Chapter 8
Dr. Hayes narrowed his eyes, unimpressed by the CEO's threats, but the sheer intensity of terror in Eleanor’s eyes gave the veteran physician pause. He glanced down at Clara, who lay motionless on the gurney the hospital staff had grudgingly brought out. Hayes reached out, pressing two fingers against Clara’s neck. A full five seconds passed before his professional demeanor fractured, replaced by a sudden flash of profound shock.
"Get her into Trauma Bay Four, immediately!" Hayes barked, turning on his heel and sprinting back through the sliding doors. "Prep the hyperbaric oxygen chamber and get me an arterial blood gas analysis right now!"
The atmosphere in the emergency hallway shifted from hesitation to explosive chaos. Nurses and technicians scrambled as the gurney was rushed through the double doors, the wheels squeaking frantically against the linoleum floor. Leo, Richard, and Eleanor followed closely behind, only to be blocked at the red line of the trauma ward by two armed hospital security guards.
"Family and authorized medical personnel only beyond this point," a guard stated, crossing his arms.
"I am the co-researcher on this protocol," Leo demanded, his voice trembling with exhaustion. "Dr. Hayes needs the antidote synthesis sequence. Without it, simply warming her up will cause massive cellular lysis and fatal organ failure!"
Dr. Hayes, pausing just before the swinging doors closed, looked back at Leo. "You're the student who ran the botany lab tests?"
May you like
"Yes," Leo nodded frantically. "I know the exact chemical composition of the plant extract she ingested. I have the counter-agent formula right here on this drive."
Hayes stared at Leo for a tense moment, weighing the breach of protocol against the impossible reality of a patient with a pulse returning from a coffin. He made his decision. "Bring him in. Scrub him up and get him in the prep room. We move in sixty seconds."
