Saving a Stranger
1643 Words
"Hey! We need to get going." These words suddenly pull me back to my senses.
For a moment, when he says that some random "evil men" caused his injury, I can't help but gawk into space.
My mind spirals through the possibilities—could this man I'm with be a bad guy, too?
"Hello!?!"
Again, he tries to disengage me from my intrusive thoughts. I flinch in shock when I feel his cold touch against the surface of my skin.
"Are you okay? You seem like you're in terror right now," he chuckles, continuing to tease me. "I'm the one who's hurt and at the brink of death, yet you look paler than I do."
My eyebrows furrow as I shoot him a murderous look. Damn you! I curse him in the back of my head for having the guts to c***k jokes at a moment like this.
Doesn't he realize how our situation is affecting me physically and mentally? I can't help but put up a long face out of annoyance, and I stay that way while silence lingers between us.
Finally, he clears his throat and breaks the ice. He must notice my dark aura, because he actually admits to his not-so-nice comments.
"My bad. Sorry," he speaks heavily, managing an apology despite my irritated demeanor.
I feel a little guilty, though.
Then he starts looking around again with suspicious eyes before reminding me once more that we must leave as soon as possible.
I agree with him, since he has to be taken to a hospital immediately.
"Let's go," I say, and we start moving. My arms are linked to his so I can support him somehow while we walk.
But after a few steps, his pace starts to slow. He becomes heavier to handle. Between the hard coughs and the panting, I notice he is struggling to catch his breath.
His condition is worsening. From a doctor's perspective, I know Lucas has to be sent to the hospital right away before it's too late
.
"You shouldn't have exhausted yourself! Why wouldn't you listen to me!?" I nag at the top of my lungs. Before I can even go further with my sermon, his knees weaken.
I have no chance to prevent him from falling; his body is masculine and heavy, and my medium, skinny frame is no match for his weight.
He falls hard to the ground. And I... I fall safely onto his chest, right between his arms! Amidst the snowstorm, under the moonlight where silence falls upon us, my heart throbs like a drum when our eyes meet up close.
I just noticed that his eyes are blue and almond-shaped. He has thick, dark eyebrows and full lips that complement his chiseled jawline. I've never seen such facial features all in one person.
It’s like his face was sculpted perfectly without a single flaw.
"Have you seen enough of my face, Dr. Fuentes?" Lucas whispers in my ear. "Will you get off of me now? Because you are pressing hard on my wounds."
With that, I snapped out of my daze.
"Oh! I—I'm sorry!" I get up as quickly as I can and immediately help him settle comfortably on the ground.
"There! Lean your back against that wall so I can check your wound. Let's see how bad it is now."
I move him toward the closed establishment nearby and begin unbuttoning his shirt one by one.
Once I have a full view of the injury, I start disinfecting the potentially life-threatening wound with hydrogen peroxide and betadine.
I know every drop of these antiseptics on his torn skin is painful, but Lucas only lets out a silent groan.
He clenches his fists and grits his teeth against the intense pain. His face starts to look pale as beads of sweat appear on his forehead.
"Hang in there, Lucas. I need to close this," I utter while applying zip stitches to his skin to reduce the bleeding and covering the wound with gauze.
"Once we get to the hospital, we'll do a CT scan to make sure no internal organs have been damaged.
This should be enough for now while we wait for the ambulance."
Lucas nods weakly. I’m certain he is in agonizing pain, even though he’s trying to be a tough guy in front of me.
Well, he is tough—I can see that. Nevertheless, even tough guys have to let their guard down sometimes and be soft and fragile, too.
"We are all humans, after all. It's okay to be weak sometimes, I think."
Suddenly, his heavy coughing pulls me back to reality. The moment I see the blood he spits out, I panic. His condition alarms me instantly; this is a clear sign of a serious medical issue—internal bleeding, which is life-threatening.
His eyes are almost shutting, and I hurriedly try to keep him awake.
"Hey, Lucas! Stay with me, please!"
I tap his cheeks gently, but I am slowly losing him. He isn't responding to my voice anymore, and my worry spikes into pure terror.
Tears pool in my eyes as the thought of his death crosses my mind.
I immediately call the hospital to follow up on my request for assistance.
"Why is the ambulance not here yet? It's been more than half an hour!" I yell out of frustration.
"The patient is on the verge of death and there’s nothing I can do!"
I break down. The situation is so overwhelming that I squat helplessly in front of this dying man, crying onto my knees.
"Hey."
A weak voice reaches my ears through the sound of my sobbing.
"Why burst into tears, Dr. Fuentes? I’m still alive."
Hearing him speak in this cold, snowy night brings a wave of relief to my heart. I crawl back to him to assess his condition, and the feverish heat of his skin radiates into mine the moment we touch.
"You’re having a fever, Lucas. This isn't a good sign," I announce. "You likely have an infection starting; you need antibiotics. We really need to get to the hospital!"
Perturbed, I bite my nails unconsciously.
"You’ve done enough, Doctor. I thank you for doing your best to keep me alive..."
"STOP THE BULLSHIT!" I cut him off, yelling at the top of my lungs as I stood up. "I am really going to save you, Lucas.
Believe me. Trust me," I beg. "No one dies under my watch. Do you get that?"
My eyes fill with tears again, and my voice cracks with a fear I just can't hide. I drop back to my knees.
"Lucas... if you die under my care, I swear it will be the end of my medical career. So listen to me: if you want to see me saving more lives in the future, you have to stay strong. Promise me you'll hold on, okay?"
Lucas agrees.
Without thinking, my fingers run through his disheveled hair, gently brushing it aside. I wet a portion of my sleeve and wipe the bloodstains from his face, revealing his handsome features once more.
I look around for a brief moment, and a plan forms when I remember the road construction three blocks away.
I take a deep breath and reach out to hold his freezing hands.
"Okay, Lucas, hear me out. It’s been over half an hour since I called for rescue. Something must be delaying them, and we can’t wait. You might get a blood infection." I pause, calculating my next move. "I’m going to run to the main road and get help from the workers. They have vehicles to transport us."
I look into his eyes, and I find a flicker of hope in his beautiful blue orbs, telling me everything will be alright. I smile. "I’ll be back."
I strip off my outer coat—he needs the windbre butaker more than I do to stay warm. I wrap it around his freezing body and pull the hood over his head. Just as I’m ready to bolt, Lucas reaches out. I grab his hand and bend down.
"Do you have anything to say before I leave?"
"Thank you for doing all this for me. I will be forever in your debt, Doctor Fuentes. I will never forget this day."
"Camila. It’s my name, Lucas. I’m Camila Fuentes."
"Such a beautiful name," he says.
I smile one last time. "It’s my duty to save people, Lucas. Don’t worry about the debt. Just hang in there, okay?"
I run as fast as I can without looking back.
My only concern is getting help. And I don’t fail. Near the main road, I see the ambulance l the distance. I wave my hands frantically until they see me.
I finally have help to get Lucas to the hospital.
But when we get back to the spot... where the hell is he?
Where did he go? How could he even move in that state?
My head is spinning. My body is chilling from the cold, but we search every corner of the street.
"I left him right here!" I explain to the medics. But there is no sign of Lucas. We search the area for a long time, and I even call the hospital to see if another unit picked him up"We are all humans, after all. It's okay to be weak sometimes, I think."
Suddenly, his heavy coughing pulls me back to reality. The moment I see the blood he spits out, I panic. His condition alarms me instantly; this is a clear sign of a serious medical issue—internal bleeding, which is life-threatening. His eyes are almost shutting, and I hurriedly try to keep him awake.
"Hey, Lucas! Stay with me, please!"
- Writer
