Chapter 1106
Hank was a government worker, not the type to call Anastasia for anything trivial— especially since they weren't exactly close.
So when his name lit up her phone, Anastasia's stomach dropped. Was she in trouble again? After all, it hadn't been long since Juliana dragged her to the police station.
She slipped on her headset and picked up. "Hi, Officer Wang. Is something wrong?" Monica, sitting beside her, leaned in, trying to catch what was happening.
"Anastasia, can you reach Monica? Jason's... not doing well. He might not have much time left. She needs to come-now." Hank's voice sounded choked, thick with grief.
The color drained from Anastasia's face. She shot Monica a glance, slammed on the brakes, and pulled the car over.
Monica's eyes were wide. "Ana, what's going on? What did Hank say?"
Ignoring Monica's question, Anastasia spoke urgently into her headset. "Where is he? What happened?"
Hank's voice was heavy. "This morning, Jason was on duty. Someone brought a pressure cooker bomb onto a city bus, threatening everyone on board. Jason tried to stop them—he got caught in the blast..."
Because Anastasia had headphones in, Monica could only watch, her worry mounting as Anastasia went quiet.
"We'll be right there," Anastasia said, then hung up. She tore off the headphones, eyes already rimmed red as she turned to Monica.
"Monica," her voice shook, "something's happened to Jason. It's serious—maybe... maybe this is your last chance to see him. Do you want to go?"
Monica's lips trembled. "What do you mean, last chance? What happened? Did he get hurt on a mission? Where is he?"
"He's at First Hope Hospital." Anastasia tried to steady herself, quickly filling Monica in.
Hank had tried calling Monica first, but her number was blocked-she'd cut off both Jason and Hank after their last fight. That's why he called Anastasia instead.
"Take me to the hospital, Ana. Please." Monica's voice cracked.
Anastasia started the car and sped toward the hospital.
The place was chaos. Dozens hurt from the explosion, doctors and nurses rushing everywhere. Police and firefighters filled the halls. Of the fifty-four people on that bus, eight were dead Many officers were among the wounded. The corridors were packed; there wasn't an empty bed in sight.
Patients with minor injuries were being patched up in the hallway; the critical cases were whisked straight to surgery.
Jason was hurt worst of all-he'd tried to save everyone by grabbing the bomb, taking the brunt of the blast himself.
Anastasia and Monica hurried through the chaos, asking directions as they went, until they found Hank and Clarissa waiting outside the operating room. Monica rushed over.
"How's Jason?" she asked, barely holding herself together.
Clarissa's eyes were red and swollen. She looked shattered.
She couldn't even manage a reply, her grief too raw.
Hank answered, wiping away tears. “He's still in surgery. When they brought him in, half his face was... unrecognizable. He's in a coma. The doctors said it's bad-they told us to be prepared..."
He took a shaky breath. "Monica, before this mission, Jason told me that once it was over, he was coming to find you. This was his last Job-hed already quit. He said work kept him away too much, that he'd let you down, that he wasn't the boyfriend you deserved..
Monica was already sobbing. For months, she and Jason had gone from fighting to making up, over and over, each round leaving them more exhausted than the last. She'd convinced herself they had no future.
She never knew Jason had already resigned—that this was his final assignment, his last act as a cop, his last promise to the people he served.
It wasn't that Monica resented how busy he was. She just couldn't handle the danger anymore. He came home with new bruises every week and she lived with the fear that one day, he wouldn't come home at all.
She was tired of being afraid.
But now, none of those reasons mattered.
Tears streamed down Monica's face as Anastasia wrapped her in a hug, whispering
softly, "Hang in there. He's strong. He'll pull through."