Dangerous Substitution

The beeping was too loud. It pulsed through the sterile white air, sharp and unrelenting, like it was keeping time for something she couldn’t stop. Maya’s hands trembled as she clutched her mother’s, slick with sweat and warm with life, barely. “Mom… please,” she whispered, voice breaking. “You can’t leave me. Not like this.” Her mother’s eyelids fluttered, but they didn’t open. The blood on her gown was too bright, seeping through the fabric in a slow, terrifying bloom. Maya pressed harder on the wound, her palms aching, desperate to hold her together. The monitor’s beeping quickened. Nurses rushed around the bed, voices low and urgent, their words blurring into an incomprehensible hum. “Stay with me… stay with me,” Maya begged her voice breaking, the taste of salt in her mouth. “Don’t you dare close your eyes!” she kept muttering A single, prolonged tone filled the room, high, unbroken, merciless. “NO!” Maya jerked upright, gasping. Her room was dark, the pale light of dawn slipping through half-closed curtains. Her sheets were twisted around her legs, damp with sweat. She could still smell antiseptics and disinfectant from that day, the smell of bleach and fear. She pushed a trembling hand over her face, forcing herself to breathe in through her nose, out through her mouth, until her heartbeat slowed. It had been 3 years, but the dream still came. Always the same, always so vivid that for a moment she believed she was sixteen again, kneeling by that hospital bed. She swung her legs off the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor, grounding her. She swayed lightly out of dizziness when she stood up forcing her to sit back down on her bed. After 2 minutes of steady breathing, she braced herself and stood up to prepare for the day ahead. Maya dressed in silence, putting her hair into a bun and tying a scarf neatly on her head. The smell of coffee from the corner café drifted in from her window, tempting but too expensive for a Tuesday morning. Grabbing her keys she set out of the house and rushed to the subway station just in time to catch her train. By the time she reached Sweet Crumbs, the little doughnut shop two streets away from where she lived, the morning rush had already begun. The scent of fried dough and vanilla glaze wrapped around her like a familiar hug. “Morning, Maya” called Mrs Duffy from the counter. When Maya saw her she smiled sheepishly and went to give her a squeezing hug. “I promise I have a good reason for coming late, it wasn't intended and I even had to take the train to meet up with time” Maya explained in one breath “ It's fine Maya, I know you probably slept in, it's okay. Your young body needs as much sleep as it can get to be strong and healthy” Mrs Duffy said to her patting her back “I know but…” Maya was saying when Mrs Duffy cut her off “ Alright enough talking, we've got a pre-order for two dozen maple twists, think you can box ‘em?” “On it” Maya said slipping behind the counter. She moved with practiced ease, boxing pastries, pouring coffee and smiling at the regulars. The bell above the door kept chiming as customers came and went, laughter and chatter filling the warm little shop. By late afternoon her shift was over and Maya stepped out into the fading light after hugging Mrs Duffy goodbye. The street was busy, cars inching through the congested intersection. She adjusted her coat against the breeze and started down the sidewalk with her paper bag containing her croissant in one hand and her little cross bag flung across her shoulder. Maya watched as cars drove by and made comments like, “Whoa this one has biturbo engine” “Oh a lady is driving this one” “Watch out for the traffic lights else you'll be penalized” She made small talks with herself as she kept moving forward. She heard a crash behind her and saw that two cars, a red one and a black one had just collided, the rearview mirror of one of the cars was partly destroyed. People gathered to see how much damage was done but Maya just faced forward and kept walking home. When she got to the next street, she saw a sleek red car with only one sideview mirror swerving wildly to avoid another vehicle. “This same red car, he must have a death wish or even be a grim reaper” Maya said On the opposite side of the street, a young girl about Maya's age in a cream coat stepped off the curb, completely oblivious, phone pressed to her ears. “Hey!” Maya shouted, dropping her paper bag of leftover croissant. The young girl didn't hear. Maya's legs moved before her brain caught up. She darted into the road grabbing the woman's arm and yanking her back just as the red car screeched past, the remaining half of its sideview mirror catching Maya hard across the shoulder and chest. Pain tore through her collarbone, white-hot and searing, but she didn't let go until they both stumbled onto the safety of the sidewalk. The girl gasped, eyes wide with shock. “Oh my God, you saved me..you” she looked down and paled further. “You're bleeding” The girl stumbled back from the curb, heart pounding in her ears, the screech of tires still ringing. She watched in horror as Maya crumpled to the ground, her white blouse blooming red, people gathering. Maya glanced down and saw the jagged tear in her shirt, warm blood flowing over the bone just below her neck. Blood. And then, the hospital. The blinding white lights. The beeping machines. Her mother's blood on her hands. “Mom..please..stay…” The memory slammed into her chest like a physical blow making her chest tighten. Her ears rang, her vision blurred and her knees weakened. Darkness started engulfing her. Another voice cut in low, urgent and unfamiliar. “ She's going into shock” the tall man in dark suit appeared at her side in the midst of the crowd. She barely registered his face or smell. He caught her before she hit the ground lifting her as though she weighed nothing. He opened the back door and slid in with her still in his arms. “Hospital now” Maya was now unconscious with no idea of where she was, all she saw was darkness. “Mum..mum..mum” she kept muttering, sweating profusely when she was being carried into the hospital.