CHAPTER 6

The city was filled with busy cars and people trying to get on with their various lives and activities. Travis held the full carton of wine to deliver to the wine shop beside the road but an elegant-looking lady who looked frightened, shattered, and unhappy stopped him. "William," she let out before pulling him into a hug. 

The minute she realized herself, she quickly pulled away.

"Sorry about the hug, do you have the strongest wine here?" She apologized after realizing her mistake."We just got some delivery right now Mam," the shop attendant replied instead. 

"Are those alcoholic wines?" The lady turned before asking Travis yet again. "No, this isn't Alcoholic Ma," Travis said, holding the carton tightly to prevent it from slipping to the ground. 

"I honestly wanted to have a last taste of something really bitter before dying." The lady said with a small sob escaping her lips. She clenched her chest tightly before walking away.

Travis marveled at what kind of a strange lady was that. he wondered If this was how people in the city behaved? "Hand me that Travis and offload the rest," Travis's coworker let out to him before collecting the carton of wine. Travis was alarmed when the lady crossed the road without sparing a glance at the car that was approaching at full speed. 

"Hey, miss, lookout." He yelled before nudging her from the road, They both ended up twirling on the dirty floor. 

"Are they okay?"

"What's wrong with this lady?"

"She wasn't even looking at the road, did she want to die?" Those were the comments from the now gathered crowd. 

"Ouch, my head!" She muttered on top of Travis' chest before touching the back of her head. "I hope she is okay?" Somebody from the crowd let out. 

The lady removed her hand from the back of her head to notice the blood that was visible on her hand. "She's bleeding, she needs to be taken to the hospital! Call an ambulance," Somebody from the crowd yelled out panickly.

Travis was about to get her off his body but she had fainted on his chest. "Madam, madam?" Travis muttered before nudging her but she didn't even shake. 

"Travis, what happened here?" His co-worker asked running towards him. 

"Help me carry this woman off me, let's get her to the hospital real quick." Travis stood up before helping his coworker out, they drove fastly to the closest hospital. The nurses instantly brought a bed before rushing her inside the expensive-looking hospital. 

"We have brought this lady to the hospital Travis, shouldn't we be leaving already? Moreover, we obviously can't pay the bills to this hospital and Flevoland is a long trip ahead," his co-worker let out. 

"Can't we just wait for her condition to get a little better? I feel sorry for her," Travis said as they sat in the waiting room. 

"You have been vocalizing how you want us to get home really bad because of your wife's sensitive condition. So let's leave if you want to get to your wife quickly," His co-worker let out as the doctor came out of the room. 

"Excuse me, sir?" The man with the white uniform coat called. Travis knew that he must be the doctor. "Are you the patient's husband?" the doctor asked Travis, holding a notepad clutched to his hand with a pen. 

"No, I'm not," Travis said. 

"Sorry, but how are you related?" The doctor asked. 

"Uhmm__" Travis tried to explain but his Co-worker chipped in. 

"He is the one who saved that lady doctor, he only helped her but they aren't related in any way," His co-worker muttered. 

"Oh, Is that so?" The doctor inquired.

"Yes doctor, by the way, how is she doing?" Travis asked. 

"Well, her condition is normal and right now she is conscious. However, she keeps asking for you so I thought that you were her husband, forgive my mistake," the doctor let out before walking away.

"You should say goodbye to her while I set the car," Travis' co-worker let out, he patted Travis on the shoulders before heading out of the hospital. Travis walked into the room to notice so many patients, it seemed to be the universal room to check patients who were really not in critical condition. he strode towards the bed of the lady he had saved. 

She seemed a bit weak with white clothing wrapped around her forehead. "It's you, you were the one who saved me from that car?" The lady let out. 

"Yes, madam"

"It was nothing but next time please be more careful, I need to leave," Travis let out.

"Uhmm, I'm really sorry you got yourself involved. I truly wasn't myself earlier on! I got really depressed and sad because

My fiance broke up with me." She let out. 

"Was his name William?" Travis let out remembering how she had pulled him into a hug a while ago. 

"You look just like him and that was why I mistook you for him at the wine shop," she let out. 

"Don't worry madam, someday you would meet someone who would truly love you and won't try to hurt you, I have to leave madam," Travis muttered before turning to leave. "Wait a minute, stop. How can I ever repay you for your kindness?" She asked?

"You don't have to do that, what is more, important is that you are safe and you should get some rest," Travis let out.

"Thank you so much," she let out.

"We have to leave right now, I called the factory and told them that we are on our way and the boss says that Jessica gave birth already," his coworker let out.

"Who's Jessica?" the lady asked but Travis said nothing before running out of the hospital room. Travis had so much regret for wasting time, he should have been with his wife when she had their first child. He wondered how she was doing.

***********

Travis sauntered inside the hospital, he stared around until his gaze met with his sister's. "Hey Emerald, how are they?" he asked.

"Brother, both of them are in a critical condition right now.  Aunt Jessica had high blood pressure while in labor, and it was hard to give birth to the baby. The baby isn't doing well either, he was born premature," Emerald let out the minutes she set eyes on her brother with panic.

"Doctor, is my wife Jessica and the baby doing well?" Travis asked the doctor who was about to walk past them. 

"Your wife and baby are still in critical condition but I assure you that we are doing our best to stabilize their condition. I would go on then," The doctor said.

"Thank you so much, doctor," Travis said, plunging to the seat in the waiting room before allowing the tears he had been holding to pour. He was the cause of why his wife and daughter were in such a condition. 

He loved his wife and daughter very much and didn't want them to leave him just yet. Travis knew that he wouldn't survive without them beside him, he knew that his life would be meaningless.