Antirrhinum: Revenge of the Bloodied

The night grew late as the rain poured heavily.

Lightning flashed, its white glow occasionally piercing through the cracks of the window. In the darkness, a young woman wept while clutching her fragile infant tightly.

Though thunder rumbled and shook the sky, Elizabeth paid no attention. Her mind was consumed by only one thing—her son, lying weak with a burning fever.

She had already given him fever medicine, yet his temperature showed no sign of dropping. His breath came in gasps, and his skin had turned pale with a bluish tint.

“My baby…?” she whispered hoarsely, choking back tears. Again and again, she pressed her finger beneath his nose, desperately ensuring that the little one was still breathing.

Her husband could not be reached. For the past four days, he had not come home, nor had he responded to any of her messages.

There were no neighbors she could ask for help, as everyone was away. Besides, her house was far too isolated—surrounded by a dark forest and slippery, muddy paths.

To make matters worse, her phone was useless for booking an online taxi. Her husband had exchanged her smartphone for an old model from the early 2000s, capable only of calls and text messages.

In a panic, Elizabeth rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a large shopping bag. She cut a hole just big enough for her baby’s face, then slipped the child inside. It was, at best, an improvised raincoat.

“Hold on, sweetheart… we’re going to the hospital now. You’ll be fine, I promise,” she whispered with trembling lips.

Without caring about her drenched body, she stepped outside, braving the downpour.

She hurried down the slick path, her steps uneven against the wet ground.

Then suddenly—“Aaah!” Elizabeth stumbled as her foot landed on a rusty nail. Agonizing pain shot through her, but her hold on the baby never faltered. With trembling hands, she yanked the nail free, tears mixing with the relentless rain.

As lightning lit up the sky, she caught sight of her baby’s face—now turning blue. Panic surged, and she forced her wounded foot to run faster.

Finally, after endless minutes that felt like torture, a neon hospital sign glowed in the distance.

“HELP!” she screamed hysterically as she burst through the reception area.

A nurse immediately rushed toward her. “What happened, ma’am?”

“My baby… his fever’s so high, he had seizures earlier! Please save him!” Elizabeth handed over her child, still wrapped in the large plastic bag.

The nurse whisked the baby away into the emergency room, calling for a doctor, while several patients watched in pity. A young mother, soaked to the bone, lips trembling blue, clutching a baby in a shopping bag—it was a sight that pierced every heart in the room.

“Nurse… how is my baby?” Elizabeth cried, ignoring the throbbing pain in her foot.

“Please wait a moment, ma’am. The doctor is on his way,” the nurse answered, worry etched on her face as she glanced at both mother and child.

Moments later, a young doctor arrived and immediately examined the unconscious baby. His expression hardened as he touched the child’s icy hands and feet.

“Start an IV—oxygen, now!” he commanded.

The IV dripped, oxygen was set up, yet the doctor’s face remained grim. “Call the pediatrician immediately,” he instructed.

Elizabeth sobbed harder. “Doctor… my baby will be alright, won’t he?”

The doctor only looked at her briefly. “We need to wait for the pediatrician.”

It was then that he noticed Elizabeth—pale, drenched, her foot soaked in blood.

“Did you come here on foot?” he asked.

Elizabeth gave a faint nod.

“Why didn’t you call an online taxi?”

With shaking hands, she pulled an old, worn-out phone from her pocket. “My phone… it can’t d******d any apps.”

The doctor fell silent, unable to hide his disbelief.

“Where is the baby’s father?” the nurse asked gently.

Elizabeth shook her head, tears spilling again. “I don’t know… my husband hasn’t come home in four days.”

It was then the doctor noticed the nail still lodged in her foot. “Ma’am, we need to treat this immediately.”

But Elizabeth shook her head firmly. “No… just save my baby, Doctor. I’ll be fine.”

The nurse guided her to a chair and examined her foot. “Doctor, the nail is still inside. We need to remove it.”

The doctor quickly numbed her foot and extracted the nail with forceps. Fresh blood flowed instantly, yet Elizabeth only stared at it, her thoughts consumed by her child.

Soon, the pediatrician arrived. He checked the baby’s heartbeat and then spoke briefly: “Take him to the NICU now.”

Thud.

The words made Elizabeth’s heart stop. “Doctor, how is my baby?”

“You should pray,” the doctor answered softly.

Elizabeth tried to follow, dragging her injured foot, but a nurse blocked her at the NICU doors. “Ma’am, please wait here. The doctors need to work without interruption.”

She could only cry, her eyes fixed on the tightly closed door.

She waited endlessly until, at last, the doctor emerged. Elizabeth looked at him with desperate hope, but his face drained all her strength.

“Your baby is in critical condition. He has been unconscious for two hours.”

“No!!” Elizabeth collapsed, caught just in time by Dr. Rizki.

“Doctor, please… save my baby. Don’t let him die!” she sobbed hysterically, clutching the doctor’s hand.

Before Rizki could answer, a nurse rushed out of the NICU, panic in her voice.

“Doctor, the patient’s condition is deteriorating!”

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