I'm Sorry

The emergency room was a whirlwind of activity. It was a cacophony of beeping monitors and hurried footsteps. Ginny was placed on a gurney in the center of the commotion. Her face paled as if she was a blank piece of paper, practically lifeless. As they cut the dark, ominous stain to remove her clothing, they saw her stab wound. It was deep.

The emergency room staff moved with practiced efficiency. Their expressions were grim, filled with the eagerness to save her as her vitals declined. 

Outside the room, Alan paced in the waiting area. His hands balled into fists as he struggled to breathe smoothly. The last sight of Ginny's pale figure was too much for him to handle. Every second felt like an eternity. It was as if time had stopped for him. The smell of antiseptic and disinfectant haunted him dreadfully.

As his eyes wandered toward the clock on the wall, he counted each tick. He would look at the closed doors and then at the clock again.

In a nearby corner, Lin Que held Lily still to attend to her wounds. She had refused treatment until Ginny's condition is stabilized. However, he knew it would take a while before they receive any news. As her fiancé and a doctor, he will never allow her to jeopardize her health. 

"Lily, I need you to stay still," he said in a non-negotiable tone. His voice was calm, but firm. "We need to get your wound under control. I can have you run tests just to be safe later, but this wound needs to be taken care of." 

Lily's eyes, however, were focused at the emergency room doors. Every muscle of hers tensed with anticipation. She took a sharp breath. "I know. I know. But I can't leave her. She's behind those doors. I need to be there. I can't leave her until I know she is okay. She got hurt because of me. All because of me. If I... I she.." Her voice trembled alongside her body. 

Lin Que pulled her into his arms and tightened his grip around her. 

"It's alright. It's okay. Lily, it is not your fault, okay? Look at me, it is not your fault. Nobody wanted this to happen. You are not at fault for what happened. You are one of the victims, understand? That man would've attacked anyone for all we know. Everything is okay now. " Lin Que held her close to his chest, giving her long firm strokes to reassure her safety.

After taking some time doing deep breath exercises with her, Lily calmed down. He took this opportunity to treat her wounds. 

His brows furrowed as he finished securing the bandage. "The only thing you can do right now is to take care of yourself. Think about Ginny. How would she feel if she were to see you with opened wounds and untreated injuries? What if it gets infected? You wouldn't want to make her worry about you. I will be right here for you. We'll wait for the doctor together. Alright?"

Lily nodded in agreement. 

A while later, the emergency doors swung open with a whoosh, and the attending physician stepped out. As he removed the mask, his face was lined with exhaustion. He already spotted Alan and walked towards him with a solemn expression.

Alan's heart dropped as he watched the doctor approach him. His feet felt heavy as if dumbbells were pinning him to the floor. "Doctor." Alan said, his voice cracking. "How is she? Is she okay?" 

The doctor took a deep breath, his eyes meeting Alan's with a look of deep regret. "I'm sorry." He begun with a voice heavy with compassion. "Despite our best efforts, we couldn't resuscitate Ginny. The blood loss was too extensive and we failed to stabilize her condition. Her vitals declined drastically and her heart stopped.. We couldn't save her."

Alan's legs seemed to give way. His hand searched for the wall to balance his stand. He muttered, "No way. This is a bad joke, isn't it? There's no way she is dead. There's no way.." His body shook with silent sobs as the world around him blurred into a haze of disbelief and anguish. His eyes turned red almost immediately.

Lily's face had gone ashen. She slumped back in a nearby chair with her hand covering her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she processed the doctor's words. Lin Que stood beside her, his eyes filled with sorrow. His arm held her shoulder, offering some comfort as she cried. 

The doctor placed a gentle hand on Alan's shoulder. "I'm so sorry for your loss. We did everything we could."

The words did not reach Alan's ears. His chest tightened in the sterile, frenetic atmosphere of the emergency room. The reality of Ginny's death was an unbearable grief, like a heavy blanket, pressing down on everyone in the room. 

"I don't believe you. I don't believe any of you!" Alan suddenly said out loud. His irritated eyes were soaked with tears that were consistently dripping down his face. He stood up from the ground and burst through the emergency room doors. 

The chaotic sounds of medical equipment and frantic voices faded in the background as he found Ginny lying on the gurney. He pushed past the bewildered staff and skidded to her side. He had his hands on his hips and took a minute to suck in a deep breath. He held his tears and faced Ginny. Slowly, he reached for her slightly cold hand. 

He looked at her lifeless form on the gurney, her face ashen, and her chest still. The sight hit him like a physical blow to the chest. A wave of nausea and despair crashed over him as he held her hand to his face and kissed it.

He reached out and fixed her messy fringe, brushing it neatly the way she liked it. His hands were shaking uncontrollably. His voice was a choke whisper, barely audible.

"Ginny.. Dear..Wake up..Look, I just fixed your fringe for you. Didn't you not like it when it is messed up? You are always talking about that one strand of hair on your face..It's time to wake up from your nap. You still need to eat dinner before you sleep." He forced a bitter smile, refusing to accept her death.

"Ginny.. I'm so sorry," he murmured. Tears wet her hand as he placed it against his cheek. "I've been a bad boyfriend..a terrible fiance. I've been so caught up with work, hoping to give you the best wedding and honeymoon. I thought we had a lot of time. I thought we had a lifetime together, but I never thought that our time was already up. There's so much I want to talk to you about..So much I want to tell you. Can you please open your eyes.. please wake up? There's still so much we haven't done."

His voice grew more desperate and heightened in volume as he leaned over her. He shook her arm, hoping for a response. "I should've spent more time with you. I shouldn't have thought we had a lot of time left when all we had was..This isn't fair. We didn't have enough time. I promise I won't leave you alone because of work any more. I'll listen to everything you say..Please open your eyes. Please. Please.. I beg you.."