003 An Unexpected Rescue

The tranquility of the early morning was shattered by the shrill ring of the phone, the sunlight barely beginning to filter into the room, while the faint mist of dawn hung in the air. Emily, groggy from sleep, reached out for her phone on the nightstand. The urgent voice on the other end jolted her out of her drowsy state.

"Emily, where are you? I've been calling you non-stop! Your grandma had a heart attack. We called an ambulance yesterday, and she's at the Municipal Hospital now. The doctor says she needs immediate surgery. You have to come back right away!" Her mother’s voice carried an unmistakable edge of anxiety and helplessness, each word striking Emily’s heart like a hammer.

Emily instantly woke up, her pulse quickening, the blood in her veins seeming to rush faster. Her grandma was one of the most important people in her life, holding countless warm memories of her childhood. Growing up in a single-parent household, with her father absent, she, her mother, and her grandma had built a small world for themselves. Her grandma’s smile, her warm hands, and her caring eyes had seen her through countless difficult nights. And now, her grandmother was facing a crisis of life and death.

"I’m coming back right now," Emily said, trying to steady her voice, but her heart was already seized with fear and worry. As soon as she hung up, she leaped out of bed, swiftly packing, shoving the necessary belongings into her backpack in a rush. She opened her phone, booked the earliest flight of the day, and felt an overwhelming sense of urgency and helplessness.

Sitting in the taxi headed to the airport, Emily's heart hung suspended, unable to settle. Outside the window, the city slowly awoke, the sky growing brighter, but she felt like she was shrouded in dark clouds. She replayed the moments she had spent with her grandmother over and over in her head, as if those memories could serve as her emotional support, giving her strength in this moment.

"Grandma, you have to hold on..." Emily prayed silently, her fingers clutching the strap of her bag so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Every second of waiting felt like an eternity. She desperately wanted to rush to her grandmother's side and tell her not to be afraid—that she was on her way.

The plane finally touched down at her hometown's airport. It was about 30 kilometers from the airport to the hospital. Emily rushed out of the terminal, flagged down a taxi, and anxiously urged the driver to take her to the Municipal Hospital as quickly as possible. Every street seemed impossibly long, with time stretching into endless moments of waiting.

But fate seemed unwilling to allow her a smooth journey to the hospital. As the taxi drove into a remote suburban road, there was suddenly a deafening noise ahead, followed by the squeal of brakes and thick plumes of smoke. Not far ahead, a black sedan had lost control and flipped over at the side of the road, the car's body mangled, shattered glass scattered everywhere.

Emily's heart sank. Though she was anxious to get to her grandmother, she instinctively knew the accident was serious. Without thinking, she immediately shouted to the driver, "Quick, help those people! I’ll call for an ambulance now!"

Emily dialed emergency services, while the driver rushed out of the car towards the accident. Smoke filled the air with the acrid smell of burning, and it was clear that the person inside had been seriously injured. The man slumped helplessly over the steering wheel, his head bleeding.

In this dire situation, Emily's heart pounded even more violently, but she forced herself to stay calm. The driver hurried back to the taxi and grabbed a basic emergency kit.

The injured man was Alex. At that moment, his head was wounded, his consciousness blurred, and he was tightly restrained by his seatbelt. If Emily had a god-like view, she would have realized that this was her second encounter with this man.

The driver swiftly cut through the seatbelt, and Emily and the driver worked together to drag Alex out of the car, moving him to a safe spot by the roadside.

When Alex was pulled out, his awareness was still hazy, but he managed to open his eyes slightly. Through his blurred vision, he saw a face—tense yet resolute. Under the sunlight, that face appeared soft, yet steadfast.

The ambulance soon arrived, and the medical staff quickly loaded Alex onto a stretcher and took him to the nearest hospital. Emily watched the ambulance drive away and finally let out a sigh of relief. It was only then that she realized she was drenched in sweat, her taut nerves slowly starting to relax. She returned to the taxi, catching her breath, and said wearily to the driver, "Let's keep going to the hospital."

The taxi started up again, driving along the quiet road. The air in the car was stifling, and Emily's thoughts were already far ahead—at the hospital, with her mother and grandmother.

Finally, the car stopped in front of the Municipal Hospital. Emily rushed out and ran through the emergency room corridor, her eyes quickly catching sight of her mother, standing anxiously outside the emergency room. Her mother's face was etched with fatigue and worry, making her appear much older than usual. Upon seeing Emily, a glimmer of hope appeared in her mother’s eyes, though it couldn’t conceal the heaviness that lay beneath.

"Mom, how's Grandma?" Emily hurried over, her voice filled with worry and unease.

Her mother's tired eyes welled up with tears, her voice trembling. "The doctor said Grandma needs immediate bypass surgery, but... the surgery costs two hundred thousand. We don’t have that kind of money..."

Two hundred thousand—the number hit Emily like a lightning bolt. Her mother was only a cashier at a supermarket, earning a meager salary, and although Emily had been working for three years, her savings were far from enough to cover the cost of surgery. They had no relatives to turn to. At that moment, the figure of two hundred thousand felt like a mountain crushing down on her, making it almost impossible to breathe.

She had just gone through a heartbreak, and now the weight of her family was pressing down on her again. Emily knew she couldn’t crumble. Her grandmother's life was in her hands.

Emily bit her lip hard, forcing herself to stay calm. She took her mother's hand and tried to offer a comforting smile. "Mom, don't worry. I’ll figure something out for the money. You go home and rest tonight. I’ll handle everything from here."

Her mother looked at her with hesitation and concern, but seeing the determination in Emily's eyes, she finally nodded.

Emily took a deep breath, walked to a quiet corner of the hallway, and dialed the HR department of her company. She tried to keep her voice steady, but the urgency in her heart seeped through. "Hi, this is Emily from the front desk. My grandma needs an immediate heart surgery, but I don't have enough money at the moment. I remember the company has a critical illness grant—I want to apply for it. What documents do I need?"

The voice on the other end hesitated, clearly moved by her urgent situation. "Emily, I'm really sorry to hear this. You meet the criteria for the grant. I’ll expedite the paperwork for you. You just need to email the necessary medical documentation and proof of family relationship. We’ll process it as quickly as possible, but it might take about a week for approval."

Though time was of the essence, the grant seemed to be her lifeline. Emily hung up, feeling a slight sense of relief, though the pressure hadn’t completely lifted. She knew this money would be crucial for her grandmother's surgery, and in the meantime, she would have to convince the hospital to perform the surgery first, with the promise of paying the remaining amount next week.