give him the answers he needed. His grip around her hands gradually tightened, his fingers pressing harder and harder without him seeming to realise the strength he was using.
Every passing second only deepened his desperation, making his hold firmer as the urgency within him threatened to overwhelm his self-control.
The nurse winced sharply, a painful gasp escaping her lips as the sudden pressure shot through her hands. Her face twisted in obvious distress, her brows knitting tightly together while she instinctively tried to pull herself free. She tugged against his grip, but the tightening pressure made even the slightest movement painful.
"Alpha, you are hurting me!" she cried out, her voice trembling with pain as it echoed loudly through the otherwise silent hallway.
The desperate plea rang clearly in the stillness, her expression tightening further as she struggled against the painful hold, silently hoping her words would finally break through the overwhelming desperation clouding his judgment.
Lawrence immediately stepped forward, reaching out to intervene and making Lugard release his grip on her wrist, before he cleared his throat to regain control of the volatile situation.
"We are so sorry, nurse!" he apologized smoothly for Lugard’s sake, attempting to diffuse the thick tension hanging in the hallway. "But we simply can’t let you move unless you speak to us first," he added, his voice remaining eerily calm despite the underlying desperation.
The nurse, already completely fed up with the harassment and delay, looked Lawrence straight in his face without a single flinch.
"The more you keep me here and stop me from getting the required tools, the more the woman in there is in greater danger," she added firmly, her resolute tone cutting straight through the chaotic atmosphere.
I froze dead in my tracks, and so did my brothers beside me.
What on earth does she mean by *danger*?
Driven by a surge of pure panic, I immediately grabbed her shoulders tightly, leaning in close as my heart battered against my ribs.
"You all better ensure she survives this!" I paused, panting heavily as sweat broke out across my brow, my breathing ragged and uncontrolled. "Unless you don’t like having your jobs anymore," I added in sheer, suffocating frustration.
Just as I was still towering over her and talking to the nurse, the heavy door pushed open once again, and another nurse hurriedly came outside into the hallway.
My face darkened instantly at the sight of her.
What the hell was the doctor actually doing inside if the nurses were the ones constantly running back and forth?
It was taking so long, to to treat a patient!
"Nurse Sommy," the new nurse called out softly, her eyes widening in gentle scolding as she took in the scene. "How could you joke with a life like this?" she asked, assuming the delay was deliberate.
Sommy immediately lowered her head in profound shame, saying nothing, and a sharp spike of guilt hit me as I realized that *we* were the ones who had actually stopped her from doing her job.
"Tell me!" I demanded, turning my intense focus directly to the nurse who had just come out of the room. "How exactly is the patient?" I asked, my voice strained to its absolute limit.
"The doctors are trying to stabilize her at the moment!" the nurse said, desperately trying to look calm and professional despite the terrifying weight of her words. "At the moment, she really is in a critical situation."
I froze, the room spinning around me as those horrifying words echoed in the sudden silence.