[Keifer's POV]
The twitch of her finger wasn't a reboot. It was a glitch—a final, dying spark before the entire system began to cascade into a total shutdown.
The monitors in the room suddenly transformed from a rhythmic hum into a frantic, high-pitched scream. Red lights began flashing across the console, reflecting off the cold glass of the ICU walls.
"HEMORRHAGE! She's crashing!" a nurse yelled, hitting the code blue button.
Ci N came charging through the doors, his face pale. He didn't even look at me. "Get him out of here! Now!"
"I AM NOT LEAVING!" I roared, my hands gripping the bed rails so hard the metal groaned. But four security guards—men I paid to protect my life—were now forced to drag me away from the only life that mattered.
"Keifer, if you stay, she dies!" Ci N screamed over the noise of the crashing equipment. "Let me work!"
The Viewing Glass
I was pushed behind the soundproof glass of the observation window. I pressed my palms against the pane, watching the most horrific sight of my life.
Jay's body jerked as they applied the paddles to her chest.
Clear!
Her back arched, her pale skin looking translucent under the harsh surgical lights. On the monitor, the line for the "Powerhouse" was already a flat, silent horizon. Now, Jay's line was joining it—a jagged, dying crawl toward zero.
"Don't you dare," I whispered, my breath fogging the glass. "Jay, don't you dare leave me with a cold house and a dead son. REBOOT! FIGHT!"
The Family's Despair
Behind me in the hallway, the sound was unbearable.
Mamma Serina had reached a point of grief that transcended words; she was on her knees, her forehead pressed against the floor, her hands shaking as she clutched a rosary. Pappa Keizer stood over her, his eyes closed, tears streaming into his grey beard, looking like a king who had lost his entire kingdom in a single day.
Keiran was screaming, "Ate Jay! Wake up! Please wake up!" his voice echoing through the sterile halls of Peralta Hospital.
Keigan was leaning against the wall, his laptop forgotten on the floor. He was staring at the heart rate monitor through the glass, his lips moving as he calculated the plummeting percentages. "She's at 5% oxygen saturation... 4%... the system is failing, Keif. The internal damage is too widespread."
The Dark Vow
I turned away from the glass for one second, pulling my phone from my pocket. My voice was no longer human; it was the sound of a machine that had been set to "Destroy."
"Security," I rasped.
"Yes, Mr. Watson?"
"Is Bridget still conscious?"
"Yes, sir. She's demanding to see a lawyer."
"Break her phone. Break her spirit. If Jay's heart stops for even one second, I want Bridget to feel the exact moment the light goes out. Do not let her die quickly. If I lose my world, I will dismantle hers piece by piece."
The Silent Room
I turned back to the window. Inside, the doctors had stopped moving. Ci N was standing over Jay, his head bowed, his hand hovering over her chest. The flatline tone was a continuous, piercing shriek that filled the room.
The "Glow" was gone. The room looked grey.
"Ci N..." I whispered, my hand sliding down the glass. "Don't you stop. Don't you ever stop."
Inside, Ci N looked up at the window. His eyes were red, filled with a soul-crushing defeat. He picked up the paddles one last time, his mouth forming the words: One more time. For Keifer.