Chapter 5: Three Years Ago (Her Death)

(Catherine’s POV)

I went out of the ward and saw my mother sitting on the bench outside. She immediately rushed towards me and asked about Winter’s condition.

Controlling my emotions, I reached out to her hands and held them tightly. “Mom, the test results came and according to that, her condition seemed to get worse and it spread faster than normal. I’m afraid, in a few weeks, it will reach her brain, which makes it more dangerous.”

Tears spread in her already wet eyes. I raised my arms and hugged her gently. I'm also on the verge of crying but I suppressed it. My mother needs me and I need to be strong for her. "Mom, I promise you, I will do my best to save Winter. She's a tough girl. She will not leave us. There's still hope."

I brought my mother back to my office so that she could rest properly. This was a tough day for her, not just physically but also emotionally.

"Mom, why don't you take a rest first while we wait? I will wake you up when dad arrives. I will just call Dr. Thomas." When she agreed, I took her to rest. After a few minutes, she finally fell asleep, so I silently went out. I walked a few meters away from the office, afraid that it would get my mother up, then fished out the phone to dial his number.

"Catherine? How's your sister?"

"Dr...She...She's not doing so well. Her illness is spreading at a faster rate. I'm afraid it will only take a few weeks before it reaches her brain. This will kill her. I can't let that happen to her."

"Catherine, I know this is a very hard time for you, but you need to be strong and stay focused. No flights are available right now but don't worry, I will try my best to help you, okay? How's the progress of the W Project?"

W Project is the research we're currently working on. It's about Winter's case. I've been staying up late in the hospital for a couple of weeks already, trying to find a breakthrough. "I managed to make progress. However, I only managed to raise the success rate by 87%. It's still not advisable to use it."

"You're right. How many weeks before it reaches her brain?"

"3 weeks. It's the maximum estimation when I checked her condition."

"Okay, we still have time. Continue to stabilize her condition. I'll try to look for my friend here in Lincoln City. He is quite experienced at research. I heard that he's currently researching rare illnesses. I hope his research is related to us. I'll go meet him now."

**********

When my father came, I explained to them the severity of her condition, including the research I'm currently working on. My mother cried while my father remained calm as usual. However, no matter how calm he looks, I know he is deeply worried, it shows in his eyes.

I prepared a specialized room for Winter. We needed to stabilize her condition as much as possible. This is the only way that we can buy more time. I glanced at my sister's face and went closer to her ears.

"Winter, you have to live. Sister will do her best to save you. I promised you before that once you are fine, I will take you to an amusement park. So, please fight, okay? You will be fine"

"Dr. Su, here's the Acetaminophen that you requested." A nurse came and gave me the drug. This drug is one of the progress we managed to have throughout the years. This can lessen the pain, but it can't slow down progress. 

This drug can only be administered if she's asleep or unconscious. It will harm her brain if administered during her conscious state. So, this is the reason why Winter can still feel the severe pain when she's awake. 

This may seem useless because she can still feel pain. However, this drug can help in stabilizing her condition. I placed the drug on the table beside the bed and faced the nurse." Administer this drug every 7 hours. Make sure that it's on time, not a second late. Understood?"

The nurse nodded, so I went out of the room after I left some instructions. There I saw my parents sitting on the bench of the hospital. They are prohibited from entering the room because we are trying to maintain the controlled atmosphere inside. If they enter, the body heat from their bodies and their breathing might disturb the atmosphere, so it's best to prevent it from happening.

"Mom, Dad, why don't you stay in my office? There's a nurse I assigned for her, so you don't have to worry. I'm sorry that you can't enter the room. I'm just trying to stabilize her condition as much as possible"

Mom nodded her head. "It's okay Catherine. We can still stay here outside. We're not tired yet. We will just go to your office if we can't handle it anymore."

"Okay. If you need anything, just tell them, okay? I will go to the lab now." They both nodded their heads slowly. On the way to the lab, my phone rang and I saw that it was Dr. Thomas.

"Dr. Thomas, is there any news about the research?"

"Good news Catherine. My friend did research that is a bit similar to Winter's case. We're currently at the port now going back to City A. Since there are no available flights, we're taking the boat. I emailed you the results he had and its success rate is 95%."

"Really?! That's wonderful! I will check it now. Thank you, Dr. Thomas."

'I knew it. There's still hope'. I ran towards my office and sat on my chair after opening my computer. As I hovered over the mouse, I saw Dr. Thomas' email. A smile slowly formed on my lips as I read the report. 

It's almost the same as Winter's case. The only difference is that Winter didn't have symptoms where her skin had black spots. But aside from that, everything's the same. I straightened my back and studied the result eagerly.

Hours passed by without me noticing it. Suddenly, a strong knock broke my peace. I opened the door of the office and saw that it was the nurse taking care of Winter. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Dr. Su, Ms. Winter is having seizures..."

"WHAT?!" The nurse was startled when I suddenly raised my voice. Without listening to her explanation, I rushed towards Winter's room. When I arrived, I saw my mother crying on the side while my dad hugged her. 

I didn't have time to comfort them as I rushed inside the room. When I entered, Dr. Adam is doing CPR on her. "What...what happened?"

No one answered when I asked, so I grabbed a nurse that was about to enter the door. "What happened here?!"

"Dr. Su, Ms. Winter had a seizure a few minutes ago. However, as soon as it stopped, her heartbeat was slowly deteriorating. That's why I called Dr. Adam." The nurse hurriedly explained.

'I can't believe it! She was okay a while ago, but why did this happen?!' A beeping sound made me fall to my knees. It's Winter's heart monitor. I slowly looked at the bed and saw Dr. Adam stops the CPR.

Tears wetted my eyes. 'I can't believe it! No! It's not possible! She can't die! NO!'

(Third Person's POV)

Dr. Adam went out and approached Mr. and Mrs. Su. Mrs. Su hurriedly asked him, "How's my daughter? Is she alright? Where's Catherine?" 

Dr. Adam cleared his throat before he answered. "After her sudden seizure, her heartbeat weakened. I tried to perform CPR. However, it didn't save her. I'm sorry for your loss but your daughter has died. We tried our best to save her, but I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Su. Dr. Catherine is still inside the room. You can go inside. I'm sorry for your loss". 

Once they heard the announcement, they hurriedly rushed inside the room. There they saw the dead body of Winter lying peacefully on the bed. Catherine was crying beside Winter's body when she heard the footsteps of someone running towards her.

Catherine stood up and whispered, "Mom... I'm sorry".

Mrs. Su rushed to her side and immediately hit her. "YOU PROMISED US THAT YOU WOULD SAVE HER?! YOU TOLD ME EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE ALRIGHT! BUT LOOK AT HER NOW! SHE'S DEAD! BRING ME BACK MY DAUGHTER! BRING HER BACK TO ME!" 

Catherine just lowered her head and did not answer her mother. Although her body was aching from the hits she received, the pain in her heart was more painful. She's also blaming herself for her sister's death.

Mr. Su approached them and stopped his wife from hitting Catherine. He's also grieving but he knows that it was not Catherine's fault. He knew more than anyone else how much Catherine treasured her sister.