A very stormy night. Rain poured down the streets, and a pretty young lady, about nineteen years old, stood under the shade of an old coffee shop. She held her fists tight against her jacket, shivering from the cold.
Lily had gone to a mini supermarket after finishing her shift at the bookshop where she worked as a receptionist. She had gone to pick up a few groceries for her mother, who had been bedridden after a stroke following the death of Lily's father.
A few minutes after leaving the supermarket, the rain started pouring heavily. Luckily, she spotted an abandoned old coffee stall and ran there for cover. Funny enough, it made little difference,she was already drenched from the downpour.
"What do I do? This rain doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon," Lily muttered to herself. "I better find a way to protect my phone."
She looked around and noticed a piece of nylon lying nearby. Quickly, she picked it up, wrapped her cell phone gently, and folded it into her jacket.
Lily zoomed off into the rain. It was already getting late, and her poor mother was all alone at home. After all, it made no difference,she was drained already. She was nearing the lane that finally led to her street when something very mysterious happened.
A car had just lost its brakes. It skidded wildly on the wet street, tires screeching against the slippery asphalt. Lily froze, her heart hammering in her chest, as the vehicle veered straight toward the sidewalk.
It slammed into a lamppost with a deafening crash, sending sparks flying into the rain-soaked night. The impact jerked the driver violently forward. Glass shattered, metal crumpled, and for a moment, everything went silent except for the pounding rain.
Her heart thumped uncontrollably as she tried to process what had just happened. Inside the car, the driver slumped limply over the steering wheel, unconscious.
It took Lily what felt like an eternity to recover from the shock. She had never witnessed an accident in her life, and fear gripped her tightly. Summoning every ounce of courage, she ran toward the car, her heart still pounding heavily.
The glass on the driver's side was completely broken, making it easier for her to reach him. His face was covered in blood, making it difficult to see his features clearly.
"Mister! Mister!" Lily shouted repeatedly, panic rising in her voice. She didn't know what to do .
The young man stirred and managed to open his eyes slightly. "Please… save my wife… save my wife…" he muttered, struggling to breathe.
"Wife…?" Lily repeated in confusion. Her eyes instinctively drifted to the back seat. To her horror, a heavily pregnant woman was slumped there, blood gushing from a deep wound on her head.
Fear and panic gripped Lily even tighter. Tears streamed down her face as she rushed toward the woman, desperate to help.
Then, through the chaos, a sudden thought struck her like lightning. 911.
She quickly pulled out her phone from her jacket, unwrapping the nylon she had used to protect it from the rain. With trembling fingers, she dialed the number. Luckily, the emergency operator picked up immediately. Lily explained the situation in a shaky voice, struggling to stay calm.
She tried her best to open the back door where the pregnant woman sat. Taking off her jacket, Lily tore a strip from the hem of her inner shirt and soaked it in the rain before gently wiping the blood from the woman's face. She was relieved to notice the woman was still breathing, though faintly.
Moments later, the distant wail of sirens pierced the stormy night. Red and blue lights flashed through the heavy rain as the ambulance and police car sped toward the accident scene.
Within seconds, the emergency team rushed out, carrying medical kits and a stretcher. One paramedic quickly checked the pregnant woman's pulse while another carefully lifted her onto the stretcher.
"You did the right thing calling us," one of them told Lily reassuringly.
As they worked swiftly to stabilize both victims, Lily stood trembling in the rain, praying silently that they would survive.
Having entrusted the entire situation to the emergency responders, Lily finally stepped back. The paramedics had taken control of the scene, moving swiftly despite the heavy rain that continued to pour down.
As the ambulance doors shut and the flashing lights began to fade into the stormy night, Lily suddenly froze.
Her mother.
The thought struck her like a jolt of electricity. Her sick mother was still alone at home.
Lily had only been returning from work at the small bookshop where she spent long hours every day. On her way home, she had stopped briefly at a nearby store to buy some groceries and medicine for her mother before the rain began to fall heavily.
Everything had happened so fast after that,the accident, the injured couple, the desperate cries for help.
In the chaos, she had completely lost track of time.
"What if she is worried about me not being back yet?" Lily murmured anxiously, her heart tightening with worry.
Her mother had been very weak lately, barely able to stand without assistance. Leaving her alone for too long was something Lily always feared.
Wiping the rain and tears from her face, Lily carefully wrapped her phone back inside the nylon in her jacket. She cast one last glance at the ambulance speeding away into the night.
Silently praying for the injured couple, Lily pulled her jacket closer and hurried down the dark, rain-soaked street.