The Time Leaper (Chapter 11)

Chapter 11: Heart

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months. Despite my relentless pursuit of a cure, every door I knocked on remained closed. Every doctor I consulted had the same answer—there was no existing treatment for Yue's condition. I was beginning to drown in hopelessness, the weight of my failures crushing me more and more each day.

Then, after months of searching, a doctor finally gave me an answer I could hold onto.

"A heart transplant," he said, adjusting his glasses as he handed me Yue's latest test results. "It's the only way to save her now."

A heart transplant.

I clenched my fists as the reality of it sank in.

If that was the only way to save her... if that was the only way to keep her by my side... I'm willing to risk everything to find her a suitable heart.

I wasted no time. The very next day, I had myself tested, praying—begging—that my heart would be a match for Yue's. I was ready to give up my own life if it meant she could live. But when the results came back, my hopes shattered into a million pieces.

I wasn't compatible.

I felt like my soul had been ripped apart. I had been ready to trade my existence for hers, to give her everything I had. But even in that, fate was cruel to me.

But I refused to give up.

If my heart wasn't good enough, then I would find someone else's. I would scour the earth if I had to. I would search every country, visit every hospital, turn over every stone. If there was even the slightest chance—no matter how impossible—I would take it.

So, I left. I packed my bags and began my search.

The journey was nothing short of hell.

From our country, I flew to Japan first, where I met with specialists who handled rare heart conditions. I sat in sterile waiting rooms, explaining Yue's case over and over again, only to receive the same response each time—her condition was too rare. A match was nearly impossible to find...

From Japan, I went to South Korea, barely stopping to eat or sleep, pushing myself forward with nothing but sheer desperation. Every hospital I visited, every doctor I pleaded with, gave me nothing but sympathetic looks and apologies that felt like knives to my chest. I was running on nothing but caffeine and willpower, my body screaming for rest, but I ignored it.

China. Thailand. Singapore. Indonesia. I went everywhere I could reach, always arriving with hope, always leaving with nothing but devastation. I would wake up in cheap motel rooms, my body aching from exhaustion, my mind clouded with fear. My hands shook whenever I held my phone, dreading the possibility of a call from home telling me it was too late.

I refused to let that happen.

The days blurred together. Airports. Taxi rides. Endless hospital corridors. I lost track of how many rejection emails I had received, how many times I had been told there was no match. My clothes became wrinkled, my eyes sunken, my body worn down to its limits, but I couldn't stop.

Then came Europe.

I landed in France with nothing but a single duffel bag and an unwavering determination. I went from hospital to hospital, sometimes being turned away before I even had a chance to speak. My voice became hoarse from explaining, my legs felt like they could give out at any moment. But I kept going. Germany. Switzerland. Italy. The UK. I crossed borders like a man possessed, chasing hope only for it to slip through my fingers time and time again.

Winter arrived, and I found myself in Canada, trudging through snow-covered streets, knocking on doors of transplant organizations, pleading for anything. The cold seeped into my bones, but it was nothing compared to the frost that was settling in my heart. Time was slipping away from me, and with every passing day, Yue's life was growing shorter.

I remember one night, sitting alone in a dimly lit motel room, staring at the ceiling as the weight of my failures crushed me. My body ached, my throat burned from dehydration, and my mind screamed at me to stop, to accept the inevitable.

But I couldn't.

I wouldn't.

I had already come too far. I had already lost too much.

And then, finally, the call came.

"We might have a match," the voice on the other end said.

I bolted upright, my heart pounding. "A match?"

"A young girl, in a coma. She signed an organ donation card, stating that if she ever passed, her heart would go to someone in need."

I felt my world tilt, my vision blurring with tears. "And... she's compatible?"

"Yes."

The next moment, I was on the first flight to the U.S. I didn't care how much it cost. I didn't care how exhausted I was. I would crawl there if I had to.

When I arrived at the hospital, I met the girl's parents—Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They were a kind, humble couple, their faces worn with grief but their eyes filled with warmth.

"We... we don't have much," Mr. Smith admitted. "We can't afford a better hospital for our daughter... and the doctors say she doesn't have long."

Mrs. Smith wiped her tears. "We don't want her to go, but if she must... we want her to save someone else's life."

