Chapter 193

Elysia’s heart was pounding like a drumline on parade day, her entire body shaking like a leaf in a storm. If it weren’t for the wall the was clutching for dear life, she would have collapsed right there on the spot. Her legs were like they’d been swapped with someone else’s; they wouldn’t obey her, and wouldn’t even lift off the ground.

It wasn’t until Tarquin’s hysterical screams cut through the air again that she snapped back to reality and bolted up the stairs toward the sixth floor.

When she burst into the room, Tarquin was desperately performing CPR on Elijah.

Elijah lay there as still as a statue, his eyes shut tight, his face as pale as a ghost, and his lips colorless and lifeless Elysia felt a knot in her throat and tears cascaded down her cheeks.

She collapsed beside the bed, kneeling on the floor, her hands trembling as she reached for Elijah’s wrist, searching for a pulse, But there was nothing. Elijah’s heartbeat had vanished.

Elysia’s mind went blank, her heart felt as if it had been carved out, leaving a searing pain that made it hard to breathe.

“Needle, I need a needle…” she mumbled, desperate to give Elijah a needle treatment.

But her hands were shaking so violently from panic and distress that she couldn’t even hold the needle steady Elysia was frantic, her frustration boiling over into tears. “Come on!”

She wanted to calm down, to steady her hands and give Elijah the treatment, but the more she tried, the more she berated herself.

“Snap out of it!” she yelled, slapping herself across the face with a force that left a bright red mark on her pale skin.

The slap wasn’t just a wake–up call for her; it also snapped Tarquin and Heath out of their daze.

After a few stunned seconds, Tarquin leaped off the bed, bent down to scoop Elijah into his arms, ready to dash to the hospital.

Elysia blocked him. “There’s no time! Put him down and let me try!”

Tarquin hesitated.

“If we wait for you to drive him to the hospital, he’ll be gone before we get there!”

Elysia roared, shoving him aside.

“Strip him down. Get his clothes off, all of them!”

While she directed Heath, she started to prepare the treatment “There’s medicine in my pocket. Crush a pill, mix it with water, and make him drink it!”

Heath was peeling off Elijah’s shirt when Tarquin, frowning in confusion, reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle.

“What is this?” he asked.

“It’s a lifesaver!” she snapped without looking up from her “But…”

“If you don’t want to give up on Elijah, then do as I say!”

Tarquin didn’t waste another second. He rushed to the kitchen and came back with a small bowl prepared with the crushed pill.

h with a Elysia snatched the bowl and gently forced the medicine down Elijahs throat, then tenderly wiped his mouth As Benjamin arrived with the doctors and nurses, Elysia commanded, “Perfect timing.

Get him to the hospital, now!” In a whirlwind of urgency, they loaded Elijah onto the ambulance and sped toward the Hospital.

a tissue.

Before they even reached the emergency room, Elijah suddenly coughed violently.

Everyone on board was stunned.

His coughing brought color back to his cheeks.

Elysia’s eyes lit up with hope. She checked his breath, felt for his pulse, and then blurted out incoherently with joy, “He’s… he’s awake. He’s come back to us!”

Overwhelmed with relief, Elysia dived into Tarquin’s arms, tears streaming down her face.

“He’s okay! He’s awake! He’s the strongest little fighter in the world,” she sobbed.

Tarquin, his own eyes red–rimmed, didn’t push her away for the first time. Instead, he held her close, letting her cry her heart out in his embrace 09