The Heart That Waited

At the highway toll station, I stared nervously at my phone.

The heart in the box would fail if not transplanted into the patient within half an hour.

Driver Bob leaned close to the toll collector's ear and whispered something.

Instantly, the toll collector's expression changed.

Get out. Open the box. Inspection.

She pointed at the box containing the donated heart, and my own heart skipped a beat.

"Sir, I can't open it. This contains"

Bob cut me off. "That's a heart. Evidence of her murder."

"No, this was donated by a patient. I'm a doctor."

The toll collector pressed 911, and I was forced to the ground. They seized the box.

At this moment, only 29 minutes remained before this heart would fail.

The boy in bed 18 had been waiting for this heart for half a year.

Today, he'd finally received good news.

The director sent me to the neighboring city to retrieve the heart.

This heart was originally donated to a patient in the neighboring city.

But the previous patient temporarily didn't meet surgical requirements.

The heart was urgently reassigned to our hospital.

"Remember, be quick. Otherwise the heart will fail."

I memorized that instruction and followed the ambulance driver to retrieve the heart.

Before we even got on the highway, the ambulance suddenly had a blowout.

Bob took me onto a tightly sealed minibus.

Getting off the highway, I kept my eyes glued to my phone.

Fifteen minutes' drive remained to reach the hospital.

That boy would be saved.

But Bob leaned close to the toll collector's ear, saying something in a low voice.

The toll collector's expression changed instantly.

She quickly walked to the back window and barked an order at me.

"Get out. Open the box. Inspection."

She pointed at the box containing the donated heart, and my heart skipped a beat.

I clutched the box tightly, my face showing difficulty.

"I can't open it. This contains"

Bob interrupted me. "See? I told you. She definitely won't let you open it. That's a heart. Evidence of her murder."

I stared at him in shock, not understanding why he would say something so absurd.

"No, this was donated by a patient. I'm a doctor."

The toll collector heard me admit the box contained a heart.

Instantly, she forced me to the ground and seized the box from my arms.

"Don't open it! Once you open it, this heart will be ruined."

The toll collector's hand paused.

I pulled out my always-carried ID. "Doctor from City Central Hospital. Wesker."

Bob snatched the ID. "Fake. How hard is it to get a fake ID? Don't let her fool you."

"If this murderer escapes with stolen goods from your station, you'll all be held responsible."

I stared at him intently. "Bob, what are you talking about? You know someone at the hospital is waiting to be saved."

He pointed at the temporarily switched minibus and opened a news link.

"See? This type of vehicle is perfect for murder. If you don't believe me, have the police come investigate."

Only then did I realize why Bob had suddenly insisted on switching vehicles.

He'd planned this all along.

But right now, saving a life was urgent.

I quickly explained. "I really am a doctor from City Hospital. This heart was donated by a patient. It's about to fail. Can you let me deliver the heart to the hospital, then investigate?"

"You believe her? Let her go, and you think she'll come back?"

"She says it was donated? Make her show proof."

The toll collector extended her hand. "Where's the proof? Show it. If you can prove it's real, we'll let you go immediately."

Because it was a temporary reassignment, none of the paperwork was ready yet.

"I don't have the paperwork. The hospital is processing it."

"Once it's ready, I'll definitely bring it to you."

Bob looked at the toll collector. "She doesn't even have proof. Do you believe she's a doctor, or believe me that she's a murderer?"

I stared at Bob angrily.

"Bob, that's a human life. You've seen that boy. When you drove the ambulance, he always greeted you. How dare you falsely accuse me?"

His eyes reddened. "Precisely because I've seen that boy, I can't bear to let him die without understanding why. He's only in his teens. You killed him."

"Bullshit! This is false accusation. It's illegal. You'll go to prison."

"Explain quickly. That child can't wait."

Time passed second by second. I was frantic with anxiety.

"I'm not afraid of your threats. For that child's sake, I can't let you go."

"Since you refuse to repent, I'll have to present evidence."

In the dim footage, it was inside this very vehicle.