My knees buckled beneath me. I collapsed in front of them, sobbing, clutching at their legs as gratitude poured out of me in choked cries. "Thank you," I whispered over and over again. "Thank you so much... I will never forget this."

Mrs. Smith knelt down and wrapped her arms around me, her voice soft. "Please take care of my daughter's heart."

I cried even harder.

I have three months left before Yue's time would have run out. But now... she has a chance.

For the first time in months, I could finally breathe.

I returned to our country as fast as I could. The moment I saw Yue, I pulled her into my arms, holding her as if I was afraid she would disappear the moment I let go. My forehead pressed against hers, my breath shaky as I whispered, "Yu, listen to me... I know about your heart condition."

She stiffened in my arms, her body trembling slightly. "H-How?"

"That doesn't matter right now," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "What matters is that I found a donor."

She pulled away just enough to look into my eyes, confusion and disbelief clouding her gaze. "What?"

"There's a girl in California," I said, gripping her hands tightly. "She—she's in a coma. Her family wants you to have her heart. She signed the papers herself. They want you to live, Yue."

Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head. "No, 'Race. I—I can't take someone else's life—"

"She's already slipping away," I choked out, my voice breaking. "Her parents told me themselves. They want their daughter's heart to keep beating, even after she's gone."

Yue covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking. I could see the war in her eyes, the guilt, the fear. But this was our only chance. This was her only chance.

I gently cupped her face, wiping away her tears with my thumbs. "Please, Yu. Let me save you."

For a long moment, she said nothing. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken emotions. Then, finally, she nodded.

Two weeks later, we boarded a plane to California. I held Yue's hand the entire flight, afraid to let go, afraid that if I did, something would go wrong. She leaned against me, silent, lost in her thoughts.

When we arrived at the hospital, the Smiths were waiting for us. They stood just outside the entrance, their faces etched with sorrow yet filled with warmth. When their eyes met Yue's, they smiled, but I could see the grief behind it. Even in their pain, they had chosen to save someone else's child.

Yue bowed deeply, her voice trembling. "Thank you... Thank you so much for this."

Mrs. Smith stepped forward, taking Yue's hands in hers. "Our daughter's heart is strong," she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Please... take care of it."

Yue bit her lip, her shoulders shaking. I reached out, squeezing her hand. "She will," I promised. "With everything she has."

That night, Yue and I sat together in her hospital room, holding hands as we stared out the window. The city lights flickered beyond the glass, but my focus was only on her.

"Are you scared?" I asked softly.

She turned to me and smiled, a small, fragile thing. "No. Because you're here."

The next morning, the operation took place.

I paced the waiting room for hours, my heart hammering against my ribs, my hands clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. Every second felt like an eternity. Every minute stretched unbearably long.

Then, finally, the doctor stepped out.

"The operation was a success."

The world around me blurred. My knees gave out, and I collapsed onto the cold tile floor, sobs wracking my body. Relief, pure and overwhelming, crashed into me, stealing my breath.

"Thank you," I choked out. "Thank you so much..."

The Smiths knelt beside me, holding me as tears streamed down their faces. "Congratulations, young man," Mr. Smith said softly. "Your girlfriend is safe now."

***

A few days after the operation, the girl passed away. Her parents, Yue, and I held a small funeral, mourning her loss while honoring the life she had given. As I stood before her grave, the weight of everything crashed over me.

I placed a trembling hand over my chest, over the heart that now beat inside Yue.

"I will never forget her," I whispered. "Never."

Mrs. Smith reached out, brushing away the tears on my face. "She saved you too, you know."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.

As Yue recovered, we made a decision—to stay in California, to stay with the Smiths, to be there for them as they had been for us. They had given us the greatest gift imaginable. It was only right that we stayed by their side.

The day Yue was discharged from the hospital, the Smiths welcomed us into their home, treating us as if we were their own children. Mrs. Smith held Yue close, pressing a gentle hand over her chest.

"Her heart is still here," she whispered. "Beating inside you."

Tears welled in Yue's eyes as she took Mrs. Smith's hand in hers. "I promise... I'll cherish it forever."

And for the first time in a long, long time...

I felt like we had won against fate.

Leira... Thank you... We'll take good care of your heart...