'Is it only in my mind?' he asks himself.

Clifford is filled with emotion. His eyes are wet with tears the moment he had a glimpse of her. She is unconscious and has bruises and cuts on her face and her mouth is inserted with a tube for the ventilator.

Clifford came into realization that he is in the operating room because of the bright lights that is blinding him. He has no idea what the doctors and nurses are doing because they are blocked with a cloth. He could only hear the commotion within the room and only one voice could be heard as he commands what to do. He knitted his brows to recall what happened that resulted to their current state.

He reminisces that after their interview they were on their way back to their home and intimately teasing each other and then… he shut his eyes tightly remembering the tragic event. He looks at his wife again and his heart squeezes in pain.

'My love… how I wish I'm in your situation now, I can't bear to see you suffering like this now…'

Clifford wanted to shout his thoughts and he wanted to call Ingrid's name again and again thinking that she might hear him and would open her eyes, but then his throat is dry and there is no strength left in him. He could not even stop his eyes from drifting away in sleep.

He could not determine how long he's been in the operating room because he would just open his eyes every now and then, and again he'd fell asleep. The next thing he noticed is that his bed moves, and someone is pus.h.i.+ng it, another two are both on the side of the bed and he also hears the rolling of the wheels of the hospital bed. He wanted to open his eyes but he's overpowered with drowsiness. Everything seems a dream to him. His vision is blurry and his ears are so sensitive with his environment.

Then a familiar voice calls him. Sobbing.

"Clifford… son… oh G.o.d! My only son!"

'Mom?' he screamed in his mind. But the voice slowly fades away as the nurse continue pus.h.i.+ng the hospital bed.

"Please be still, Helen," Clint Briggs quieted her. "Doctor, how's our son and our daughter-in-law?" Clint may not show it, but he's filled with anxiety.

"Mr. Clifford is out of danger because he only suffered lacerations on the first layer of his skin on his left arm, bruises and cuts on the left side of his body and head. We already checked his x-ray, there are no bone fractures. Mrs. Ingrid, on the other hand, is still under observation because her right arm is broken, gains multiple cuts and bruises on the right side of her body, and she is still on the OR… But we still advice that both of them need to undergo CT scan to check internal bleedings."

"OH NO!" Helen becomes panic-stricken. "Doctor, please do everything. Please doctor, please doctor…" she cried and pleaded again and again for Ingrid.

"We are doing our best, Mrs. Briggs. Rest a.s.sured, she will not lose her arm but it takes time for it to be healed. But as for now, let's just pray for her. She is a fighter. Please excuse me Mr and Mrs Briggs but I needed to go anr check Mr. Clifford again and after that you can go to his room."

They both nodded and still lingered outside the OR waiting for the surgeon to come out. The old couple both appeared exhausted. Clint closes his eyes and his head leans on the wall while Helen clasp her hands placing it on her knees as though she's praying. Her eyes are wet with tears.

Gary could no longer stand the sight of his master and madam so he decided to speak up.

"Master Clint, Madam Helen, I think you need some rest first. I'll be the one to wait here for you and I'll just inform you if the operation is already done."

"It's okay Gary, we want to wait. We cannot leave Ingrid like this." Helen answered.

A little while later the doctors come out from the operating room. Instantaneously, they all stood up for the doctor to come to them.

"Doctor, how's my daughter-in-law?" Clint asks.

"Mr. Briggs, the patient is out of danger though she suffers from broken arm we already performed surgery in the injured part. The patient may experience discomfort as the anaesthetic wears off so she needs to be a.s.sisted because of the splint. She'll be brought to her room afterwards." The doctor announced.

"Oh! Thank G.o.d! That's good news." Helen jumps with so much joy. "Thank you, doctor."

"Nope, don't thank me. It's because of the patient, she's a fighter." The doctor acknowledged after that they excused themselves.

♥...♥…♥

John Howard went home feeling exhausted.

"John!!!!! Hurry!! Oh my G.o.d!" Rose shouts and sobs loudly at the same time as she calls her husband who just arrived.

John immediately runs to his wife side.

"What happened Rose, why are you shouting?"