Chapter 1

As the night went on, rain poured down hard.

Lightning flickered through the window, ready to zap anything in sight.

In the darkness, a young woman hugged her baby tight, as tears rolled down her face.

Even with the thunder booming all around, Ellie Bishop stayed calm and fearless.

All she could think about was her son who was burning with a high fever.

She had already fed her son the fever medicine given by the midwife, but it hadn't brought down his temperature.

“Nick?”

Ellie held back her tears while hugging her pale baby. Every few minutes, she would place her index finger under her son's nose to ensure he was still breathing.

She called her husband repeatedly, but he didn't pick up.

Most of her neighbors were out for the weekend, spending time with their families.

Her residential area was remote, far from bustling activity. On either side of the road, dense forests stretched endlessly.

To make matters worse, her husband had recently swapped her smart phone to an old model from the 2000s, leaving her unable to call for an Uber.

After thinking for a moment, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a used plastic bag she had saved. Thankfully, she found a large plastic bag. She cut the front part to the size of the baby's face and then placed the baby inside the bag.

She crafted an emergency raincoat for her son.

"Hang in there, dear Nick. We’re going to the hospital now. You'll be fine," Ellie said again, her lips trembling.

Ignoring her soaking wet, shivering body, she ran as fast as she could.

But before she could spot a clinic or hospital, her steps came to an abrupt halt as a sharp pain pierced her foot, as if something had lodged itself in it.

Thankfully, Nick remained securely in her grasp.

She noticed a long nail embedded in her foot.

Enduring the intense pain, she tried to pull out the nail.

Ellie could see that Nick's face had turned blue.

She forced her body to run again, and finally, she saw the hospital.

"Help!" she screamed as loudly as possible upon reaching the reception.

A nurse who saw her immediately approached. "What's the matter, ma'am?"

"Please save my son. His body is burning up. He had a seizure earlier." Ellie said, crying.

The nurse immediately took Nick from Ellie’s arms and rushed to the emergency room.

She also tried to contact the doctor.

The incident caught the attention of several patients. They even gazed sympathetically at Ellie and her baby, who was wrapped in a large plastic bag with only his face exposed.

"Nurse, how is my baby doing?" she asked.

Ellie cried incessantly. She didn't even feel the intense pain in her foot.

"Just a moment, ma'am, the doctor will be here soon," said the nurse, looking at Ellie's drenched body and blue lips.

Not long after, a male young doctor finally entered and examined the unconscious baby.

He was shocked when he felt the child's cold hands and feet.

"Administer the IV and oxygen," The doctor ordered swiftly.

The medication flowed through the attached IV tube.

Oddly, the doctor's expression remained unsatisfied.

"Call Dr. Robert," the young doctor commanded the nurse, who struggled to maintain her composure.

Both of them knew the baby's condition was extremely critical. They needed to hand him over to a pediatric specialist.

"Doctor, my son is going to be okay, right?" sensing something was amiss, Ellie asked.

However, the doctor responded calmly, "Let's wait for the pediatrician to arrive."

Nevertheless, the doctor was taken aback when he noticed the condition of the patient's mother.

"How did you get here, ma'am?" he asked.

"I walked," Ellie replied.

The doctor furrowed his brow upon hearing the young mother's response. "Where is your home located?"

Ellie quickly explained her residence to the young doctor, who was focused on examining Nick's condition. The doctor was stunned upon hearing the patient's mother's explanation.

"If your son's condition is like this, why didn't you get an Uber?"

The question clearly made Ellie cry. "I can't," she replied.

"Are you out of data?" the doctor asked again. Despite his curiosity, it was important to calm the mother who seemed very panicked. At least by chatting like this, the mother could feel a bit more at ease.

Instead of answering, Ellie took something out of the pocket of her skirt.

The doctor watched what the woman was holding. His brow furrowed as he saw her pull out a wallet and a phone from the plastic bag.

