"If that’s Susan’s fate, then so be it."
With that, I lowered my head and focused back on my phone screen. My hero character crouched in the in-game grass, waiting to ambush an unsuspecting enemy.
The match wasn’t going well—my teammates had been underperforming during the brief distraction.
I frowned, my eyes narrowing as I tapped furiously on the screen.
Seeing my cold demeanor, Susan’s father, Anthony Johanssen staggered as if struck. His face turned ashen and his large frame trembled uncontrollably.
A simple, honest man by nature, Anthony Johanssen had never lowered his pride for anyone.
Yet, for the sake of his daughter, he dropped to his knees with a resounding thud.
The middle-aged man, his shoulders hunched in defeat, spoke through clenched teeth, his voice hoarse and broken.
"Eddie … I’m begging you. Please… save Susan."
"She’s your wife! She’s risking her life to bring your child into this world. You can’t just stand here and do nothing!"
"If your hand’s injured and you can’t hold a scalpel, then at least… at least guide the other doctors! Tell them what medicine to use!"
His pleas echoed through the hallway, leaving the onlookers visibly shaken.
Even a few young women in the crowd couldn’t hold back their tears, the sight of this grieving father moving them beyond words.
Dr. Robert Henderson, Susan's attending physician, turned to me with a stern expression, his gaze sharp and accusatory.
"Dr. Eddie, you're the only doctor in this hospital with experience treating amniotic fluid embolism."
He took a step closer, his voice rising with each word.
"For the sake of your wife and child, is keeping your job really worth more than their lives?!"
"It's a doctor's duty to treat patients and save lives—and that's your wife in there!"
"The mortality rate for amniotic fluid embolism is 90%. Are you truly willing to sacrifice your wife and child for the sake of your career?!"
The stark statistic hung heavily in the air.
Margareth and Anthony went pale, their faces ashen with fear. Without hesitation, they dropped to their knees again, trembling as they knelt before me, begging desperately.
I didn’t so much as glance at them. My eyes remained glued to my phone screen, where the game continued to play out.
“DEFEAT!”
The game's failure tone blared from the speakers.