Chapter 2

Clara picked up the phone from the floor and immediately called Marco back.

As soon as he answered, she put him on speaker and said, "The Donna is in really bad shape, Don Romano. She's bleeding profusely, and we're having trouble stopping the bleeding. Please send the helicopter back to get her immediately!"

There was a brief pause on the other end before Marco finally replied, his voice suddenly sounding more urgent. "Alright. I'm coming back now."

I parted my lips to speak. But before I could get a word out, I heard Lia calling his name.

"Are you leaving, Marco? I'm still so dizzy..."

"I'm going back to get Elena. I'll be right back," Marco replied.

"But you promised you'd stay with me…" she whined. "Can't you send the medical team to get her instead? You're the only one I know in this hospital. Please don't leave me alone."

The call fell silent. When Marco spoke again, he had changed his mind.

"I'll get the medical team to head over with their equipment while I stay here. They'll head straight back as soon as they pick her up."

Before Clara could say anything else, he had already hung up.

Putting her phone away, she leaned over me and said, "The helicopter is on its way back, Donna Romano. Please hang on for a little longer."

I nodded. Then, she squeezed my hand before turning around to ask the others to prepare the stretcher.

…

By the time I heard the helicopter again, I was struggling to open my eyes.

Once they lifted the stretcher, Clara followed alongside me and quickly briefed the medical team. "She could still talk earlier. But now, we have to keep calling her name just to get her to open her eyes. We can't delay any longer! We need to take off immediately!

The helicopter was just up ahead. As I forced myself to open my eyes, I saw the medical team bend down to help secure the stretcher.

When Clara fastened the safety straps around me, I grabbed her sleeve.

"Did Marco not come?" I asked weakly.

"Don Romano is at the hospital. We're going to take you there right away," she answered as she gently eased my hand back beneath the blanket.

When the medical team lifted the blanket and saw how thoroughly it'd been soaked with blood, they immediately began to treat me and urged the pilot to take off.

Just before the cabin door closed, I heard one of the crew members report to Marco, "We've picked up the Donna. We're on our way back."

The sound of Marco's voice brought me back to my senses a little.

"Good. Tell her not to worry. I'll be waiting for her at the hospital."

I thought I heard Lia say something on the other end of the line. Moments later, Marco answered her in a hushed voice before ending the call.

I stared at the phone as the crew member put it away. Then, everything before my eyes gradually faded to black.

…

When I regained consciousness, the stretcher was being wheeled forward. The lights overhead swayed in and out of focus, making it difficult for me to keep my eyes open.

"She's been bleeding continuously, and she lost consciousness during transport. We need to treat her immediately," Clara said urgently, hurrying alongside the stretcher.

"Elena?"

At the sound of Marco's voice, I forced myself to turn my head.

He was standing in the corridor, with Lia still clinging to his arm.

A doctor examined me while instructing the others to wheel the stretcher toward the emergency room.

"Prepare a blood transfusion. Notify the blood bank."

Marco followed after us for a short distance. "She was still able to call me earlier. Why does she need a blood transfusion as soon as she reaches the hospital?"

Clara lifted her head to look at him. "I told you over the phone that the Donna was in very poor condition, Don Romano. She needed to get to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible."

A flicker of concern flashed across Marco's face. Bending down to stroke my cheek, he gently reassured me, "Don't worry. We're at the hospital now, and they have plenty of medical equipment here. Just let them tend to your injuries. I'll stay right here with you."

"Marco, I've been bleeding this whole time, and they can't seem to stop it..." My voice trailed off.

I took a breath before forcing out the rest of my sentence. "I wasn't lying to you."

His gaze shifted to Clara, and the latter immediately spoke up.

"That's right, Don Romano. The Donna has lost a lot of blood. Her body temperature is low, and she's been shivering uncontrollably—"

"But she looks fine to me. She's still talking to me, so her condition can't possibly be that serious." Marco cut her off.

Turning back to me, he asked, "Are you still angry with me? Lia needed someone to stay with her. That's why I didn't go and get you myself."

I slowly dropped my outstretched hand.

The doctor paid Marco no further attention and wheeled me straight into the operating room.

The digital clock on the wall showed 10:14 pm. Two hours had passed since the boat crash.

Clara kept calling my name. She urged me to hang on while she updated the hospital staff on my condition.

The doctors hurriedly ran the necessary tests. Moments later, a needle pierced my arm, and blood began flowing into my body through an IV. At last, I felt myself slowly begin to relax.

Then, all of a sudden, another member of the medical team rushed over and quietly informed the doctor that the hospital's blood bank was running short of blood. After receiving the news, the doctor stepped out of the operating room and approached Marco, who was waiting by the entrance.

"Your wife has lost a dangerous amount of blood. She needs a blood transfusion immediately, but we don't have enough compatible blood available right now. We're trying to get more blood sent over as quickly as possible," he explained.

Marco gripped his phone and didn't say a word.

The doctor continued, "Please contact anyone who might be eligible to donate as soon as possible. We need your help in coordinating with the blood bank."

Hearing this, Marco finally took a step forward.

"How much blood has she lost?" he asked. "How can the hospital not have enough in the blood bank?"

The doctor sighed. "She has internal injuries, and her body is extremely weak. We haven't received the imaging results yet, and the bleeding still hasn't stopped. She needs continuous transfusions. The hospital doesn't have enough blood in reserve to meet her needs, so please contact anyone who might be able to donate immediately. We'll arrange an emergency blood supply on our end as well."