"I don't have the app because this phone can't download it," she said.

The outdated phone shocked the doctor. In an era of advancing technology, it seemed so sad and out-of-place that the woman didn't have a smartphone. The doctor thought about how many benefits and important uses a smartphone had. Nonetheless, he kept these thoughts to himself.

"Where is the baby's father?"

Now, a curious nurse asked the question.

"I don't know," Ellie responded again. It had been four days since her husband had come home. He hadn't even replied to the messages Ellie had sent, including her plea earlier.

The young doctor silently gazed at Ellie.

However, his eyes shifted to her foot. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He immediately ordered the nurse to examine it.

Unfortunately, Ellie refused. "I'm fine, doctor, please save my child."

"Your child is being taken care of. It's best for you to sit down so we can examine and treat your foot," the doctor explained.

"My foot is fine, doctor. I just stepped on a nail."

Again, Ellie refused. She was actually worried that the money she had wouldn't be enough to cover her son's medical expenses if she had to pay for her foot treatment as well.

"I will check, ma'am," said the nurse, gently forcing Ellie to sit on the bed next to her baby.

Ellie finally remained silent and complied. She sat on the bed, allowing the nurse to examine her painful, throbbing foot.

"Doctor, the nail is still embedded in her foot, and it can't be removed," the nurse said.

The doctor then approached Ellie and examined the nail embedded in her foot.

Just seeing this gave the doctor chills. He could only imagine the pain she was enduring. Her foot had even turned blue. Despite her condition, this young mother still managed to bring her son to the hospital. It was truly heartbreaking.

After attending to the baby, the doctor turned his attention to the young mother, who was pale with blue lips and shivering. The doctor felt a deep sense of concern for both the baby and the mother.

Ellie's foot was numbed with an anesthetic injection. Once the anesthetic took effect, the young doctor used a tool similar to pliers to remove the nail.

"The nail is very long, and it's also rusty."

The doctor showed the nail, covered in a red liquid.

Once the nail was removed, blood began to flow from her punctured foot.

However, Ellie remained silent, staring at the nail in the doctor's hand. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her son.

At the same moment, another doctor entered the emergency room. "Is this the baby?"

"Yes, doctor," the nurse replied.

The doctor immediately checked the patient's notes and then examined the baby's heartbeat.

A quiet sigh escaped the doctor's lips. "Take the baby directly to the NICU."

Ellie felt her heart begin to race even faster after hearing the doctor’s words.

"How is my baby, doctor?" she asked with trembling lips.

"Let’s hope for the best," the doctor said before leaving the room.

Ellie, who had just received treatment, quickly followed the doctor who was caring for her baby.

However, a nurse stopped her in front of the NICU. "Please wait here, ma'am."

"But my baby?" Ellie cried, covering her mouth.

"Ma'am, please wait here so the doctor can properly handle the situation," the nurse said.

After saying that, the nurse entered the room.

Ellie stood still, staring at the tightly closed door. She wanted to peek inside, but unfortunately, there was no gap to do so.

Ellie waited for a long time outside the NICU. She was anxious to know the condition of her baby. When she finally saw the doctor coming out of the room, she felt a sense of relief, hoping for good news.

However, her hopes were dashed.

As soon as the doctor came out, he delivered news that left Ellie devastated.

"The baby's condition is critical. He has been unconscious for the past two hours," the doctor explained.

Ellie suddenly staggered and fell backward. Thankfully, the doctor swiftly caught her frail body.

"Doctor, please save my son. I don't want him to die," Ellie cried, gripping the doctor's hand tightly.

It made the doctor reluctantly disclose the full extent of the baby's dire condition.

"We will do our best. Where is the father? I would like to speak with him," the man in front of Ellie said again.

"He can't be reached."

Dr. Robert furrowed his brow. He was about to ask another question, but a nurse suddenly came out of the NICU in a panic.

"Doctor, the patient's condition is getting worse!"