I looked like a demon, pulling out that heart and placing it in the box.

"I secretly filmed this to report her."

The toll collector's face went deathly pale, her lips trembling.

"It's fake. This video is AI-generated."

"If you're a doctor, why didn't you come out in an ambulance?"

The toll collector seemed to think of something key, asking me hoarsely.

"When we left the hospital, it was an ambulance. He was the driver. But midway the tire blew out, so we temporarily switched vehicles."

"If you don't believe me, you can call the donation center to ask."

I dialed the donation center's number.

"Hello! May I ask if a patient donated a heart today?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, I breathed a sigh of relief.

This phone number clearly showed the donation center's name. Bob couldn't claim I was faking it.

"Which hospital received it?"

Bob raised his voice to ask.

"City Second People's Hospital. It was delivered early this morning."

After the brief female voice fell silent, the toll collector compared my ID.

"You're lying. This is a fake ID."

I quickly explained. "Because the paperwork is being processed, the donation center doesn't know the heart was temporarily reassigned to First People's Hospital."

I suddenly remembered the box had a serial number.

"Ask them the serial number on the box."

One digit at a time was read out.

When the last digit was read, the toll collector looked at that blurry number.

"The last digit isn't clear. Is this an 8?"

"No, this box didn't come from us."

After the cold female voice disappeared, I saw the triumphant smile on Bob's face.

When I was receiving the box, I was signing the transfer form.

The box was in his hands. He probably tampered with it then.

"See? That heart was delivered to Second People's Hospital. This box is fake. She's a murderer."

The toll collector's expression grew worse.

"Officer, where are you now? A heart was found in the vehicle. The vehicle is suspected to be a murder scene."

"The person is detained. Please come investigate quickly."

Twenty minutes remained. After twenty minutes passed...

That heart capable of saving a life would stop beating.

My brain raced, thinking of solutions.

At that moment, the phone rang.

Seeing the notification "Department Director," my heart leaped with excitement.

Now, there was hope.

"Wesker, where are you? Don't you know the hospital urgently needs that heart? What's going on?"

Hearing the department director's questioning voice felt like hearing heavenly music.

"Director, I've been detained at the highway toll station."

"What? Who dares detain an ambulance?"

"There was an accident. When we got on the highway, we weren't in an ambulance."

"Bob. He's accusing me of being a murderer."

I quickly explained everything that had happened.

The department director raised his voice. "Put the toll station staff on the phone."

"Hello! I'm the director of the transplant department at First People's Hospital. That heart is urgently needed. We're processing the paperwork."

"Can you be flexible and let her deliver the heart first? In 18 minutes, the heart will fail."

The toll collector remained silent.

"Don't believe her. It's a scam. She's in on it."

Bob roared.

"She can't provide any proof. She can't prove where this heart came from at all."

The department director recognized Bob's voice. "Bob, why exactly are you reporting Wesker?"

"How about thisyou detain Wesker, and you find someone to accompany Bob to deliver the heart to the hospital first."

Only 16 minutes remained.

I nodded quickly. "No problem. I'm willing to wait here."

As long as the heart could be delivered to the hospital in time, I was willing to wait here for investigation.

"No way. The heart is evidence."

"They murdered for this heart. Don't fall for it."

Bob desperately blocked them, making the toll collector, who had been wavering, stop in her tracks.

"The police are coming soon. As soon as we investigate clearly, I'll let her go."

"Snap." The phone was hung up.

"This is a human lifetwo human lives. If it's delayed, no one can bear that responsibility."

Not wanting this heart to fail, I pleaded desperately.

"Or detain both of us, and you find someone to deliver it."

The toll collector stopped paying attention to me, clutching that box tightly.

I prayed. I prayed for the police to arrive quickly.

When I heard the siren, I glanced at my phone.

Thirteen minutes remained.

My phone flashed twice. It was a Twitter message from the department director.

"Please look. This must be the processed paperwork sent by the hospital."

The toll collector impatiently opened her phone.

I snatched it. "This is all the paperwork. Everything's complete."

