Chapter 2 - The Emergency Room
"Elena!" I screamed.
I dropped to my knees, taking her weight as she collapsed onto the floor.
Leo continued to cry, sensing the overwhelming panic in the air.
Elena was completely unresponsive.
Her skin was terrifyingly pale, almost translucent.
Her lips had taken on a faint, terrifying shade of blue.
I carefully laid her flat on the hardwood floor.
I rushed to the kitchen counter to grab my car keys and my phone.
My hands were shaking so violently I could barely dial 911.
"911, what is your emergency?" the dispatcher asked.
"My wife is unconscious," I stammered out.
"She collapsed, she’s pale, and she won't wake up."
The dispatcher asked for my address, but I realized something that made my blood run cold.
We lived twenty minutes away from the nearest hospital in good traffic.
Waiting for an ambulance could take too long.
"I'm driving her myself," I told the dispatcher.
I hung up the phone and threw it into my pocket.
I strapped a screaming Leo into his portable car seat in record time.
Then, I ran back inside and scooped Elena up in my arms.
She felt horrifyingly light, like a brittle porcelain doll.
I carried her out to the SUV and laid her across the backseat.
I backed out of the driveway so fast the tires squealed against the pavement.
The entire drive was a blur of flashing streetlights and sheer terror.
I ran three red lights, leaning heavily on the horn to clear the intersections.
"Please hold on, Elena," I begged the rearview mirror.
"Just hold on for me."
When we finally skidded up to the emergency room entrance, I started shouting for help before I even put the car in park.
Two nurses rushed out with a gurney.
They took one look at Elena's lifeless face and immediately sprang into action.
"What happened?" a male nurse shouted as they wheeled her through the double doors.
"She just gave birth three weeks ago," I explained frantically.
"My mother was overworking her, forcing her to do chores."
"She collapsed, woke up for a minute, and then passed out again."
They rushed her into Trauma Room 3.
A security guard gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Sir, you have to wait out here," he said firmly.
I stood in the sterile, bright hallway with the heavy car seat dangling from my arm.
Leo had finally exhausted himself and fallen into a restless sleep.
I stared at the closed door of the trauma room.
I felt like my entire world was collapsing around me.
An hour passed like a painful eternity.
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Finally, a doctor in blue scrubs stepped out of the room.
His expression was grim and serious.
