7 Minutes

Chapter 2 : The weight of 7 minutes

Seven minutes. That's all it took for their lives to be turned upside down. Emma's heart pounded with a frantic rhythm as she counted each agonizing tick of the clock. Seven minutes since the crash, yet it felt like an eternity as they waited for help to arrive.

Beside her, Derik lay motionless, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Seven minutes. That's all it took for their world to come crashing down around them.

August whimpered softly, her small hand clutching Emma's with a desperation born of fear. Seven minutes. That's how long it took for the reality of their situation to sink in.

With trembling hands, Emma reached for her phone, the screen illuminating the darkness with a harsh glare. Seven digits. Each one a lifeline in the darkness, a beacon of hope amidst the chaos.

"911, what's your emergency?" The dispatcher's voice crackled through the line, cutting through the silence like a knife.

"We've been in a car accident," Emma managed to choke out, her voice thick with emotion. "My husband... he's not responding."

The dispatcher's voice was calm and reassuring as they walked Emma through the steps to assess Derik's condition. Seven breaths. That's how long it took for Emma to count the rise and fall of Derik's chest, each one a prayer for his survival.

Minutes stretched into hours as they waited for the ambulance to arrive, every passing moment feeling like an eternity. Seven minutes. And in the stillness of the hospital room, the weight of those seven minutes hung heavy in the air, a reminder of how quickly life can change, and how precious every moment truly is.

Days turned into weeks, and as Derik's condition stayed the same, Emma found herself clinging to the hope that their lives would one day return to normal. Yet, she couldn't shake the lingering fear that lingered in the shadows, a constant reminder of how fragile their existence truly was.