Nick mustered a faint smile, his face ashen as he swallowed back the metallic taste of blood. "I think I can hang in there a bit longer."
"Save your breath," Adler said, trying to sling Nick's arm over his shoulder. But he winced when he felt the wet, sticky fabric of Nick's sleeve.
Mirabella had sent him a message, laying out the grim details: shot in the chest, surgery just a week ago, barely snatched back from death's door.
Now, Adler cautiously supported Nick by the waist, letting him lean in. He didn't dare touch anywhere else, worried about worsening the wound.
The elevator quickly arrived at the parking garage. As the doors slid open, Adler hurriedly helped Nick out.
His phone buzzed in his pocket just then.
Juggling Nick's weight, Adler couldn't answer, nor did he dwell on how a call got through in a place with blocked signals.
They finally made it to the jeep. Nick, barely upright with Adler's help, almost crumpled to the ground.
Adler caught him just in time and managed to swing the car door open.
Thankfully, the garage was deserted, giving Adler a moment to carefully lay Nick across the back seat.
By that point, Nick was slipping into unconsciousness.
Adler quickly checked Nick's pulse—weak, as if it might stop any second. He shed his jacket and draped it over Nick, then rushed to the driver's seat and sped off.
Once they were clear of the research facility, Adler grabbed his phone, noticed the missed call from Mirabella, and immediately dialed her back.
The call connected in a heartbeat. Before Adler could say anything, Mirabella's cool voice came through with instructions.
In the back, Mirabella had already lifted Nick's jacket, revealing a white protective suit soaked in alarming red.
The severity of the wound was unmistakable.
Mirabella's eyes narrowed slightly, but she kept moving, gently lifting the shirt to expose bandages, darkened with dried blood.
She took a deep breath, then deftly pulled out her silver needles, inserting them with precision into critical points on Nick's chest.
Leaving the needles in place, she began to press and massage other areas to bolster the faint signs of life.
Just then, a small glass vial slipped from Nick's jacket pocket and rolled onto the car floor.
Goodnight, see you tomorrow~
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