Leo tore into the hospital barely twenty minutes later, having abandoned his car at the entrance, hoping the parking warden would be lenient. Right now, that was the least of his concerns. He ran through the automatic doors, already dialing the office as he went.
The phone rang twice before Ellie picked up.
"Ellie, listen—I need you to hold the fort for a bit. There's been a—"
"Leo," she interrupted, "Harry's still here."
Leo exhaled sharply. Damn it.
"Get him here, Ellie. Do whatever you can."
Ellie put down the phone and turned to where Harry still sat at his desk, staring at his computer screen. Except the screen had long since gone dark, the screensaver flickering in quiet mockery.
"Leo's at the hospital," she said softly. "There was a second bleed. They've taken her back into surgery."
Harry blinked once but didn't move. "I know. They phoned me." His voice was hollow. "It's not good, is it?"
Ellie hesitated. "Leo said they almost lost her."
A breath shuddered out of him. "This is it, isn't it?" His voice was eerily calm. "This is what the end looks like."
Ellie stepped closer. "No. There's still hope, Harry. Don't give up on her."
He let out a hollow laugh, but there was no humour in it.
"Why are you still here?" she asked gently. "You should be there when she comes out."
Harry shook his head, still staring at the blank screen. "I can't do this. I can't sit there and watch her die."
Ellie clenched her jaw. "That isn't going to happen."
"She's having emergency surgery," Harry countered, his voice sharp. "It's not good, Ellie. You, of all people, should understand that. And you know what the most likely outcome of this is, don't you?"
"Harry, why are you being so defeatist? She can come through this."
He shot up from his chair, sending it skidding back. "How many people survive this kind of injury, Ellie?" His voice rose with every word. "How many people with stab wounds like hers end up downstairs?"
He turned abruptly, stalking toward the bookshelf behind them. His hands hovered over the spines before he yanked one free, flipping to a random page and throwing it onto his desk. Then another. And another.
"Look at the facts," he snapped. "Look at the science."
The books formed an uneven pile on his desk, some had scattered onto the floor between them, their open pages displaying photographs of bodies—victims just like Nikki. People who hadn't made it.
"Science says she's no different from them."
Ellie's heart twisted. "Science isn't important here," she whispered. "Science has flaws."
Harry's expression darkened. He swept an arm across the desk, sending the books crashing to the floor. Pages fanned open, black-and-white images staring up at them.
For a moment, Ellie felt something close to fear. Not for herself, but for him. His grief had been building since he found Nikki, and now it was consuming him. But better here, in this room, than anywhere else.
He stood there, trembling, his breath uneven. When he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"I had to resuscitate my best friend. She left us once, and we brought her back. Do you know how rare that is? How many more times can we get lucky?" His hands curled into fists. "I don't think I can say goodbye to her, because I can't accept that this is the end."
Ellie knelt, picking up one of the books from the floor. She turned it over in her hands, then stepped toward him.
"Harry… there's something more than science at work here." Her voice was quiet, but firm. "This is Nikki and she will want to live. She will want to come back to us, to you. And that's stronger than all your scientific facts."
Harry sagged back into his chair, gripping the arms tightly. His voice was hoarse.
"Do you realise how helpless I feel? She can't hear me, can't speak to me, and I can't help her. All I can do is sit there and will her to survive." He let out a bitter breath. "At least in Hungary, it was me doing the dying."
Ellie's throat tightened.
"Harry."
At that moment, Wednesbury stepped forward. He had been lingering in the background, having popped in for an update, but he had heard enough.
"Harry," he said gruffly, stepping closer, "you and Nikki are both as stubborn as each other. So stop. Just stop. Forget all this for a moment and go to her."
Harry shook his head, barely able to meet his gaze. "I can't. I need more time." His voice cracked. He clenched his jaw, his entire body taut with emotion. Through gritted teeth, he whispered, "It's too soon."
Wednesbury didn't hesitate. "Get in my car."
Harry finally looked up.
"That isn't a request," Wednesbury said firmly. "That's an order."
As soon as the car slowed to a standstill, Harry flung open the door and like a wild animal released from captivity he ran full pelt into the hospital and up the stairs towards the ICU ward. As he did so he could feel the bile rising in his throat and a tightness began to well in his chest, he forced it back down and forced himself to run quicker as if each second would make all the difference.
Leo was stood at the entrance to the ward, Harry instantly observed the exhaustion written upon his face, but on seeing Harry the sides of his mouth lifted slightly and he breathed in deeply, his relief was evident.
"You came."
Harry's reply came tumbling out, "What's happening Leo? What have they said?" Leo placed his hand upon the other man's shoulder and he indicated into the distance.
"She's still in there Harry. They're still operating"