The ground shook like it was tearing apart from the inside.
Yvonne lost her balance.
She went down on one knee as stones slid past her boots. Dust filled the air again, thick and choking, she could barely see Lena's face anymore, only her hand, still gripping Yvonne's sleeve.
"Doctor," Lena cried weakly. "I am scared."
Yvonne swallowed hard.
"So am I," she said honestly. "But we will get out."
She looked around fast.
The wood had shifted when the ground cracked, but not enough. The space above Lena's leg was wider now, but still trapped.
Another sound echoed deep below.
Not loud but wrong.
Yvonne knew that sound.
It was the warning before collapse.
She pressed her hand against the ground. The vibration was stronger now.
They had seconds.
Yvonne took a sharp breath and made a choice.
"Lena, listen to me," she said firmly. "I need you to stay awake. Do you understand."
Lena nodded, tears sliding down her dusty face.
"I am going to move the wood and when I do, I need you to pull your leg out as fast as you can. It will hurt but you must do it."
"What about you," Lena whispered.
Yvonne did not answer.
She positioned herself again, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. Her arm felt numb now, heavy and weak but she placed her feet and pushed.
Once.
Nothing.
Twice.
The wood shifted slightly.
Her vision blurred.
She pushed again and screamed as pain ripped through her shoulder.
The wood lifted.
"Now," Yvonne shouted. "Pull."
Lena cried out as she dragged her leg, blood spilled fast. Yvonne grabbed her immediately and wrapped the wound tight.
The ground shook violently.
"Move," Yvonne said.
She pulled Lena toward her, half carrying, half dragging her across the unstable ground, rocks fell around them, dust choked her lungs.
They were almost out.
Then the ground beneath Yvonne collapsed.
She fell hard, she felt a sharp pain through her body.
She lost her grip on Lena.
"Doctor," Lena screamed.
Yvonne reached out, her fingers touched Lena's sleeve, she grabbed it and held on with everything she had but the ground was sliding.
Yvonne felt herself being pulled down.
She made a decision in that moment.
A silent one.
She pushed Lena away.
"Run," Yvonne shouted. "Do not look back."
Lena screamed her name as someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her to safety.
Yvonne felt the ground collapsed completely beneath her.
She fell.
The fall was not high but it was brutal.
She landed hard against rocks, pain crashing through her body, her head hit something sharp.
She tried to move but her body refused.
Dust filled her mouth, blood ran down her forehead, warm and sticky.
Her vision blurred.
Above her, she could hear voices.
"Doctor Carter."
"Where is she."
"I see her."
Hands reached down.
Strong arms pulled her upward.
She drifted in and out as they carried her away from the collapse zone.
The last thing she heard before everything faded was someone shouting her name.
Not calm, not controlled but desperate.
Adrian did not remember leaving the conference room.
He did not remember grabbing his jacket or pushing past people.
He only remembered the words.
"Lead doctor injured and unconscious."
His chest felt like it was tearing apart.
By the time he reached the medical tent, his hands were shaking.
Doctors moved fast around him, but he saw only her.
Yvonne lay on the bed, her face pale, dried blood at her hairline, her clothes were torn and covered in dust.
She looked smaller than he remembered.
Fragile.
And it terrified him.
"What is her condition," Adrian demanded.
A doctor turned to him. "Head injury, possible shoulder fracture, internal injuries are still being checked."
"Is she stable."
"For now," the doctor said. "But she needs surgery."
Adrian nodded once.
"I will stay."
The doctor hesitated. "Sir, only medical staff are allowed."
Adrian's voice dropped. "I am not leaving."
The doctor looked at his face and said nothing more.
Adrian moved closer to the bed.
He had seen her strong, unbreakable, untouchable but seeing her like this destroyed something inside him.
He reached out, stopped himself, then gently took her hand.
Her fingers were cold.
"I am here," he said softly. "You do not have to be strong now."
Yvonne did not wake.
Hours passed.
Surgery lights turned on.
Adrian waited.
Every second felt endless.
He thought about everything he never said,everything he ignored, everything he lost.
If she did not wake up, he did not know how he would survive it.
The surgery finally ended.
A doctor came out.
"She is alive," he said. "But she is not out of danger yet."
Adrian closed his eyes.
Relief and fear crashed into each other.
"Will she recover," he asked quietly.
The doctor hesitated.
"That depends on what happens next."
Yvonne moved slowly in darkness.
Voices echoed far away.
She tried to move but could not.
Then she heard a familiar voice.
Low, tense and full of emotion.
"Yvonne."
Her heart reacted before her mind did.
She tried to open her eyes.
They felt heavy.
She forced them open just enough to see a blurred figure beside her.
"Adrian," she whispered.
His head lifted instantly.
"You are awake," he said quickly. "Do not move. Please."
"You are not supposed to be here," she murmured.
"I know," he said. "But I am."
Her eyes fluttered.
"Did we save her."
"Yes," Adrian said. "She is alive."
Yvonne exhaled slowly.
"That is good."
Her eyes closed again.
Fear gripped Adrian.
"Yvonne," he said urgently. "Stay with me."
She opened her eyes slightly.
"Do not panic," she whispered weakly. "I am not dying."
He almost laughed and cried at the same time.
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then she said something that made his heart stop.
"When I fell," she said softly, "I thought of you."
Adrian froze.
"And I realized something."
His breath caught.
She closed her eyes again before he could ask.
The monitors beeped steadily.
She was alive.
But her words stayed with him.
What did she realize.
Was it forgiveness.
Or goodbye.
Yvonne is awake, but not safe.
Her injuries may change her future forever.
Adrian finally stands beside her when it matters most.
But the truth she realized before the fall is still unspoken.
When she opens her eyes again
Will it bring them closer
Or finally push them apart forever?