Chapter 237: A Life on the Line

Blood was already seeping through his jacket, staining his clothes as he swayed on his feet.

"No..." Zinnia whispered in shock. "You... you saved me."

The man’s face contorted in pain, his breath ragged as he tried to steady himself. His hand gripped his side, but he looked at her with an almost apologetic expression. "I... I’m sorry," he gasped. "I... just couldn’t let you—"

Before he could finish, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. Zinnia screamed, rushing to his side, but there was nothing she could do. The blood kept flowing from the wound, and the world around her felt like it was spinning.

"Someone help! Please!" Zinnia cried out, frantic now.

Her mind couldn’t process what had just happened. This man—who had looked like James—was now on the ground, bleeding. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess of confusion and panic. Why was this happening? Who was this man? Was he really James? Or was this something even more twisted?

Her heart pounded in her chest as she pressed her hands to his wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. His breathing was becoming shallow, and his face was growing pale.

"I’m sorry," the man muttered weakly, his eyes locking onto hers for a moment. "I couldn’t... let you go..."

And then his eyes fluttered shut.

Zinnia’s world seemed to shatter.

"Stay with me!" she cried, her voice breaking. "Please! Don’t do this!"

But the man remained still, the blood still pooling beneath him. She could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance, but it felt as if time had stopped. The life of this stranger—this man who looked like James—was slipping away in her arms.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she sat there, holding onto him, unable to understand why this was happening. Why was he here? Why did he look like James? And why had he saved her only to end up in this condition?

She didn’t have the answers—only the overwhelming feeling that something was terribly wrong.

---

Timmy stepped out of the hospital building, his mind still preoccupied with the tasks Samuel had assigned him. He was heading toward the parking lot when he noticed a commotion near the street.

His gaze instinctively turned in that direction, and his eyes widened as he recognized Zinnia kneeling on the ground, her hands pressed against a man who was bleeding profusely.

"Miss Zinnia!" Timmy shouted, breaking into a sprint.

As he got closer, he saw the man’s face. His heart skipped a beat—it was uncanny how much the man resembled James Lucas. The resemblance was almost haunting, and for a brief moment, Timmy froze, unsure of what to think. But then the urgency of the situation snapped him back to reality.

He reached Zinnia just as the wailing of sirens grew louder. The emergency personnel arrived quickly, assessing the situation.

"Miss, we’ll take over from here," one of the paramedics said gently as they began to lift the unconscious man onto a stretcher.

Zinnia didn’t respond. Her hands were trembling, and her face was pale, her wide eyes fixed on the man being carried away. Timmy crouched down beside her, his voice steady yet concerned.

"Miss Zinnia," he said, softly but firmly. "Are you okay? Come on, let’s get you inside the hospital."

Still in shock, Zinnia let Timmy guide her to her feet. Her legs felt like jelly, and she stumbled slightly, but Timmy steadied her. He kept a protective arm around her as they walked back toward the hospital entrance.

---

Inside, Timmy approached the nurse’s station. "Can you please check on her? She’s in shock," he said urgently, his voice betraying his worry.

The nurse nodded and gestured toward a nearby bench. "Of course. Please have her sit here. I’ll bring some water and get someone to check on her."

Timmy guided Zinnia to the bench and helped her sit down. She hadn’t said a word since the incident, her gaze distant and unfocused.

"Miss Zinnia," Timmy tried again, crouching in front of her to meet her eyes. "You’re safe now. The doctors are taking care of him. You did everything you could."

She finally looked at him, her lips trembling. "He... he saved me," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "And he... he looked just like James."

Timmy’s jaw clenched, but he nodded, keeping his expression calm. "I know. I saw him too. But right now, you need to rest, okay? Let the doctors do their job."

A nurse arrived with a cup of water and a soft blanket, gently draping it over Zinnia’s shoulders. "Drink this, miss," the nurse said kindly. "It’ll help."

Zinnia took the water with shaky hands but barely sipped it. She couldn’t shake the image of the man’s face—the way he had looked at her, the way he had collapsed after saving her.

---

Hours passed, the waiting stretching into what felt like an eternity. Timmy stayed by Zinnia’s side, checking his phone periodically for updates. Every now and then, he would glance toward the emergency room doors, hoping for news.

Finally, the doors swung open, and a doctor in scrubs approached them.

"Are you here for the man who was brought in from the accident earlier?" the doctor asked, his voice calm yet professional.

Timmy stood immediately, his body tense. "Yes, how is he?"

The doctor offered a small, reassuring smile. "He’s stable now. He lost a lot of blood, but fortunately, none of the injuries were life-threatening. He’ll need to stay here for a few days to recover fully, but he’s out of danger."

Timmy let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. "Thank you, doctor. Can we see him?"

The doctor hesitated. "He’s still unconscious from the anesthesia. I’d recommend letting him rest for now, but you can check in on him tomorrow."

Timmy nodded. "Understood. Thank you again."

As the doctor walked away, Timmy turned back to Zinnia, who was still sitting on the bench. She had heard everything but seemed too overwhelmed to respond. He crouched in front of her again, his tone gentle.

"Miss Zinnia, did you hear that? He’s going to be okay," he said softly.

She nodded slowly, her eyes welling with tears. "He’s alive..." she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read