Chapter 80
“Then who was the one who walked into the wrong room all those years ago? Who was the one who crawled into my bed p>
She closed her eyes, trying to shake the sentence from her head.
It didn’t matter; they were divorcing tomorrow.
Once divorced, she would be free.
Then she would take Owen to settle in Germany, cure his illness, and start over.
Upon returning home, Sienna immediately took a hot shower to wash away the night’s wretchedness.
When she stepped out, she checked the time; it was late at night here, but daytime in Germany.
She dialed the German hospital without a second thought.
The doctor’s calm voice came through the receiver, informing her that her brother’s condition in the ICU was stable, and barring any unforeseen issues, he could be transferred to a regular ward in a week.
The heavy burden in her heart finally lifted.
Only then did Sienna notice her head felt unusually heavy.
She put her phone away, just about to rest, when it rang again.
It was her mentor, Jonathan.
She picked up immediately, and Jonathan’s anxious voice rushed through. “Sienna, no matter where you are, get back to the hospital right now p>
Pushing everything else aside, Sienna quickly got dressed and headed out.
As soon as she got into the back seat of the cab, she heard the live news broadcast on the radio. Clearwater County and its surrounding areas in the South are experiencing severe flooding due to continuous, torrential rainfall.
Multiple towns and villages have lost contact, roads and communication networks are down, and initial estimates show casualties are steadily rising p>
The disaster zone is in urgent need of massive living supplies and medical rescue. We are now issuing an emergency call for medical institutions to deploy support p>
Sienna’s breath hitched.
By the time she reached the hospital, the colleagues in her department were already gathered in the conference room. The atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.
Jonathan stood at the podium, his expression stern.
On the projection screen behind him were a few limited aerial and satellite images sent back from the disaster zone.
Muddy floodwaters had submerged vast stretches of land, collapsed houses littered the landscape, and people were struggling in the water… It was a shocking sight.
Seeing Sienna walk in, Jonathan nodded at her in acknowledgement.
Sienna found an empty seat nearby and sat down.
“The situation is far worse than what’s being reported on the news,” Jonathan said directly. “Clearwater County Central Hospital has been flooded, and their medical system is completely paralyzed.
The surrounding temporary shelters are overflowing with the injured and sick, severely lacking medical staff and supplies, and dealing with abhorrent conditions.
Furthermore, the risk of infection is incredibly high. The city has mandated that our hospital organize a medical team to support the front lines immediately p>
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room. “This mission is going to be incredibly arduous.
The terrain in the disaster zone is complex, and transportation is entirely cut off.
Coupled with the difficulty of resupplying, a return date… is unconfirmed. You may face life-threatening situations at any moment. You might not come back at all p>
You could hear a pin drop in the conference room, save for the sound of suppressed breathing.
Jonathan placed the application forms on the table in front of him.
“This support mission is strictly voluntary,” he said. “Think it through carefully. Anyone interested can come up and take a form p>
The papers lay still on the desk, the red header glaringly bright.
Minutes ticked by, the hum of the air conditioning vent filling the silence.
No one stood up.
Sienna sat by the window. The gentle breeze brushed against her face, bringing a sudden chill.
She instinctively pulled her coat tighter, looking at the two blank forms, then at her colleagues.
Their department wasn’t large. The only young, unmarried ones were two newly arrived intern nurses, but they were in the prime of their lives.
She was the only one left with no strings attached.
Doctors were bound by a compassionate heart, but who could completely ignore the families and lives they had waiting at home?
The silence held helplessness, but more so, the heavy weight of a life-and-death decision.
Sienna pressed her lips together and raised her hand. “Jonathan, I’ll go p>