Trouble
Rachel spent the entire night on pins and needles, as her sister's words played in her mind, "As long as he survives, we're fine."
Tyler needed to be watched by a professional, so even though Iris was in the room, Rachel couldn't sleep.
It was the eighth time she came around, but unlike the other times, Iris was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Iris' absence was the least of her worries. Lying before her was a man who looked so pale that one would wonder if something or someone drained all the blood in his body.
"How is this possible?" Rachel walked closer to Tyler and checked his pulse. She was dumbfounded to find out that he was still alive. There was some pulse, though low.
"Rachel, why do you look so…" Before the words could escape Iris' lips, her gaze landed on the pale human who looked like he had already given up the ghost.
"Is… Is… Is he…" Fear consumed Iris, and the word 'dead' could just not come out of her lips, no matter how much she tried. As she stood frozen at the entrance, so many scenarios played in her head, and she couldn't see any of them ending with her and her sister still alive after Tyler's demise.
Warm tears trickled down her face as she soon regretted her rebirth. 'Did I come back, only to die a more cruel death? I would rather take my life than allow the Harper clan to get hold of me. But Rachel… what about Rachel? I cannot allow her to get caught up in this. She needs to get out of here.'
Iris quickly concluded and rushed to her sister, who was lost in thought.
"We need to take him to the hospital, Iris. I can't do this." Before Iris could voice out her fears, Rachel beat her to it. Watching her sister with horror, Iris couldn't understand why Rachel would suggest taking a corpse to the hospital.
"He has a chance of being saved in the hospital. I do not have his blood type here. He needs an urgent blood transfusion. If we delay this, he might just die on us," Rachel concluded in a grave voice.
Meanwhile, Iris was still wondering how to do a blood transfusion for a dead person. Like a lightbulb just clicked in her head, she rushed to the bed, held Tyler's wrist and felt his pulse.
"He's alive?" She mumbled in shock, but her sister still heard her. Rachel quickly began preparing Tyler for the hospital.
"Barely. He's alive, but barely. His pulse is too weak. I'm even surprised he's still breathing. We need to act fast. Let's take him to the hospital. Now, Iris!" Rachel shook her sister to make sure she agreed with her. However, when she reached for her phone, Iris snatched it from her hand.
"No. No hospital." Her voice was trembling, but there was a finality to it that Rachel recognized. Her sister always had this decisive tone whenever she wasn't ready to listen to anyone else.
"Do you want him to die in my house? Is that what all this is about? Iris, the man needs blood!" Rachel snapped at her sister. Iris was secretive from the moment she picked her up earlier.
She even risked her career to operate on the stranger without knowing his history. As if that wasn't enough, Rachel noticed that, despite the huge amount of blood loss, he showed no sign of it. He looked just fine.
Medically, it was impossible. She saw the blood-stained car seat and his clothes. No one could lose so much blood and still be fine. Even the cut was so deep that it reached his intestines, but he was still breathing.
Now, the stranger's blood level was at an all-time low. It meant that he could go into a shock and die at any moment. Yet, Iris was still adamant about keeping him in the house; even though the hospital was the only option.
Rachel was finally tired. All the frustration, fear, anguish and every other negative emotion she was trying to control was threatening to consume her, but it seemed her sister didn't care.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Iris? You want him to die in my house? Is that the plan? Is that why you called me here? What did I ever do to offend you?" Rachel spoke in an emotionless tone that Iris had never heard before. However, she knew there was no need to argue with her sister.
"He needs blood. I can give him that. Take as much as you want, sis. I don't mind. Just save him. Please!" Iris sounded ridiculous, and Rachel was not ready to entertain her 'madness' any more. If she got caught, she could lose her license, or even end up in jail, but her sister was still spewing rubbish."
"You know what?" Rachel took a step closer to her sister and placed the stethoscope in her hands. "Count me out! Kill him yourself." She spat without holding back.
"No. Rachel. Please, you misunderstand me. You see this person, if he dies, our lineage ends with him. Whoever stabbed him is still looking for him. Sis, your house is the safest place."
Iris placed the stethoscope back in her sister's hands and added, "It would be better for you to drain my blood to save him, Rachel. If I die, you will live. I'll die happy, knowing you're in safe hands."
As Iris spoke, she planned everything in her head. 'If Tyler survives, it would mean that Rachel would have a powerful backer like the Harper clan. It's still a better choice than both of us dying at their hands. I already died once. What's dying again if I get to save my sister?'
She was ready to say goodbye to her sister. Iris grabbed Rachel's cheeks with her trembling hands and whispered, "Dr Rachel Bowman, I have the same blood group as the patient. Please do the needful."
With the warmth of her sister's hands on her cheeks, Rachel felt a bitter taste in her mouth at her decisiveness. There was no hesitation in her eyes when she said she was ready to die so Rachel could live. She felt remorseful for doubting her sister, and her chest felt stuffy.
However, Rachel pulled through the pain and said, "We can't use your blood as it is. We need to…" Rachel wanted to explain the procedures to Iris, but was reminded gently,
"We broke a lot of protocols tonight, sis. This would be no different. You know I'm fit. He would be fine. Just save him, please."
Iris took the lead and moved to her seat, pushing it closer to Tyler's bed. "We don't have much time."
Taking one last look at Tyler, Iris pleaded, "Please keep my sister safe."
Soon, colour was returning to Tyler's face. However, Iris wasn't looking good. Rachel's tears were flowing like a broken dam. Up till now, Iris' resolve hasn't shaken a bit. She was ready to sacrifice herself.
*******
"He escaped? Are you fucking kidding me? The man was stabbed in the abdomen with a poisoned knife. You even drugged his wine. Wasn't he supposed to bleed to death in a minute? How the fuck did he outsmart you sissies and escape?"
A middle-aged man stood before eight burly men who seemed shaken to the core. They couldn't explain what had happened. Even the CCTV footage at the place couldn't help them.
They knew Tyler Harper was much like a legend, but this was a record that no one could have imagined. They had everything under control. Tyler Harper was supposed to die tonight.
"Wait! Are you a mole?" He pointed his index finger toward the leader of the group. The young man wanted to respond, but he could only open and close his mouth like a fish. Anything he said would be nothing but an excuse. Even he was confused about what had happened.
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