Chapter 2 Tragedy

I scream and wail as tears begin to rush down my cheeks. I run to his body, fear enveloping me.

"Dad, it's me, April. Please wake up," I say, as tears continue to flood my eyes. My entire body trembles with fear. He can't possibly be dead. I don't believe it.

"Dad, wake up. You're strong. You have to wake up. You have to get up!" I yell, expecting him to miraculously stand up and tell me he's fine. Deep down, I know none of that is going to happen.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" Sandra yells as she pushes through the crowd. Everyone seems frozen in shock, moving as if they don't understand the language Sandra spoke. Before I can react, she pulls my phone from my pocket.

"Stupid fucks," Sandra mutters to herself as she begins to dial for an ambulance.

"This is an emergency! A man just got hit by a car and he's bleeding like crazy, and you're telling me it'll take some time? What part of emergency do you not understand?" Sandra yells at whoever is on the other end of the emergency line while I just stare helplessly.

"April, everything is going to be okay. The ambulance is on its way. We just need to be patient," Sandra says calmly.

"Am I going to lose my father? Tell me, Sandra, is he going to die?" I ask, crying. I don't even know why I'm asking her that. Sandra doesn't have the medical knowledge to explain anything.

"He'll be fine, April. Your dad is going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen. The ambulance is already on its way, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about," Sandra responds, trying to reassure me-but I can hear the doubt and worry in her voice.

"What are we going to do? The ambulance might take some time, and we can't just leave him like this," I say, fear practically leaking from my voice. Before Sandra can respond, a figure breaks through the crowd holding a first aid book in his right hand. It's none other than Gabriel Fernandez-the manager at The Tipsy Tavern and my ex-boyfriend.

"Don't move him too much. He could be bleeding from the brain," Gabriel yells as he stoops down beside my father with a cloth. He sees that my father isn't conscious and checks for a pulse like a professional. I'm about to ask if he knows what he's doing, but then I remember-Gabriel used to be a medical student before he dropped out. He said he couldn't handle the pressure. He was forced into studying medicine by his father and, when he defied him, he was disowned. Eventually, Gabriel went back to school and graduated with first-class honors in Economics.

"He's got a pulse, alright, but he's not breathing. I need to administer CPR," Gabriel says. He doesn't wait for a response before starting the procedure. He tries a few times with no result. I feel like I'm about to lose it-until Gabriel breathes into my father one more time, and my dad starts coughing.

"Take it easy, sir. An ambulance is on its way. I'm going to apply a bit of pressure to your head to slow the bleeding, but I need you to stay still. There's a possibility of internal hemorrhage, so try your best not to move too much. Sandra, can you get me a clean cloth from my office? I need to place his head on a softer surface," Gabriel says in a calm tone. It's amazing how composed he is in a situation like this.

"Alright, boss," Sandra responds and dashes toward the Tavern. Gabriel gently applies pressure to my dad's head in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Sandra returns a minute later with a cloth and places it under my father's head. Within a couple of minutes, Gabriel manages to administer first aid.

"You have to stay calm, April. Everything is going to be fine. I've done what I can. Now we just need to pray the ambulance gets here in time," Gabriel says as he grabs my hand and squeezes it. Before I can respond, I hear a distant siren-the ambulance is here.

They park near the Tavern as paramedics rush out with a stretcher.

"We'll take it from here, ma'am," one of the paramedics says as he and others carefully place my father on the stretcher and wheel him toward the ambulance.

"Please tell the doctors there's a high possibility of internal hemorrhage. He'll probably need surgery," Gabriel tells one of the paramedics. The man nods before moving toward the ambulance. I follow them and wave at Gabriel and Sandra before the door closes.

We arrive at the hospital in less than twelve minutes, and the paramedics wheel my father into the intensive care unit. I call my mother and explain everything that's happened. She begins to sob on the phone, and I try to reassure her that her husband is already receiving treatment.

"I'll be there soon," she says, still crying. She and Samantha arrive about thirty minutes later. Mum looks completely defeated, and Samantha looks like she's been crying for hours.

"Has there been any update?" Mum asks.

"No, no one has said anything since they took him in. But I'm sure everything will be fine, Mum," I reply weakly, trying to reassure both her and myself.

A doctor walks out of the ICU, looking frustrated, and my mum and I rush toward him.

"Are you the family of Mr. Miller?" the doctor asks wearily.

"Yes, sir. I'm his wife," Mum responds quickly.

"I hate being the bearer of bad news, but I'm sorry, Mrs. Miller. We did everything we could to save your husband, but he had already lost too much blood. He went into hypovolemic shock, and we couldn't bring him back. I'm very sorry for your loss," the doctor says solemnly before walking away.

My mum screams in agony before collapsing to the floor.