Chapter 3 - FLATLINE
The sharp, continuous scream of the heart monitor pierced the room.
Maya’s body jerked violently against the white sheets.
Foam began to form at the corners of her trembling mouth.
"Maya!" Richard roared, lunging toward the bed.
He grabbed her shoulders, trying to stabilize her thrashing body.
Julian stood frozen by the door, his face completely drained of color.
"Call the emergency team! Now!" Richard screamed at Julian.
Julian snapped out of his shock and slapped the red emergency button on the wall.
An alarm echoed down the silent hospital corridor outside.
Within seconds, heavy footsteps thundered toward the room.
A team of doctors and paramedics burst inside, pushing past Julian.
"Get him out of the way!" the lead doctor shouted, shoving Richard back.
"She’s in respiratory arrest! Prepare the intubation kit!"
Two paramedics grabbed Richard by the arms and forced him away from the bed.
"Let me go! Look at the IV line!" Richard yelled, struggling against their grip.
"Someone tampered with the IV bag!" Richard screamed, pointing at the shattered tube on the floor.
The head physician ignored him completely, slamming an oxygen mask over Maya’s face.
"Charge the paddles to 150!" the physician shouted.
Julian watched in horror as his sister's body lifted off the mattress from the electric shock.
The heart monitor gave a single, weak blip, then flatlined again.
"Charge to 200!" the physician ordered, his forehead dripping with sweat.
Richard managed to yank his right arm free and pointed straight at the doctor.
"If she dies, every single one of you goes to prison!" Richard raged.
Outside the clear glass window of the room, a shadow moved in the hallway.
Victoria was standing in the shadows, watching the resuscitation effort with a calm, expressionless face.
She met Richard's wild eyes through the glass and gave a tiny, almost imperceptible tilt of her head.
The doctor delivered the second shock.
Maya’s body jolted violently once more.
A faint, uneven pulse suddenly echoed from the monitor.
"We have a rhythm! Get her to the ICU right now!" the doctor commanded.
The medical team unlocked the bed wheels and began rushing the gurney into the hallway.
Richard tried to follow them, but two security guards suddenly blocked the doorway.
"Mr. Vance, you need to step back," one of the guards said sternly.
"Get out of my way!" Richard growled, taking a step forward.
"Mrs. Vance signed an emergency medical restriction," the guard stated, drawing a document.
"You are restricted from entering the ICU floor effective immediately."
Richard turned his head sharply toward Victoria, who was now walking slowly toward him.
"You won't get away with this, Victoria," Richard whispered, his voice trembling with sheer hatred.
Victoria stopped two feet away from him, her posture regal and flawless.
"I already have, my dear husband," Victoria whispered back so only he could hear.
"And by tomorrow morning, the baby will be legally under my guardianship."
She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with absolute malice.
"Because the doctor will declare Maya mentally unfit to raise a child," Victoria added.
Julian stepped between them, his hands shaking as he looked at his mother.
"Mom... did you do this?" Julian asked, his voice cracking with unbearable guilt.
Victoria didn't even look at Julian.
"Go home, Julian," Victoria commanded coldly.
"Let the adults handle the family legacy."
Richard reached inside his inner jacket pocket, feeling the corners of the black envelope.
He knew he couldn't beat her inside this corrupted hospital.
He had to find the person who dropped that black envelope before midnight.
Richard took a slow step backward, keeping his eyes locked on Victoria.
"This isn't over," Richard said quietly.
May you like
"It will be over by sunrise," Victoria replied, turning her back on him.
Richard turned around and sprinted down the staircase, heading straight for the parking garage.
