A few minutes ago... 

The sound of sirens woke Hitomi up. She opened her eyes and she saw nothing but darkness. What happened? Where am I? Why is it so dark? Where's my phone? Was I able to send my reply to the company?

She was moving her head to the side to look for her phone when she felt a sharp jolt of pain from the top of her head. It was so painful that she couldn't open her eyes. She reached for the place where the pain came from and it felt wet. I'm bleeding. It ing hurts. What the hell happened? But hey, I can move my arms so that's great. Now let's try the legs...

Oh no.

No. 

No. 

Maybe it's just a dream...

Or maybe... I'm dead... 

Wait, are those footsteps? 

Help me. Please. 

Hitomi opened her eyes again and saw a bright light coming closer to where she was. As the light came closer, she could make out a face behind the light. She was pretty, too pretty for this world. If anyone asked her right now, this woman was like a fairy. No, not a fairy but an angel.

Hitomi suddenly froze. What if she IS an angel? Then does that mean... I'm dead? 

She saw the mysterious woman's hand reach out to her, which scared her even more. Not today. Not when I just got my dream job. Not when I just got a purpose in my life.

Hitomi grabbed the mysterious arm and asked, "Are you my angel?"

------------

Chaewon was surprised and relieved at the same time when she heard the question. She's alive! That's good. She instinctively reached for her radio and reported to Eunbi, "Eunbi-unnie, she's alive. I need help. She's female, early twenties. I'm going to look at possible injuries and see if I can pull her out." Eunbi replied that she's on her way, which is exactly what Chaewon needed to hear.

"Am I... dead?" the girl asked with a faint voice and a hint of confusion.

"No, dummy. You're alive and believe me, I'm no angel. My name's Chaewon. Let me do my job if you want to live, " replied Chaewon. Chaewon wasn't good with conversations, especially with the patients. It didn't help that she was on her stomach looking for injuries with a small flashlight underneath a truck.

Chaewon took a look at her head first. She got a nasty cut on her head, which could have been worse given the circumstances. As the flashlight makes its way down her face, Chaewon stopped and admired the girl's face again. She had really chubby cheeks, so chubby that Chaewon had a hard time stopping herself from pinching them (that would be really inappropriate!). What stood out to her was the girl's eyes. Her gaze was a mix of worry and pain, but full of hope. Geez, Chaewon. You're here to work.

"Hey... Umm... I... Can't feel my leg." 

It didn't take long before Chaewon saw the big problem. The girl's left leg was stuck underneath the wheels of the truck. What made things worse was those were the same wheels that blew out, which meant that her leg is pinned down by most of the semi's weight.

Chaewon reached for her radio and said, "Eunbi-unnie. We got a problem..."

-------

Eunbi arrived at the truck crash site after listening to Chaewon's report. From the outside, she could see a part of the girl's leg and the terrible state that it's in. The firemen had already arrived and was setting up their equipment. Even if they hurry, it will still take 15-20 minutes to lift the weight off the girl's leg and drag her out of there. But that's the easy part. The hard parts are keeping the girl alive until then and during her transport to the ER.

"Chaewon, listen to me. The firemen are on their way. They said it would take 15-20 minutes to lift the weight of the semi. You know what that means, right?" said Eunbi through the radio.

Chaewon knew what it meant. This was exactly how her first DOA happened. When high pressure is applied to any body part for a long period of time, it might lead to compartment syndrome. To avoid this, she needs to keep the patient awake until the weight is lifted. This way, she can monitor if the blood is still circulating. Once the weight is lifted, they should quickly transport her with minimal movement so the built up toxins in her body will not spread as much.

"Yes unnie, but how do I keep her awake?" Chaewon said in reply. She already knew the answer, but she was still hoping that Eunbi would give another one.

Alas, Eunbi answered, "Talk to her. Strike up a conversation. It's not that hard to talk for 20 minutes. Just do it."

Here goes nothing. But somehow, she's looking forward to talking to the cute girl.