Chapter 194 Desperate attempt

Chapter 194: Chapter 194 Desperate attempt

Arriving at the safe zone’s medical facility, Joseph hurried through the entrance with Catherine in his arms.

The facility was one of the most carefully managed centers in the entire survivor base. Since the outbreak of the disasters, medical resources had become increasingly scarce, making hospitals among the most valuable establishments in the safe zone. Every available resource was carefully managed, and the medical staff worked tirelessly to save as many lives as possible.

Among the doctors working there, one man had earned a reputation as a miracle worker in the apocalypse.

Dr. Jude.

His medical skills had saved countless lives, and even the most desperate survivors held on to hope whenever they were brought under his care. As a result, the facility operated around the clock, with doctors and nurses working day and night to attend to emergencies.

At that moment, it was already deep into the night.

Inside his private office, Dr. Jude was going through several medical files when a group of nurses suddenly rushed into the room. Their hurried footsteps caught his attention, and he immediately looked up.

"What’s going on?" he asked.

"Master, it’s the president!" one of the nurses answered breathlessly. "He’s here with a wounded woman, and he’s screaming your name, demanding that you come and examine her immediately!"

Dr. Jude immediately put down the files.

Before he could ask any further questions, a familiar voice echoed through the corridor.

"Dr. Jude! Jude!"

The desperate shouting left no room for hesitation.

He rose from his chair and hurried out of the office, heading straight toward the entrance. The moment he arrived, he found Joseph standing there with blood covering his clothes and hands. His usually composed face was twisted with anguish, and his eyes were filled with a desperation Jude had never seen in him before.

The president looked as though his entire world had collapsed.

"My wife!" Joseph shouted the moment he saw him. "Please, just take a look at her!"

Dr. Jude’s expression changed as he noticed the woman lying motionless in Joseph’s arms.

"Get a stretcher immediately!" he ordered.

The nurses rushed forward, bringing a stretcher and carefully transferring Catherine onto it. Within seconds, they were moving her toward the emergency ward.

Joseph followed closely behind, his heart pounding as he watched the medical staff wheel his wife away.

But just as he reached the entrance to the ward, one of the nurses stepped in front of him.

"Please wait outside, sir. We need space to examine her."

Before Joseph could protest, the doors closed between them.

He was left standing alone in the corridor.

For several seconds, he simply stared at the closed doors, unable to move. Then he turned away, dragging both hands through his hair before covering his face.

"God, what have I done?"

His voice came out broken.

"What have I really done to my life?"

He stumbled backward and leaned against the wall, struggling to contain the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

"I’ve destroyed everything. My home, my family... everything I’ve worked so hard to protect."

He had always believed he could control the circumstances surrounding his life. As president, he had made decisions that affected countless people, and he had convinced himself that every sacrifice was necessary for the future he wanted to create.

But none of those decisions had prepared him for this.

He had never imagined that the woman he loved would end up lying behind a hospital door because of his own actions.

As he continued lamenting, he suddenly noticed two small figures standing a short distance away.

Landon and Erica.

Both children were watching him, but the expressions on their faces were different from anything he had seen before. There was no excitement, no affection, and certainly no admiration.

Instead, their eyes were filled with pain and suspicion.

Erica couldn’t bear to remain near him. Without saying a word, she turned toward the emergency ward and approached the glass window beside the door.

She stood there, staring inside, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of her mother.

Landon, however, remained where he was for a little longer.

He stood opposite his father, watching him with an expression Joseph couldn’t decipher. There were too many emotions in the boy’s eyes, but one thing was painfully clear.

Whatever Landon had once felt for him, it was no longer the same.

Joseph swallowed hard.

"You’re not supposed to be here, baby," he said, attempting to regain some composure. "Remember, no one knows that you and your sister are staying with me. You shouldn’t be seen here."

Even now, he was thinking about secrecy.

He was so accustomed to hiding his family from the rest of the world that the habit remained even when his wife was fighting for her life.

Landon stared at him coldly.

Then, without saying a word, he turned around and walked away.

He stopped near the entrance to the ward, standing beside his sister as they waited for the doctors to come out.

Joseph watched him leave, feeling something tighten painfully inside his chest.

He wanted to call his son back, to explain himself, and to assure him that everything would be fine. But the words refused to come.

