Take My Breath Away

The doctors comforted Debbie as they examined her, "Mrs. Huo, we understand. But think about the baby. It's not just you we're worried about here."

When Debbie heard this, she started breathing deeply, trying to slow her heartbeat down and banish her anxiety. She tried to relax and lay back in the hospital bed. She grabbed Sasha's hand tightly and said, "Can you stay in the ER? I want to know how Carlos is. Sasha, please..."

Tears welled up again in Sasha's eyes when she heard Debbie. "I will. I'm going now," she promised. She paused at the door. "Get some rest, Debbie." And then she left.

Debbie was relieved. But she still couldn't stop worrying.

She prayed for her baby and Carlos.

Then, once again, she thought of Emmett. Her eyes became moist and it was getting hard to see. The world existed through tear-blurred eyes. "Auntie, may I borrow your phone?" she asked Lucinda.

'Kasie must be devastated, ' she thought.

Lucinda took out her phone and dialed the number for her.

Debbie heard it ringing on her end, but no one answered. Debbie called a lot, but every time it was the same result. No answer, and it would go to voicemail afterwards.

Lying in bed, she tossed and turned restlessly, too worried about Carlos to sleep. Once the fluid in the IV ran out, she got out of bed anyway.

Before she reached the emergency room, Sasha ran toward her, shouting, "Debbie! Carlos is out..." Her excited shouts echoed through the hospital and even spilled into the hallways. The girl was so loud everyone stopped what they were doing to look.

"Shush! You're too loud," Lucinda reprimanded.

Sasha grabbed Debbie's arm, jumping up and down anxiously. "I can't. It's been eight hours, but it doesn't look good. They moved him to the ICU."

'Eight hours... doesn't look good...' These words struck Debbie hard. Her legs shook, and finally she collapsed into Lucinda's arms.

Lucinda caught her, and Sasha ran over to lend a helping hand. Together they got her back to her feet.

Debbie didn't know how she managed to walk to the ICU. When she got there, many people were already outside the ward, forming a crowd and blocking the door.

Damon, Carlos' assistants, and some executives in Carlos' company were already there.

The Huo family was still in New York. Or at least, they hadn't arrived yet.

When the people at the door saw Debbie, they all greeted her. "Hi Mrs. Huo, how're you holding up?"

"Hello, Mrs. Huo."

Debbie nodded to them numbly.

She walked through silently to the ICU and looked inside through the glass. It was like she was in a dream, and all of this wasn't real. Earlier, her life had been so perfect, but now everything she cared about was being robbed from her.

The young woman regarded the figure lying there. The man, who had been so vigorous and confident, now lay there motionless, covered with tubes and hooked up to machines. A dreadful sight to Debbie.

Unbidden, tears blinded her vision. The grief was overwhelming. She shut her eyes and covered her mouth, trying not to cry out loud.

"Be strong," Lucinda said to her. "Mothers need to be strong for their babies. And you're a mom, not a little girl. You need to believe he'll be okay."

'Yes, I'm a mom now. I can't be weak. I must protect my baby.

Come on, old man. Pull through. For our baby, okay?'

But as soon as the thought that Carlos was still in critical condition came to her mind, the floodgates were opened again.

She began to wail. The thought that Carlos might not be there anymore was too much to bear.

Everyone there came over to comfort her. Damon scratched his hair and sighed. "Debbie, right now, taking care of yourself is the number one priority."

Debbie cried for a long time. Then she took the tissue Lucinda handed her to wipe her eyes.

After straightening her clothes, she took a deep breath and looked at the executives with swollen eyes. "Thank you for visiting Mr. Huo. He'll be fine. I know you're all really busy, and I think he'd like to wake up to a well-run company. So maybe go back to the office and work hard for him."

The executives looked at each other. They said a few more comforting remarks and then left the hospital.

Damon's phone rang. He slid his finger along the lockscreen and answered it. "Hi Tabitha. Yeah, we're at the hospital. Okay, see you later."

After hanging up the phone, Damon said to Debbie, "The entire Huo family is here. They have just disembarked from their private jet and are on their way here."

Debbie stroked her dully aching belly and nodded, "Okay, thanks."

'I'm sorry I was weak, little one. I'll be strong for you, I promise.'

Lucinda accompanied Debbie to the morgue.

No sooner had she gotten off the elevator than she heard terrible, grief-stricken blubbering.

Sadness seized Debbie. There was a lump in her throat as she took heavy steps forward.

Inside, a middle-aged woman was sobbing in Marc's arms.

Mia stood beside them, along with some others that Debbie didn't know. Everyone's eyes were red from crying.

Then Debbie recognized a heartbreaking sob. It was Kasie.

Seeing her walk in, Mia approached her and asked, "Debbie, why are you here? The nurses say you shouldn't be walking around."

Mia had visited Debbie when she was asleep.

Debbie shook her head and made no answer. She looked at Marc and his wife. "Mr. Dou, Mrs. Dou..." she greeted quietly.

Marc nodded at her. The woman in his arms was too overcome with grief to respond.

There were few things sadder than parents having to bury their children.

Debbie released Lucinda's hand and walked to the bed, where a person lay under a white sheet. A woman in pajamas sat beside the bed, too heartbroken to notice Debbie was even there.

"Kasie..." Debbie called in a hoarse voice.

Kasie raised her head, her eyes red and swollen. As soon as she recognized Debbie, she ran toward her and hugged her. "Debbie..." she sobbed.

This was the first time Debbie had seen Kasie so heartbroken. She held the girl tightly, her heart aching. Her tears wouldn't stop falling. Kasie's sobs racked Kasie's body as well as Debbie's.

"Debbie, Emmett is a liar! He... he lied to me! He said he'd marry me. He said he'd propose to me when this semester is over. But now... why is he just lying here? I can't wake him up. Wake up, you liar! Liar! He lied to me, Debbie... how could he?"

she shouted hysterically.

He promised he would propose to her.

He insisted at the jewelry exposition that she agree to marry him when he proposed.

How could he bail on her like this?

Now that he wasn't around anymore, how could she marry him?

Debbie patted Kasie on the back. The only thing she could think of to comfort her was to shed tears with her quietly.

Kasie went on listing all the promises Emmett had made to her. "He said he'd come to my house to propose to me after this term. I was so happy I told my mom. She even prepared my dowry.

Emmett... Oh God, Debbie. What am I going to do?" Kasie almost fainted from the hysterical crying. She hadn't remembered to breathe.