Chapter 123 - 115: Dawn
And beneath her, shielded by her body, was Xiaoya in her school uniform.
Xiaoya’s face was smeared with tears and blood. She lifted her head, and in the beam of the searchlight, she saw who it was.
"Dad... Dad! Please, save Mom! She’s bleeding so much, and she’s not moving..."
Old Zhao shouted from outside, "Squad Leader, the spreader won’t move! The chassis is completely stuck!"
Li Cheng’s hands were trembling.
In that moment, he wasn’t a first responder. He was just a father, a husband...
But the next second, he knew he had to save them first.
’I have to stay calm.’
He turned and roared, "Old Zhao, switch to the hydraulic cutters! Cut the support pillar next to it! Xiaoliu, get a strut over here and brace it from below!"
He turned back and looked into his daughter’s eyes. "Xiaoya, don’t move. Don’t be scared. Dad’s here."
The steel groaned.
The pillar was cut.
The strut created a small opening.
Li Cheng reached in and tried to pull.
Wu Wanning’s lower body was completely pinned by the twisted frame of the seat, a broken metal armrest jammed deep into her right side.
"We can’t just pull her!" Li Cheng assessed the injury and yelled back. "Cut the bolts on this row of seats! We’ll move her and the seat out together as one unit!"
Two minutes later, the seat was cut free.
Li Cheng and two other team members worked together to lift Wu Wanning out of the vehicle and onto a stretcher.
Xiaoya followed close behind, her voice hoarse from crying.
The paramedics rushed over.
"Severe crush injuries! Possible massive internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity! Get her to Affiliated Hospital No. 1, now!" The paramedic made a quick assessment and ordered the nurses to push her toward the ambulance.
Xiaoya tugged on Li Cheng’s sleeve. "Dad, I’m scared..."
Li Cheng knelt down and hugged his daughter, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
But he still said, "It’s okay. It’s okay."
Just then, the voice of Squad Two’s leader crackled over the radio: "Li Cheng! A truck is pinning a car, and the fuel leak is getting worse! The car doors are warped shut, and there are two people inside! We need backup!"
Li Cheng froze on the spot.
Water ran down his cheeks, and it was impossible to tell if it was rain or tears.
"Xiaoya, listen to the doctors. Take care of your mom."
Li Cheng helped his daughter into the ambulance, then turned around.
"Old Zhao, grab the tools and follow me!"
He didn’t look back.
Because he knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to take another step.
Behind him, the ambulance siren wailed and quickly faded into the distance.
Carrying the hydraulic cutters, Li Cheng charged toward the leaking truck.
「...」
「2:45 AM.」
Southern Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, emergency room lobby.
A man in a firefighter’s turnout gear walked in.
The man stood in the center of the lobby, his gaze sweeping over the corridors and hospital beds.
Finally, on a bench in the corner of the observation area, he saw Xiaoya.
She was wrapped in a hospital blanket, holding a cup of hot water, her eyes staring blankly at the floor.
The man stopped in front of the girl.
Xiaoya looked up.
The moment she saw him, the paper cup in her hands fell to the floor, water splashing everywhere.
"Dad..."
She shot up and threw herself at him.
Li Cheng opened his arms and pulled his daughter into his embrace.
He held her tight. So tight.
Xiaoya said, crying:
"Dad... I argued with Mom... in the car."
"I told her I hated her. I said I never wanted to see her again."
"Right after I said it, the car crashed. Is it all my fault? Is it because I said those things...?"
By the end, the girl was sobbing uncontrollably.
Li Cheng’s throat was a little hoarse.
He was incredibly worried himself.
But as a father, he had to at least pretend to be calm.
Li Cheng lowered his head, resting his chin on his daughter’s forehead.
"Xiaoya, when your mom gave birth to you, she was in labor for a day and a night. She told me back then that as long as you were okay in this life, she’d be willing to do anything."
"What’s a little argument? Every family argues."
"Your mom doesn’t blame you, and you can’t blame yourself. You being okay right now is the best comfort you can give her, understand?"
Xiaoya bit her lip, her eyes filled with fear.
"Dad, will Mom...?"
"No."
Although his own hands were trembling, Li Cheng’s voice was firm.
"This New Year, we’re all going back to our hometown to make pickled cabbage and pork dumplings together. Don’t worry."
A nurse walked over, holding a paper cup.
Steam rose from the cup.
The nurse handed him the water and said softly, "Sir, have some water. Thank you for your hard work."
Li Cheng was taken aback for a moment, accepting the cup with both hands. "Thank you. It’s not hard work. It’s just what we do."
The nurse shook her head. "I just heard from the ambulance driver. He said the situation on the Ring City Expressway was complicated, that your squad literally had to climb in there while carrying all your equipment. Without you guys, this ER would have twice as many black tags today."
As soon as the nurse finished speaking,
several patients with minor injuries in the waiting area all got to their feet.
A middle-aged man with his arm wrapped in thick bandages looked at the firefighter’s uniform on Li Cheng, his voice choked with emotion.
"Chief, I was the driver of the truck that rear-ended the other one. Your men pulled me out of that crushed cab, and I haven’t had a chance to say thank you yet."
As he spoke, the man bent at the waist and bowed deeply.
Nearby, a young woman holding a child also stood up, looking at Li Cheng with red-rimmed eyes.
Everyone present had a deep-seated respect for the orange and yellow uniform, for the profession it represented.
Li Cheng felt a bit awkward.
He held the hot water, unsure how to respond.
Xiaoya sat to the side.
Watching everything unfold, dazed.
For fifteen years, she had complained countless times.
She’d complained about her father missing her parent-teacher conferences, about him always taking a sudden call and running out the door on weekends, about him even breaking his promise to be there for her fifteenth birthday.