For once, he didn’t know what to say.

He had already lost Catherine’s trust, and now he could feel his children slipping away from him, too.

The thought terrified him.

Apart from his wife, his children were the greatest source of strength in his life. They were the reason he had built a secret home away from the chaos of the safe zone, the reason he had tried to preserve some semblance of a normal family despite the apocalypse.

He couldn’t lose them.

Not Catherine.

Not Landon.

Not Erica.

He couldn’t bear the thought of losing any of them.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly as he waited outside the ward.

Every passing second made his anxiety worse. He kept glancing at the doors, hoping someone would emerge with good news.

He had never been a particularly religious man. He rarely prayed, believing that his own intelligence, resources, and authority were enough to help him achieve his goals.

But now, with his wife’s life hanging in the balance, he found himself silently begging for a miracle.

I know I’ve never prayed to you before, but please... let the news be good. Don’t take her away from me.

He clenched his hands together.

I’ll do anything. Just let her survive.

Finally, the doors opened.

Dr. Jude stepped out with a nurse beside him.

Joseph immediately straightened, his eyes fixed on the doctor’s face. He searched for even the slightest sign of relief, but the expressions he saw only made his heart sink further.

Neither of them looked happy.

His knees began to tremble.

He had never been so afraid in his life. His entire body felt weak, and he was suddenly conscious of how difficult it had become to breathe normally.

Dr. Jude took a step forward, but his attention shifted toward the two children standing beside the ward entrance.

"How is Mom?" Landon asked immediately.

Erica turned away from the glass window and rushed toward the doctor.

"Yes! How is she? She’s alright, isn’t she?"

Her voice trembled with hope.

She was already preparing herself to smile, desperately wanting to hear that her mother was fine and that they could go home together.

But Dr. Jude stopped moving.

He looked from one child to the other, his expression growing more troubled.

"Is she your mother?" he asked quietly.

Both children nodded.

"She’s alright, isn’t she?" Erica repeated, her lips beginning to curve into a hopeful smile. "Please tell me she’s alright."

Dr. Jude hesitated.

He had been trying to find the right way to deliver the news to Joseph, but he hadn’t expected to discover that the wounded woman had children waiting outside.

He couldn’t bring himself to break the news in front of them without first speaking to their father.

"I think we should have this discussion somewhere else," he said carefully. "Preferably with an adult present. Since your father is here, I’ll speak to him first."

Erica’s hopeful expression slowly faded.

She looked toward Joseph, then back at the doctor, her small hands twisting together nervously.

Landon, however, narrowed his eyes.

Something about the doctor’s hesitation frightened him more than anything else.

He had seen that expression before, on television and in the faces of people delivering terrible news.

He didn’t want to believe what his instincts were telling him.

Not when it concerned his mother.

Dr. Jude gestured for Joseph to follow him toward a quieter corner of the corridor.

Joseph immediately went after him.

"How is my wife?" he demanded as soon as they were far enough away from the children. "Tell me she’s going to be alright."

Dr. Jude didn’t answer immediately.

He lowered his head for a moment, struggling to find the right words.

The silence was unbearable.

Landon, who had remained near the ward, watched them from a distance. When he noticed the doctor taking his father aside, his suspicion grew.

He glanced at Erica, who was still waiting anxiously by the door.

Then he quietly moved toward the corner where the two men were standing.

He crept closer and hid behind a nearby wall, careful not to make any noise.

He needed to know what was happening.

He needed to know whether his mother was going to survive.

"How is my wife?" Joseph repeated, his voice growing more desperate. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Just tell me what happened!"

Dr. Jude finally lifted his head.

"I’m sorry, Mr. President."

Joseph went completely still.

The doctor took a deep breath before continuing.

"Your wife was already dead when you brought her here. From what I observed, she appears to have suffered a severe injury to her skull. The bleeding was extensive, and she had already lost too much blood before arriving at the facility."

For a moment, Joseph didn’t understand what he had heard.

He stared at the doctor, his lips parting slightly.

"No..."

Dr. Jude continued, his voice heavy with regret.

"If she had arrived earlier, there might have been a chance to intervene. But by the time she reached us, there was nothing more we could do."

The words struck Joseph with devastating force.

