My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Alden held Celeste tightly as she wept, her body trembling against his. It felt like a part of her was being ripped away. It had already been a week, and still, there were no signs of Peter waking up.

The swelling in his brain had gone down, but for some unknown reason, there was no neurological activity.

Then, out of nowhere, the machines connected to Peter started blaring.

Alarms.

Warning signals.

Alden immediately rushed out to call the nurses and doctors. Within seconds, a team stormed into the room. The medical staff ordered everyone to clear the area, forcing Celeste and Alden to watch from the doorway as they began CPR.

Dr. Wagner had been reviewing Peter's case in his office, desperately searching for any reason why he wasn't responding. No matter how many tests they ran, they found nothing.

That's when his phone rang.

A call from the ICU.

He picked up immediately.

"I'm on my way," he said, grabbing his coat and heading straight to the fifth floor.

Outside the ICU, Celeste and Alden waited anxiously.

The sight of them-pale, exhausted, their hope hanging by a thread-made Wagner's frustration deepen. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

But life never followed anyone's plans.

A doctor approached him with a grim expression.

"Dr. Wagner, Mr. Palmer just suffered a cardiac arrest. We need to decide if it's time to prepare for the

inevitable. Are we waiting for complete organ failure, or should we consider-"

"That's not my decision to make," Wagner interrupted sharply. "His family is outside. But I'll tell you this-

he's still in there. If he weren't fighting, he would've left the first day."

The other doctor sighed. "Then speak to his family. They need to decide soon."

Wagner clenched his jaw.

He wasn't Peter's best friend, but professionally?

Peter Palmer was his greatest achievement in medicine.

Letting him go would feel like a failure.

Still, if the family decided it was time to pull the plug, there was nothing he could do.

And yet...

He refused to believe Peter would leave like this.

The man had a wife, children yet to be born, a grown son, and a grandson.

The odds weren't in his favor-but Peter had never been one to let odds dictate his fate.

Wagner exhaled and walked up to Alden and Celeste.

"Dr. Wagner, how's my father? What happened?" Alden asked urgently.

Celeste stayed quiet, but her entire body was tense.

She had seen that look on a doctor's face before.noveldrama

Twice.

Once when she lost Adam.

And once when she lost her baby.

She inhaled sharply, bracing herself.

"Alden... Mrs. Palmer..." Wagner began carefully. "Your father just suffered a heart attack. The medical team monitoring him... they don't believe he's going to wake up."

Celeste gripped the arms of her chair.

"They need to know... if you want to keep waiting for complete failure or if—"

"Don't say it!" Celeste shouted, tears spilling from her eyes. "He's strong! I know it! He promised me! And I promised him that I'd be here until the end! I won't accept unplugging him if that's what you're suggesting! I won't!"

Alden placed a firm hand on her shoulder before looking at Wagner.

"You heard her. We're not giving up on him."

Wagner sighed. "Alright. I'll inform the medical team."

"When can we see him?"

"Not today. He needs rest. But we'll keep you updated."

After a brief nod, Wagner stepped inside the ICU.

He spoke with the other doctors, who clearly disagreed with the decision, but they had no choice. The family's wishes were final.

"Wagner, you know they're just delaying the inevitable, right?" one of the doctors muttered.

Wagner didn't answer immediately.

His gaze shifted to the unconscious man lying on the hospital bed.

He exhaled slowly.

"I know."

He crossed his arms and continued,

"But it's about faith now. His

and son still believe he's so

I believe it too." Content besto

"That's not science, Wagner."

"No, it's not."

His eyes remained locked on Peter's still body.

"But if that man could survive the injuries he had years ago, if he could go to hell and come back, I know

he can do it again."