Lightning flashes and thunder roars as the gloomy, dark sky pours everything out as if it’s crying. The lightning and thunder alone could terrify children to hide behind their blankets, and dogs under tables let alone the rain. But for Terry, the horrible weather was not his biggest concern alone.
No. Why would he worry about some lightning, thunder, or rain when he got a bigger problem on his hand? Could there be a bigger problem than being trapped inside the wreckage of his car while bleeding profusely from his injuries?
Of course, there wasn’t…
But that’s exactly the dilemma that Terry was currently in. While traveling to the next city where his parents lived, he lost control of his car which caused it to veer off the road, slide down the hill, before finally crashing into a large tree.
Although Terry miraculously survived the accident, he was trapped inside his car when it crashed front first into a tree.
“…It must be terrible to look at. Good thing I couldn’t see the extent of my injury or I might have fallen into despair already,” Terry said to himself as he helplessly stared at his lower body that was trapped in the wreckage.
Just by looking at the state of the wreckage, Terry could tell that his legs didn’t fare any better.
“Why did I insist on riding through the storm?”
Terry couldn’t help but blame himself for the accident. He could have been back in his flat, all dry and warm if he didn’t insist on visiting his parents’ home. He’s quite certain that his parents wouldn’t blame him if he couldn’t attend their 25th wedding anniversary.
“No. I owned them too much for failing to turn up for five whole years.”
Due to his work and other various circumstances, Terry had failed to visit his parents for five whole years despite the fact that there’s just a 4 hour difference between the two cities. He had missed his parents’ anniversaries, birthdays, and even failed to visit during the holidays during those years. As such, Terry was feeling a great deal of guilt and insisted on going despite the horrible weather.
“Not good… I’m feeling really nauseous. Also, my vision is getting blurry. Am I losing blood?”
Terry felt his surroundings spinning, and vision blurring – a sign that he’s losing a lot of blood. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell how much blood he’s losing due to the fact that he couldn’t see his lower body coupled with the fact that even the smallest movement was enough to give him intense pain.
“The pain wasn’t so bad earlier… Did the adrenaline wear off?”
The adrenaline rush had kept the pain a bit bearable earlier but now that it’s starting to wear off; Terry could feel the excruciating pain setting in.
“I’m going to die, aren’t I?”
Terry wasn’t being pessimistic when he asked that question. While driving earlier, Terry could count the number of vehicles he had encountered on the road to the next city with the fingers in his two hands. As such there’s very little chance that someone saw his car sliding down the hill. And coupled with the weather, the chance of him being rescued was abysmally small.
“Mom… dad… I’m sorry.”
Tears started falling from Terry’s eyes. He remembered his mother’s joyful voice through the phone when she heard that he’ll be visiting to celebrate their anniversary with them. But from the looks of it he’ll be breaking the promise he’d made with his parents again.
As time trickles down, so does Terry’s vitality. Despite his best effort, staying awake was becoming increasingly difficult. His eyelids felt so heavy that it’s starting to close on its own.
“No… I must stay awake. If I close my eyes, I would die…”
Terry uses every ounce of his willpower to stay awake. He wanted to live. He wanted to meet his parents again – to apologize for being selfish – for being a terrible son. Although Terry’s will to live was very strong his body could no longer hold on… and he lost consciousness and succumbed to the sweet embrace of darkness.
Before he lost consciousness though, Terry thought he had heard voices…
“……………”
“...hurry!”
“… over There!”
It’s been a month since Terry’s vehicular accident. Terry, who was sure that he would die, miraculously survived the accident thanks to the timely arrival of the rescuers who were alerted by another driver who just happened to have witnessed the accident.
Apparently, there was another vehicle not too far behind Terry’s car before the accident happened. But since Terry was not paying attention to what's behind him, he failed to notice the presence of another vehicle. As such when Terry lost control and veered down the hill; the driver of that vehicle saw everything and quickly called 911.
Terry was unconscious for three days due to blood loss and injuries that he sustained in the accident, and was only able to gain consciousness on the fourth day.
And when he finally woke up from his coma, it was his parents that welcomed him first. Moreover, during his days in the hospital, his parents, especially his mother was always by his side taking care of all his needs.
Even till this day, Terry could not believe that he survived such a horrible crash. With all of the elements against him that day, Terry’s survival could be said to be the work of God.
That being said, although Terry survived didn’t escape the accident unscathed. He suffered countless broken bones all over his body. His legs were especially in a bad shape after suffering the most damage. Even after a month of recuperation, Terry could only use a wheelchair to move around.
Luckily for him though, there’s still hope for his legs. His doctor assured him that he could use his legs again after several more surgeries and months of therapy.
Injuries aside, Terry was just glad to be alive. He promised himself that he’ll use the second chance given to him to make himself a better son to his parents and a better person overall.
