A Heart Taken in Vain

After my daughter, Charlotte Sullivan, and I were in a car accident, we were sent to the hospital separately. Because there were no surgeons at the hospital, they couldn't perform the surgery on her.

I passed out after I got hit. Somehow, my soul detached from my body. While my body was placed on a hospital bed, my spirit floated beside Charlotte, frantic with worry.

I was anxious. The nurses in the emergency room were distressed too.

"Where's Dr. Sullivan? This little girl is in a critical condition!"

"I've already told him about it. He said he would come later. That kid is throwing a tantrum at the park, and he's refusing to come home before getting the biggest prize."

"Charles Sullivan needs to sort out his priorities. This child is about to die!"

Charles Sullivan?

Hearing the familiar name, I realized that Charlotte had been sent to the hospital where my husband worked.

He was the best pediatric surgeon in town. With him here, Charlotte would definitely be saved.

One of the nurses, whose name was Nancy Williams, stomped her foot in frustration. Then, gritting her teeth, she ran out. "The park's not too far from here. You guys keep calling him while I go get him."

It dawned on me that Charles had lied to me. He hadn't left because of an urgent call from the hospital; clearly, he'd chosen to spend time with Ruby Sherman and her son.

I watched as the nurse rushed out. I couldn't bring myself to leave Charlotte, so all I could do was pray that Charles would come back soon.

…

"Congratulations, you got the second prize!"

"Second? Again? I don't want it. I want the first prize!"

Over at the park, Nancy saw Charles standing at one of the game booths with his first love, Ruby. They were comforting her son, Xavier Gould, who hadn't won the first prize.

"Dr. Sullivan, what are you still doing here? There's been a car accident. The victim is a little girl, and she's dying!"

Nancy was short of breath as she'd run all the way here from the hospital.

Charles was momentarily surprised to see Nancy. He glanced at Xavier hesitantly and said to her, "Give me a minute."

Nancy opened her mouth to protest, but Charles had already turned back to Xavier. "Be a good boy, Xav. You have a heart condition, so you need to stop crying, or you're going to feel unwell again. Then you'll need an IV, and it's going to hurt.

"I'll buy all the prizes for you, alright? We can come back another day to play the games."

Hearing that, Xavier calmed down, especially after a few more coaxing words from Ruby.

Ruby stroked her son's hair and smiled at Charles. "Thank you for today. I think we should call it a day and go back to the hospital."

Charles nodded. He led Ruby and Xavier back to the hospital and walked them back to their room before heading to the emergency room with Nancy.

Everyone was waiting for him anxiously.

When he arrived, he glanced at Charlotte's mangled body. A hint of impatience crossed his eyes—so fleeting that I thought I'd imagined it.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought.

Charles had always taken saving lives as his duty. He wouldn't be so indifferent to a patient.

At long last, the light above the door of the operating theater came on. A weight lifted from my heart. Turning around, I saw my unconscious body lying on the bed in the emergency room.

A doctor was standing beside me, holding a pen. "Concussion, minor skull fracture—nothing too serious for now."

I didn't feel relieved at all. How I wished that I'd been the one who'd been hit by the car.

The memory of what had happened earlier tormented me.

It was Charlotte's birthday today. Right before dinner, Charles had received a call from the hospital and had left us at home.

Charlotte had slipped out of the house after, planning to look for her father at the hospital.

I'd found her wandering down the street, just in time to see a car speeding toward her.

I'd rushed forward to push her away, but I'd been too slow. I'd only been able to watch helplessly as her little body had flown through the air after being struck down by the car.

She'd gotten serious injuries on her face. The braids I'd done for her this morning had come undone; her hair had stuck to her face along with blood and flesh.

Her little dress, adorned with bunnies, had also been stained with blood and mud.

My heart ached when I thought of her lying on the operating table all alone. How could this have happened? Why hadn't I protected her? Guilt overwhelmed me.

But then, I remembered that Charles was operating on her, and I relaxed. Thank goodness he was there.

I waited outside the operating theater the entire day. Finally, Charlotte was wheeled out and sent to the ICU.

When I saw the bandages wrapped around her head, I felt as if my heart had been stabbed. I wished I could trade my life for her health.

Charles was going through Charlottle's report as he asked Nancy, "Has the patient's family been found yet?"

Nancy shook her head and told him that it had been a hit-and-run. The driver had fled the scene after hitting the child. It had been a passerby who'd called the police. The child had been in her pajamas, with nothing to prove her identity.

The authorities had put out a notice on her behalf, but no one had contacted them yet.

Charles frowned. "How could her parents not know that their kid is missing? How irresponsible!"

When I heard this, my guilt intensified even further.