Chapter <i>554 </i>


    55 vouchers


    Downstairs in front of the rehabilitation center, a crowd had gathered–doctors in white coats and patients in hospital gowns alike–all staring toward the third floor.


    Caitlin and her group followed their gaze. The main building of the center was five stories high, and on the third floor, there was a semicircr terrace. Standing on the outer edge of that terrace was a girl with long hair.


    She stood with her back to the open air, one hand gripping the railing, her slender frame teetering dangerously.


    “Why is that girl trying to jump?” Caitlin asked a nearby doctor.


    The doctor didn’t notice they were strangers and replied casually, “Probably lost hope. Looks like a suicide attempt.”


    Please don’t jump, Ida!” someone shouted from the crowd below.


    It seemed that several people knew the girl. A few patients who were friends with Ida looked deeply worried—this girl, normally cheerful and lively, was now about to throw her life away.


    Someone had already called the police, but it was unclear how long they would take to arrive.


    After quickly getting the gist of the situation, Caitlin and her team decided to help. Saving the girl came first.


    Caitlin and Sebastian ran toward the third floor. James and Tyler mobilized the doctors, instructing them to bring out mattresses to ce on the ground below.


    Thanks to their leadership, everyone pitched in.


    Up on the terrace, a few nurses were already pleading with the girl toe down.


    “Ida, pleasee down! Don’t do anything foolish!”


    “Calm down, Ida. Please,e back!”


    When a nurse moved a little closer, Ida suddenly shrieked, “Stay away from me! Don’te any closer!”


    No one dared to get too close. They feared she would let go and fall at any second.


    Tobias, the director of the facility, had just arrived at the rooftop after hearing what was happening. He was nearing sixty, with a kind face and gentle demeanor–many of the younger patients liked


    him.


    Seeing one of his patients in danger, Tobias moved quickly tofort her. “Ida, what’s wrong?


    2:25 pm


    Pleasee down, okay?”


    55 vouchers


    But Ida just kept crying, her tears flowing uncontrobly. “Don’t try to talk me down, Tobias. I don’t want to live anymore!”


    “Why? What happened? Tell me what’s going on, please.”


    No matter how Tobias tried to reason with her, Ida wouldn’te down. She wouldn’t give a reason either.


    Caitlin and Sebastian arrived at the scene. One look was enough–they exchanged a nce, then stepped forward.


    The moment Ida saw the unfamiliar pair approaching, she screamed again, “Stay away from me! Don’te any closer!”


    Tobias also noticed the neers and raised a hand to stop Caitlin. “Who are you?”


    Caitlin deliberately spoke loudly, her voice carrying. “We’re from the Wish Management Bureau. We heard someone wanted to jump, so we’re here to help fulfill the final wish of the person who wants to die.”


    Everyone stared at her, puzzled. Wish Management Bureau? No one had heard of such a thing.


    But Caitlin turned her attention to Ida. “Ida, we heard you’re nning to end your life. I want to ask -do you have <i>a </i>final wish? If you tell me, I can help make ite true.”


    It was clear to many that she was making things up, but it worked.


    Ida, who had been on the verge of breaking down, was suddenly drawn in. “Really? You can really help me fulfill my wish?”


    “Yes. Whatever it is you’ve always wanted to do, your final wish–tell me. We’ll help you. And once your wish is fulfilled, then you can decide whether or not to die. No one will stop you.”


    Caitlin took two more steps forward. She studied the girl carefully–she looked no more than thirteen or fourteen, and the right sleeve of her hospital gown hung limp. She was missing an arm.


    Was that the reason she wanted to give up on life?


    It seemed like such a waste.


    Ida was clearly wavering now, no longer as emotionally vtile. Her expression was filled with silent pain, and the tears kept flowing. She looked so pitiful that Caitlin couldn’t help but suspect she might have been a victim of something darker.


    To keep up the act, Caitlin pulled out a small notebook and pen, acting as if she were ready to jot things down.


    2:25 pm


    55 vouchers


    “You can tell me now. I’ll write it all down. Think carefully–what is the one thing you want more than anything?”


    Caitlin’s gentle and patient tone created a sense of safety. Tobias, seeing her method was working, motioned for everyone else to step back.


    Now, only Caitlin remained at the front. She was less than three meters from Ida.


    The girl was still crying, but now she began to speak. “I want… my mom and dad… and my brother…”


    Caitlin looked over her shoulder at Tobias and whispered, “Where are her parents and brother? Are they local?”


    Tobias shook his head urgently, whispering back, “She has no parents. Just a brother, but he hasn’t visited in a long time.”


    Understanding the situation, Caitlin turned back to Ida. “That’s not an impossible wish. We can let your brother know how much you miss him. Do you have his contact info? We can help you reach


    him.”


    “I don’t…”


    Ida cried harder. That was the heart of her despair. She had no parents–only a brother. But it had been so long since she’dst seen him. She feared something had happened to him.


    She didn’t know how to reach him and didn’t even know how to start looking. So she chose this drastic act–hoping that if it made the news, maybe her brother would see it ande back for


    her.


    “That’s okay. If you have a photo of him, we can still find him.”


    Caitlin kept her talking, buying time. “There are all kinds of ways to search for people now. We can use the inte, the media, even the news. It’s easy to find someone no matter where they are.”


    “I don’t even know if my brother is still alive…”


    That was what crushed Ida the most.


    She remembered thest time she’d seen him. He’d told her that even if he never came to visit again, he wanted her to be strong and live on.


    It sounded like a final goodbye.


    After that day, he’d nevere back.


    Her tears blurred her vision. She raised her hand to wipe them away–but forgot that she was standing on the edge and only had one arm.


    1


    2:25 pm


    As soon as she let go, her bnce shifted. Her feet slipped off the edge, and her body tilted backward, falling into the air.


    “Ida!”


    Tobias and the others screamed in horror.