His legs gave way beneath him, and he dropped to his knees.

"No! No, that can’t be true!"

He grabbed the doctor’s arm, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You’re Dr. Jude! You’re supposed to be able to save people! Everyone calls you a miracle worker! So save her! Please, save my wife!"

His voice cracked as tears streamed down his face.

"Do something! I’ll give you anything you want! Just bring her back!"

Dr. Jude immediately crouched beside him, trying to support him before he collapsed completely.

"Mr. President, I’m deeply sorry. I wish there were something more I could do."

"I’m begging you!"

Joseph clutched at his clothes, desperately searching for a solution that didn’t exist.

"Please! She’s my wife! I can’t lose her!"

"I’m sorry, sir."

The apology only made everything worse.

Joseph broke down completely, covering his face as sobs escaped his throat. He had spent years making decisions without hesitation, convinced that he could overcome any obstacle if he had enough resources and determination.

But he couldn’t bargain his way out of this.

He couldn’t threaten the doctor into bringing Catherine back.

And he couldn’t use his authority to command death itself to release her.

Hidden behind the wall, Landon heard every word.

For several seconds, he remained frozen.

His mind refused to accept what the doctor had said.

His mother was dead?

No.

That couldn’t be true.

He had seen her lying on the floor, but a part of him had still believed that the doctors would save her. He had clung to the hope that she would wake up, smile at them, and explain that everything had been a terrible misunderstanding.

Now that hope was gone.

His knees buckled.

He fell to the floor, tears pouring down his face as a broken cry escaped his throat.

"Why, Mom?"

His voice echoed faintly through the corridor.

"Why did you have to die like this?"

He struck the floor with his hands, unable to contain the pain surging through him.

"Mommy, please! You can’t leave us!"

His sobs grew louder as he struggled to breathe.

He wanted his mother.

He wanted her hugs, her smile, and the way she always made him feel safe whenever the world seemed frightening.

He wanted the mother who had promised to celebrate his birthday with him and who had always found a way to make him and Erica happy, even when their father was away.

But she wasn’t coming back.

And the person responsible might be the very man who had promised to protect them.

Landon covered his face, crying harder.

Dr. Jude heard the sound and immediately turned toward the wall.

"Who’s there?"

Landon didn’t respond.

Joseph lifted his head at the sound of his son’s crying. The moment he saw Landon sitting on the floor, his heart shattered all over again.

"Son..."

He tried to stand, but his legs were still trembling.

Landon looked up at him through his tears.

For a moment, their eyes met.

Joseph wanted to reach for him, to pull him into an embrace and tell him that everything would somehow be alright.

But Landon quickly turned away.

He couldn’t bear to look at his father.

Not now.

Not when the truth was becoming impossible to ignore.

Meanwhile, Erica remained near the ward entrance, unaware of the doctor’s exact words but increasingly frightened by the silence. She stared through the glass, searching for her mother’s face among the medical equipment and empty spaces inside the room.

When she finally noticed Landon crying on the floor, she rushed toward him.

"Landon? What’s wrong?"

He couldn’t answer.

She knelt beside him and grabbed his arm.

"Why are you crying? Is Mom okay? Tell me she’s okay!"

Landon squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bring himself to say the words.

But Erica understood enough from his reaction.

Her face crumpled.

"No..."

She shook her head, backing away.

"No, no, no! Mommy can’t be dead!"

Her voice rose into a scream that echoed throughout the corridor.

Joseph could no longer bear to remain where he was.

He pushed himself to his feet and hurried toward the ward, desperate to see Catherine one more time.

When he entered the room, he found her lying on the hospital bed, her face pale and her body completely still.

He approached slowly.

For a long moment, he simply stood beside her, staring at the woman he had loved for so many years.

Then he reached for her hand and held it tightly.

"I’m sorry, love."

His voice was barely audible.

"I’m so sorry."

He lowered his head, pressing her hand against his forehead as tears fell onto the bedsheet.

"I’ll bring you back. I promise you, I’ll find a way."

His fingers tightened around hers.

"I don’t care how many people I have to sacrifice. I don’t care what it takes or how much it costs me."

He lifted his head, staring at her lifeless face with a desperation that slowly began to replace his grief.

"I will bring you back, Catherine. I promise."