Chapter 403 The Tipping Point

The day Mr. Gerardo was admitted, Elsie had been sprayed head to toe with bodily fluids—without a shred of protection. Her risk of infection was alarmingly high.

And now, one of the nurses present that same day had just died.

Wyatt paused for a long moment before telling Yunice, “Elsie has a low-grade fever.”

Though Yunice had braced herself for it, her heart still sank.

When the people beside you start to fall, fear becomes impossible to ignore.

Her thoughts immediately turned to Owen. He hadn’t worn protective gear that day either.

“We check our temperature every day,” Yunice reassured him softly. “If it’s abnormal, we stop working. I’m really okay. I wore full protection when I saw Mr. Gerardo.”

Except for when Elsie snatched her goggles.

Just then, someone knocked on the bathroom door.

“Yunice, you ready? I’ve got to start my rounds,” Tommy called.

Yunice answered, “Go on ahead.”

She stood quickly. She couldn’t talk to Wyatt any longer.

“Anything else you need to tell me?” she asked.

“Get back to work,” Wyatt replied, voice steady.

Then the walkie-talkie went silent.

Wyatt’s gaze lingered on it, narrowing slightly.

That man’s voice… the one talking to Yunice. Who was he?

His thoughts were interrupted by a call from Laurie.

“Mr. Wyatt,” Laurie said, her tone grim. “Elsie’s temperature is rising.”

That was the first sign the infection was progressing.

Wyatt’s voice turned cold. “Treat her. At all costs. I want to see if this disease can be cracked.”

Elsie was in his hands now—let her earn her keep.

If Yunice was infected, he’d use Elsie to test the drugs first. Whether she survived or not was irrelevant.

Yunice and Tommy were hauling another patient.

By the time the illness reached its midpoint, patients lost all ability to care for themselves. Turning them over to prevent bedsores or adjusting treatment became a massive task.

Some patients, disoriented by high fevers, lashed out. One had clawed off a volunteer’s mask two days ago. The man had cried on the spot and never returned.

The pressure on volunteers was overwhelming. There were fewer and fewer of them every day.

Even Tommy, usually cheerful, had fallen silent.

As a man, he naturally shouldered the heavier tasks—but Yunice knew he’d been going out of his way to take on more so she wouldn’t have to.

If he’d been paired with anyone else, he might have had it easier.

Yunice felt guilty.

Just as they finished repositioning the patient, someone called her name.

She turned to the door and saw someone in full protective gear labeled “Owen.”

They hadn’t seen much of each other these past few days—everyone was too busy.

“What is it?” she asked flatly.

The tone stung more than Owen expected. In this living tomb of a hospital, he’d thought he and Yunice would be each other’s greatest comfort.

But Yunice kept her distance.

After a long pause, Owen said, “We’ve been locked in here for seven days. I don’t know what’s happening outside…”

He hesitated. “Could I… borrow your walkie-talkie? Just for a moment. I want to talk to Elsie, make sure she’s okay.”

He licked his cracked lips. His voice was hoarse. “Everyone who helped with Mr. Gerardo, they’re all down now. Three have died. I’m worried about her.”

Yunice’s voice turned icy. “Shouldn’t you be blaming yourself? You’re the hospital director. If you’d done your job, maybe fewer people would be dead. If you hadn’t let Elsie roam into the ER, she wouldn’t be caught up in this.”

“What good does blaming me do now?” Owen snapped. “If you want someone to blame, blame Mr. Gerardo. Why’d he come here and drag everyone down with him?”

Yunice’s glare sharpened. “Hospitals exist to save lives. We don’t get to pick and choose who we treat.”

Owen’s voice dropped again. “I’m not as noble as you. I just want my family to be okay. I want Elsie to be okay. I want you to be okay.”

Yunice looked away.

Even now, she noticed, he still listed her name last.

When she stayed silent, Owen added quietly, “That day… I wasn’t wearing protection either. I helped clean Elsie up.”

He looked up, eyes ringed with fatigue behind the fogged plastic of his goggles.

“Did it ever occur to you… I might be infected too?” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I might not make it.”

Yunice didn’t answer. Not right away.

Because in this place, surrounded by death, uncertainty, and regret—sometimes silence was louder than any words.

Chapter 404 Final Moments