Chapter 403
404 Final Moments
Yunice looked at Owen with a heavy heart.
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The virus was still undefeated. Mr. Gerardo, though kept alive by machines, was all but gone. Any doctor could see it–his internal organs had already failed.
There was no saving him.
Other patients were faring even worse–dying alone without seeing their loved ones one last time. Their bodies were collectively processed, and families were never even given a chance to grieve.
Owen said, “Yunice, we’re running out of time. Lives are counting down. Are we really going to keep tearing ourselves apart? Don’t you miss anyone? Don’t you want to know how they’re doing? Hear their voices?”
Wyatt’s face flashed across Yunice’s mind.
When she didn’t answer, Owen’s voice turned desperate. “Yunice, just let me talk to Elsie, to Mom, to Oscar–just one last time. If not for old times‘ sake, then at least for Dad’s sake. Just help me, please.”
His eyes were red, tears soaking through his mask.
“You’re the only one who can help me now…” he said hoarsely.
But Yunice shook her head. “I can’t. You’re not the only one here who can’t contact their family. If I help you, I’d have to help everyone else too.”
“Excuses! Those are just excuses!” Owen shouted, voice cracking. “You’re still mad at me! You just want revenge! You’re really going to be this cold? You won’t budge, not even a little?”
She still didn’t change her mind.
Owen glared at her, full of resentment, then turned and stormed away.
Yunice’s refusal to let him use the intercom wasn’t out of spite.
She knew Elsie had already fallen ill–she’d been rushed to the lab for emergency treatment multiple times.
Owen cared deeply for her. If he found out Elsie’s condition was critical, he would lose his mind and try to reach her at all costs.
That would put not just the hospital, but the outside world at risk .
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404 Final Moments
Yunice wouldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let others carry that burden–no matter the price, even if Elsie died. Even if Owen never got to see her one last time. Even if he hated her for it for the rest of his life.
That night, the volunteer teams took turns eating dinner.
Yunice sat across from Qi Xingchen, quietly eating her meal, when someone nearby whispered, “The ICU patient–the source case–is almost gone. There’s no point in trying to resuscitate anymore.”
Yunice’s hand froze mid–bite. She immediately thought of Taylor.
Back when she’d first been detained, Wyatt had given her a two–way radio. Taylor had cried through it a few times, begging Yunice to look after her father.
Maybe Wyatt had worried that Taylor would emotionally sway Yunice, because after that, he’d cut off all contact between them.
Now that Mr. Gerardo was beyond saving, a storm of emotions swirled in Yunice’s chest.
She’d lost a father too–she understood what he meant to Taylor.
Not getting to say goodbye would be Taylor’s lifelong regret.
After dinner, Yunice still went to the ICU.
Critical care rooms had to be monitored around the clock, but people avoided them whenever they could.
Mr. Gerardo lay on his bed, completely sealed off behind layers of plastic sheeting.
The plastic was there to prevent any bodily fluids from splashing and spreading infection.
Yunice stood in the doorway and pulled out her phone. She began recording a video for -Taylor.
It wasn’t against the rules–but to Taylor, this would be a memory she could hold on to forever.
Five seconds into the video, Mr. Gerardo suddenly stirred. He sat up and, as if sensing something, turned toward the door.
“Dr. Rylie… is that you, Dr. Rylie?” he rasped.
Yunice frowned slightly. He’d been in a daze for days. If he was lucid now, it could only mean one thing–his final clarity before death.
404 Final Moments
She stepped inside. “Mr. Gerardo, you still recognize me?”
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He was sitting upright, and slowly–painfully–swung his legs off the bed. He stared at her, voice trembling with emotion.
“I want to go home… Doctor, I want to see my daughter. I’m dying. I… I want to see my family one last time. I just want to hold my daughter again…”
Yunice’s nose stung. Her brows knit tightly together.
She knew–if he were fully lucid, he would never make such an impossible request.
But he was dying. His brain could no longer weigh risks and consequences. He was only following the most basic human instinct.
He just wanted to see his daughter again. To hold her one last time.
He didn’t want to die alone. On a cold hospital bed.