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Home / Emotional Realism Short Story / Reported on the Rescue Train / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Reported on the Rescue Train: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Sir. We really can't open this container!"I held the incubator tightly in one hand and gave the urgent pass to the SWAT officer. “Look. This is the Department of Health and Human Services’ organ transport priority clearance pass. It has the official stamp. Inside the container is a donor heart kept at a constant temperature of four degrees. If it is exposed to the air for more than three minutes, the cardiac cells will experience irreversible necrosis.”The leading SWAT officer took the pass and examined it. His expression relaxed a little.He was ready to let them through when Ariana Cole shouted again. “It is fake! The pass is fake too!”She turned toward the onlookers in the departure hall. “Everyone, come and see! This woman is trafficking drugs under the guise of a doctor! What she has in her container is not a heart. It is methamphetamine. It is ice methamphetamine disguised as a medical kit. I am her sister‑in‑law, and I saw her pack these things in her house at three in t

Chapter 2

I shouted desperately, “Have the station staff place the container onto the express train. Once it gets to the destination, someone will pick it up!”As long as the heart was on the train, there was still hope.The SWAT officer hesitated for two seconds.During that brief moment, Ariana moved. She rushed forward and kicked the bottom of the temperature‑controlled container.Thump.The container fell out of my hands and hit the marble floor.The lid popped open, and refrigerant splattered across the ground. In the cold air, the heart wrapped in a sterile bag rolled out, tumbled twice, and stopped after hitting the base of a trash can.“No!” I screamed as I lunged toward it.My knees struck the floor, and my vision darkened. I ignored everything else. I held the heart in my hands as its temperature rose quickly. The preservation fluid leaked from the torn sterile bag.“It cannot be exposed to the air,” I whispered. I shivered and hugged the heart to my chest, wrapping it with my

Chapter 3

I said, “That heart is legal. It was distributed through the Red Cross organ donation system. All required ethics approvals are in place.”The interrogator’s expression softened a little. He was about to speak when the sound of high‑heeled shoes hitting the floor came from outside.Ariana pushed the door open and walked in, holding a cup of milk tea from an automatic vending machine. She took a sip. “Oh, are you already calling in reinforcements?”She walked to my side, bent over to look at the phone screen, and sneered. “Officer, do not be fooled. This so‑called Dr. McGrath was her old lover. They have been colluding to sell organs for several years. My older brother obtained the evidence and plans to report it to the disciplinary committee tomorrow. She is in a hurry to run away today to get this shipment out before everything came to light.”Dennis’s face turned pale with anger on the screen. “Nonsense. What are you doing? Who is this woman?”Ariana tilted her head toward the c

Chapter 4

Alex’s voice sounded completely hoarse. “The recipient has been put on ECMO, but he will not last long. His liver and kidneys have begun to fail. The entire surgical team of thirty people has waited here for four hours. Tell me when the heart will arrive.”I opened my mouth, and no words came out. I wondered how I could tell him. I wondered how I could tell him that the heart was already a discolored piece of dead tissue on the tray in the interrogation room.My voice trembled. “Dr. Fedric, the heart… the heart has…”I could not finish. I burst into tears and covered my face.There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time. It lasted so long that I thought the signal was gone.Alex finally spoke in a low voice. “Vivienne, do you know who this recipient is? Do you know how long the entire hospital has prepared for this surgery? Do you know…”A rapid alarm cut him off.Beep, beep, beep.A nurse shouted in the background. “Blood pressure cannot be measured. Heart r

Chapter 5

Ariana said, “My brother said if you refused when we discussed this with you, then we would have to resort to force. You are suspended now, and your reputation is ruined. Keeping the house will not help you. Sign here and transfer the property title to my name. Then I will withdraw the complaint and help you clear your name online. How about you sign it?”She shook her phone. On the screen was a screenshot of the live stream from earlier, showing me kneeling on the ground with blood on my face. “If you do not sign it, I will post these photos in your hospital group chat. You will not be able to perform surgery. You will be buried under public criticism.”I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. It became clear. Ariana had never come to report drugs. Her goal was not the container. Her goal was the house I had purchased with ten years of salary.The seventy‑two‑year‑old man and the heart that could have saved his life were only tools she used to force me to comply.“Ari

