Chapter 10
William came up with a new plan.
Before my body was completely gone, they wanted to draw enough blood and collect cells from me so they could keep treating Leila.
But having been pulled back from the brink of death three times in a row, my body was extremely weak.
The process was dangerous.
If things went wrong, I might never wake up again, or even lose myself forever.
Frank rushed over.
He stood by the door, still in his flight suit. When he heard I might never wake up again, his face turned grim.
"No way. We can't do this," Frank said firmly.
Eric asked, "What are the odds of success?"
"There's no guarantee," William replied.
William looked at me.
"But if we wait any longer, it'll be too late to save Leila," he said.
The room fell silent.
Suddenly, the system whispered in my ear.
[If you come close to dying again, you might be able to leave at last.]
At the same time, images of the world I came from flickered before my eyes.
Will was sitting on a bench in the hospital hallway.
The nurse urged him to get some rest.
He shook his head.
"It's okay," Will replied softly. "Emilia's afraid of the dark. I can't let her wake up alone."
Tears fell from my eyes without warning.
But a faint smile slowly formed at the corners of my mouth.
I picked up the pen and signed my name on the consent form.
"I agree," I said.
Eric suddenly grabbed my hand.
"What are you so happy about?" he asked.
I looked up.
For the first time, a wary look crossed his face.
"You want to save Leila," I said. "I want to go home.
"For the first time, our goals line up."
Eric stared at me for a while.
Only Eric slowly released my hand.
"You signed the consent form yourself," he said.
His voice was calm again. "You're an adult. Since you know the consequences, you have to own your decision."
He turned to William. "Since she agreed, let's do it."
I was a little caught off guard at that moment.
Eric glanced at my signature and muttered under his breath, "She can't let go."
I had no idea if he was trying to convince the others or himself.
"She's never left home since she turned eighteen," Eric said.
The procedure was set to take place at the medical center beneath Bayview Stadium.
It was the first project Eric invested in after he retired.
It was also where I helped him draft his first business plan.
Back then, he didn't know anything about business, and all those complicated numbers went over his head.
I helped him sort through the data, revised the plan, and pulled three all-nighters with him.
On the last page of that report, he secretly wrote a line: [I was able to move forward again because Emilia never gave up on me.]
The fund's promotional video on the wall still used the same presentation template.
But the last page read: [Leila helped me rediscover the meaning of life.]
I was wheeled into the central lab.
Through the glass dome overhead, I could see the home plate on the field.
On the night he proposed, I stood there holding ninety-eight roses, thinking I'd finally found my home.
Now, lying beneath home plate, I was about to leave this place for good.
As soon as the procedure began, pain swept through my entire body.
The staff kept asking if I needed them to pause.
William never took his eyes off the screen.
"She can still handle it," he said.
Frank gripped my shoulder, his voice tight with worry. "Emilia, don't move."
Halfway through, my condition suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Frank immediately looked toward the control room.
"Stop," he said.
William took another look at the screen.
"We're not at the point where we have to stop yet," William said.
Everyone turned to look at Eric.
Through the glass, I saw him standing in front of the control panel.
His hand was clenched so tight that the veins were popping.
There was less and less time left to save Leila.
He paused for a moment and then shut his eyes.
"She made this choice herself," he said. "Keep going."
Eric lifted his hand, cutting Frank off before he could say more.
"This is her choice," Eric said.
I didn't fight back.
I was more cooperative than ever.
Every wave of pain brought me closer to where I truly belonged.
The system's countdown started again. [Ten, nine.]
The hospital room from my world was becoming clearer and clearer.
Will must have been exhausted. He'd dozed off, slumped over at my bedside.
His hand was still tightly holding mine.
I saw the new white hairs at his temples.
"Will," I called out softly. "This time, it's really almost over."
I silently counted down with the system.
I told myself inwardly to keep going, never looking back.
Suddenly, the machine let out a piercing alarm.
Eric jerked his head up.
Through the glass, our eyes met.
He finally caught the expression on my face.
I was happy.
Eric's face suddenly went white as a sheet.
"Stop!" he shouted.
The staff froze for a second.
"Mr. Graham, if we stop now, she might still be at risk," one of the staff warned.