“Madam! Please, hold on tightly!” shouted the driver to Lily who was sitting at the back.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” asked Lily in alarm.

“The brakes are broken!”

“What!?” exclaimed Lily. “We’re about to enter the interchange!”

“Maybe we can change route and not drive through the main highway!?” she suggested.

“We can’t!” replied the driver. “The traffic on other side is a bit heavy."

Lily extracted her phone out of her overcoat's pocket. She dialed a number. The phone kept ringing but no one was picking up.

Tut! Tut! Her battery’s dead.

“Oh no! Why now of all time!" she said in frustration.

“Let me borrow your phone. I’ll call someone for help.”

“Its in the box,” said the driver.

She got up and reached for the box to open it. She finally had the phone in her hand when the car suddenly moved side by side causing her to fall over and the phone flew out of the window.

“Oh no!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry miss! Are you alright?"

“I’m fine,” she said. “But the phone’s flew out of the window!”

The driver stepped hard on the break as he maneuvered to the left leaving a skid marked behind. He was hoping the brake would miraculously work, but the car wasn’t stopping, the break wasn’t working.

“D*mn it!” shouted the driver frustratingly.

Lily held onto the handle tightly as the car swerved again from left and right avoiding the cars and vehicles in front of them.

Traffic Monitoring Control Center (TMCC)

“Emergency! Emergency!” said the man on the phone. “There’s a car speeding up. It’s approaching towards Cloverleaf Interchange.”

Wee! Woo! Wee! Woo!

One police car and two police motorcycles were now on their tail. Two police officers, each on their motorbikes, managed to get past their car. One police signaled to stop and pull over but instead of pulling over the car sped up.

Lily, who was now scared, quickly stick her head out of the window and shouted to the police officers about the broken brakes. The police officers picked up the message and phoned the traffic control center.

“Have the driver turn to west seaside (WS) road ,” said the man from the control center. "And block all the lanes entering WS road.”

“Roger that!” said one traffic officer.

Soon more police cars arrived at the scene and traffic control officers made a blockage preventing other vehicles from entering.

“Miss!” shouted one police officer as he was trying to get near the over speeding car. Lily looked at him and suddenly a walkie-talkie flew inside the car. Lily picked the walkie - talkie that dropped under the front seat.

“Hello! Over!” said the man.

“Yes sir!” said Lily nervously. “We’re listening!”

“Drive through the wss road..We have already blocked any entry points towards WS road,” said the police officer on walkie-talkie.

“We have no choice but to let you plunged into the sea. Rescue team are already on the way.”

Lily looked at the driver. He nodded.

“Alright!” said Lily, frightened, gulping her saliva back to her throat.

“Are you alright, miss?” asked the driver, calmly.

Lily didn’t answer. She couldn’t hide her fright. It was obvious on her face.

“Sir! We’re almost at the seaside!” informed Lily to the police officer as soon they turned right.

“Alright. I’ll inform the rescue team to prepare.”

The driver was gripping on the steering wheel preparing to plunge into the water when suddenly a truck appear out of nowhere. The driver jerked the steering wheel to the other side. The car lurched then hit the truck and flew up in the air. It flipped twice before it plunged into the water.

Lily, whose world seemed to have moved in slow motion, flew up and down as it flipped hitting and slamming the roof and hit her head on the hood. Before the car plunged into the water Lily’s vision turned blurry and eventually went blank - she was unconscious.

“What happened!” shouted one police officer, shocked and surprised.

“I thought the roads are already blocked? Where did the truck came from? Hurry get them out of the water!”

.

.

.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

‘This sound. This beeping sound. What’s beeping? Alarm clock?'

''Quick! Turn that alarm clock off! I’m still sleepy! Let me sleep more! Let me rest!'

‘What’s happening? Why? Why can’t I lift my hand? Why can’t I move them? What’s going on?'

'Let me turn the alarm clock off! I need to turn off the alarm clock!'

‘I’m so tired. I’m exhausted. Turn that beeping machine off! Let me rest!

“Excuse me? Who is the family of the patient?” said the nurse. “The doctor in charge would like to explain about the whole thing.”

“I am her husband,” said the man as he rose up to his feet.

“She had cerebral contusion, so we performed urgent surgery," began the doctor. "She also suffered spinal cord injury.”

“She is stable for now, but she’s not out of the wood yet. Her brain injury was great, so her condition can change anytime.”

“There’s a high possibility that she may not regain her consciousness or worse death," the doctor went on. “Prepare yourself. She doesn’t have much time left. So better say your goodbyes.”

The husband walked wobbly towards the ICU. His hands were trembling, his feet shaking. He sat down and grabbed her hand.

“Lily! Sweetheart!" he said, his voice quavering. "What are you doing here?"

"If you're tired and sleepy, let's go home. Let's rest at home. This is no place for you to take a nap. It's more comfortable at home."

"Lily, sweetheart! I'm here to pick you up. So wake up already and let's go home, okay?"

He paused for a while. His lips now began to tremble, his eyes blurred with tears.

"You said I can’t die because I have to serve you for the rest of my life right?"

He cupped her hand with both his huge hands then squeezed it a little then went on,

“You said I have to carry you to the balcony before the sun rises so you wouldn’t miss the sunrise.”

“You said I’ll have to cook for your breakfast and prepare your lunch, and cook you dinner."

“You said I must run the bath for you so you wouldn’t have to wait for it to be filled up. Then you said that I must dry your hair for you because your hands are tired from whole day work.”