Chapter 6

The interrogation room became so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. Everyone present held their breath.Any adult with basic common sense had heard the name Arthur Quinn.His name appeared in high school physics textbooks. He was often shown on the news, and he sat in the first row on the reviewing stand during the Independence Day military parade.The interrogator’s legs weakened, and he almost lost his balance. He looked at the destroyed heart in the tray. His lips trembled, and he could not speak.Ariana lay on the ground, confused. “Arthur Quinn? Who is he? I have never heard of him.”She truly had not heard of him. A person who never watched the news and spent her time scrolling through short videos and shopping livestreams had no idea who Arthur Quinn was.The interrogator beside her knew everything. He stood frozen, his legs trembling, and the color drained from his face. He remembered the order he had given. “Disassemble and inspect the temperature‑controlled cont

Chapter 7

That was the preservation fluid and blood left behind when the heart fell. The moisture had almost dried, and the marks had darkened.“That mark,” I said as I pointed at the ground, “is the last trace of this heart. It was alive and beating in the preservation fluid. It was ruined by your kick. It is dead, and Mr. Quinn is gone too.”Ariana stared at the puddle for two seconds and then looked away. “Tsk. You were not holding it steady. Why are you blaming me?”The Major General no longer wished to argue with her. He took out his phone and made a call. “Ma’am, they have been subdued. The heart is destroyed.”There was no sound on the other end of the line.The silence stretched on.A hoarse and choked voice finally came through. “Is Arthur gone?”The Major General closed his eyes. “Yes. Just a moment ago.”A suppressed sob came through the phone.After a while, the elderly woman spoke again. Her crying had stopped. Her tone was firm. “Bring the person who killed him here. I wan

Chapter 8

He looked out the window at the pale sky. “Madam Quinn, Elena Riddle, is eighty‑one years old this year. They were together for fifty‑three years. Madam Quinn said she cannot believe he died like that. She wanted to see for herself who was responsible.”I asked, “Where are we going?”James said, “The neighboring province’s Central Hospital. Madam Quinn is there. She wants to see you and that Cole girl.”The helicopter flew through the clouds.About forty minutes later, it landed on the helipad on the top floor of the Central Hospital.The elevator took us straight to the ICU floor. Both sides of the corridor were filled with medical staff, and the atmosphere was tense.The ICU door was half open. The bed stood in the center, covered with a white cloth.Beside the bed sat Elena with silver hair. She wore a thick blue cotton coat. Her figure was thin and hunched, and her face was full of wrinkles. Her hand reached under the white cloth and held the hand inside, motionless.James

Chapter 9

“Enough,” Elena repeated softly.“It would have been enough.”Ariana stood still with a red mark across her face. She wanted to speak, and Elena did not give her the chance.Elena turned around and sat back in the chair. Her hand slipped under the white cloth again. “James.”“Yes?”“Proceed according to the rules of the military court. Judge as they see fit. Do not be lenient because she is a woman.”James stood at attention and saluted. “Yes.”Ariana was truly terrified. Her legs gave way, and she fell to the ground. Her knees hit the floor loudly. “Madam Quinn, I am sorry. I really am sorry. I did not know he was an academician. I would not have dared if I had known. I only wanted to scare my sister‑in‑law to get the house. I never meant to harm anyone.”She sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face as she begged.Elena did not look at her. “James, take her away. I do not want to see her.”When Ariana was lifted away, she screamed hysterically. “I do not want to

Chapter 10

“He lied,” I said calmly.“Ariana confessed it herself. Mason told her to resort to force. The interrogation room had cameras, and Ariana mentioned it during her live stream. You should check the surveillance footage.”The other person responded with a nod. “We will verify this. Thank you for your cooperation.”The call ended.I placed the phone on my lap and watched the screen turn black.During three years of marriage, I always believed Mason was simply weak and overly protective of his sister. That day, I understood he was not weak. He was the same as Ariana, willing to do anything for profit.James approached me and sat beside me. “Dr. Linch, Elena wants to see you. Do not be nervous. She is not holding you accountable. She only wants to talk.”I nodded and stood.In the ICU, the nurse gave Elena a chair with a backrest, and Elena did not lean on it. She sat upright.The white cloth on the bed remained. The person beneath it had long lost their body temperature.I stopped

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