“You said that I must be beside you when you sleep in the night and must be beside you when you wake up in the morning.”

“You said I must say ‘I love you’ everyday and kiss you and hug even if you were sweaty or smelly.”

His eyes and face was now soaked with tears, his voice even more shaky. He lifted her hand up and placed it on his face and went on,

“Honey, I did all those things without complain. So let’s go home, okay? If you're not satisfy, I'll do better."

"This is not our bedroom. I'm so huge, remember? I can’t fit in this bed. With that small bed I can’t cuddle you comfortably.”

“This room has no balcony and big windows where we can sun bathe our whole body with morning sunshine.”

“So please wake up and let’s go home.”

.

.

.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Bip! Bip! Bip! Bip! Bip! Bip!

The seconds-long beep had beeped faster and the wavy lines in the monitor screen had waved erratically.

“Ventricular fibrillation!” shouted the doctor.

“Yes, sir!” replied the nurse, dashing towards the defibrillator.

“Lily!” shouted the husband.

“Please sir! Stay away!"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP!!!!!

"Lily! Nooooo!" cried the husband.

The one second-long beep had beeped longer and the wavy lines in the monitor screen had straightened.

.

.

.

"Lily! Lily!"

.

.

.

‘Lily? Are they calling me?’

‘Where am I? Why is it noisy?'

'It's cold. I can feel my whole body's drenched.'

Lily woke up not to the beeping sound but to the noise of people around her.

“Lily! Lily!” shouted someone.

‘Lily? Are they calling me?’

‘Where am I? Why is it noisy?'

'It's cold. I can feel my whole body's drenched.'

She groaned and moaned then opened her eyes. She looked around and surprised to see many people round her. She looked on her left, another person lay unconscious, drenched just like her. She sat up then coughed very hard.

"Where am I? What happened? Why am I soaked?" she thought.

She groaned again. Image of water, waves and sea flashed before her eyes.

"What are these memories?" she thought.

“Ah!” she shrieked. “My head! My head is aching! It hurts! It hurts so bad!” Then she fainted.

“Lily!” shouted one student.

“Everyone! Please make way!” said the rescuer.

Everyone moved and made way for the rescuers to move both patients into the ambulance. They were transported to the hospital. Inside the ambulance were one rescue team, a medical staff and their homeroom.

“Name of the patients?” asked the nurse.

“Liliona Forza,” replied Mr. Bill Benson, their homeroom teacher.

“The other patient?”

“Liliana Flax.” he replied again.

“Age?”

“Both 18 years old."

*Monde District Royal Hospital

After almost one hour of unconscious, and from what seems to be the longest slumber she’d ever had, Lily finally woke up.

"Oh! Great! You two are already awake," said the doctor as she slid the curtain open.

"How are you feeling, Ms. Forza?" she asked.

"How about you Ms. Flax?"

Both didn't answer. They looked at each then looked at the doctor.

"Where are we?" they asked quietly and in unison.

"My dear young ladies," said the doctor. "You're in the hospital, ER to be specific."

"Hospital?" mumbled both.

"What happened? Why am I here?" thought Lily.

"Alright, I won't bother you two. Rest and wait for your families to process the necessary formalities for your own private rooms."

The doctor left them and they once again looked at each other then lay down back to bed. Few minutes later a man in butler uniform entered. Both looked at him.

"Young miss, how are you feeling?" asked the man. "I have processed all the procedures. You will be transferred soon to your own ward. Mrs. Hans will be here soon to bring you your change of clothes, and porridge and some fruits."

No answer.

"Miss Lily!" called out the woman, coming towards them. "Are you alright, young miss?"

"Eherm!" coughed the nurse, who noticed Mr. and Mrs. Hans inside the ER ward. "Overcrowding is not good for the patients' recovery. They just woke up."

"I'm sorry," apologized Mr. Han. "We're here to bring Miss Lily her change of clothes and process the necessary procedures to transfer her to her own ward."

"May I know your relationship with the patient?" she asked.

"Ah, we are miss Lily's...."

"Lily! Honey!" shouted the woman, interrupting Mr. Hans from talking.

She ran towards the other patient. And frantically asked,

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Any pain? Any discomfort?"

"Eherm!" coughed the nurse again. "Ma'am, no shouting please! You'll disturb the other patients here. And please calm down."

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized the woman.

"May I know who you are and your relationship with the patient?" asked the nurse.

"I'm Sandra, Lily's mother."

"Lily?" repeated the nurse.

"You and them," pointing Mr. and Mrs. Hans, "both called the patients Lily."

"Oh! Liliana! Liliana Flax! I'm Liliana's mother, Sandra Flax."

"And you two?" asked the nurse to Mr. and Mrs. Hans.

"I'm the butler of the Forza household, and this is my wife, the head maid," replied Mr. Hans.

"And as I have said earlier, we are here to bring miss Lily, I mean miss Liliona Forza, her change of clothes and take care of the necessary procedures to transfer her to her own ward."

"I see," replied the nurse. "Please let's not make any noise and hurry the procedure so they can be transferred soon and have them get better rest."

Sandra hugged her Liliana and asked,

"Sweety, how are you feeling? I was so worried when I heard about you drowning? What happened?"

Liliana looked at Sandra with a confused look on her face as her mother gently squeezed her as she hugged her.

"I'm fine. I'm not hurt nor feel any pain," replied Liliana as soon as her mother let go of her.

"But you who are you?"

Sandra's eyes widened and looked at the nurse.