"This is the patient's donation consent form. This is the declaration signed when the Second Hospital patient gave up transplantation. This is our hospital's heart transfer consent form."

The toll collector carefully examined each document.

"Looks correct to me. Maybe we should let her go."

Hearing this, I quickly straightened up, ready to depart at any moment.

Though time was tight, with a police car escort we could still make it.

"No. All these documents can be forged. Don't fall for it."

To convince the toll collector, Bob opened ChatGPT and entered commands.

Soon, documents identical to those on the phone appeared.

"AI is so powerful. It can generate anything instantly. Don't let her fool you."

Looking at the identical documents, the toll collector grew troubled.

"The police are coming anyway. Wait a bit longer. Once the investigation's done, you can leave."

I watched the approaching police with a heart like dead ashes.

These dozen-plus minutesI could wait, but the heart in that box couldn't.

The boy who'd spent five years in a hospital bed sustained by machines couldn't wait.

"Who made the report?"

Bob stepped forward. "Me. I'm reporting her for murder. The box contains a heart. It's evidence."

"This vehicle is the crime scene."

I stepped forward quickly, explaining at the fastest speed.

"Ma'am, after we inspect the vehicle, if we can rule out suspicion, we'll take you to the hospital."

"Fine! Please hurry. That's a human life."

Even though Bob had switched vehicles, I'd only been sitting in the car for an hour holding the box.

How could it be connected to a murder scene?

"Captain, come look at this."

The team leader took one look and kicked me down.

"Cuff her. Take her away."

"Why are you arresting me? Have you made a mistake?"

The team leader looked at me. "Made a mistake? See for yourself. The car is full of blood traces."

Looking at the glowing luminol, I was shocked.

I stood there stunned. "Impossible. I only sat in the car for a while. How could I have murdered anyone?"

"I'm begging you, contact the hospital again."

"Even if you arrest me, can you please deliver the heart to the hospital first?"

His brow furrowed tightly.

"That child has been waiting for this heart for years. In just over ten minutes, the heart will fail."

I took the opportunity to call the director.

"Wesker, I sent you the paperwork. Why haven't you arrived yet?"

"Director, this is Police Captain Brown. Talk to him."

The director's tone was anxious as he explained to Captain Brown.

"Captain Brown, we've already sent someone to the toll station. Can you give the heart to our staff first, and have Wesker cooperate with your investigation?"

Bob shouted. "The crime scene has been discovered. You want to let her go?"

"I told you, she murdered for this heart."

"If you let her go and this heart disappears, you'll all pay for it."

Bob's categorical words frightened the police.

"I'm sorry. This heart is the most important evidence in this case."

"Until we confirm where the blood in the car came from, this heart cannot leave police supervision."

The director was about to plead when a nurse's shout came through the background noise.

"Director, bed 18's heart has stopped. Resuscitation needed."

The call ended abruptly. I glanced at the time. Only five minutes remained.

No way to reach the hospital now. This heart was wasted.

I hoped bed 18 could be resuscitated.

In the police car, Bob sat next to me.

As the informant, he endlessly fabricated facts that didn't exist.

Ding. Twitter popped up a message.

"Wesker, the patient in bed 18 has died. That heart failed. The hospital wrote it off."

My chest felt like it had taken a hammer blow. I struggled to breathe deeply.

"Wait at the police station to cooperate with the investigation. The hospital has already sent someone."

Bed 18 was young. He had such a good chance of survival.

But because of Bob's baseless false accusation, he lost his chance at rebirth.

I stared at Bob furiously. "Why did you lie? Why did you falsely accuse me?"

"Lie? False accusation? The police found massive blood traces in the car."

"You're the murderer."

"You know best whether I killed anyone. Bed 18 is gone."

Hearing this, his eyes moved rapidly.

"He deserved it. That heart didn't belong to him in the first place."

I didn't understand. Usually he was kind. He treated bed 18 well.

Every day he brought bed 18 fresh things from outside.

Today, he'd also volunteered to come with me to retrieve the heart.

How could he suddenly report me?

How did those inexplicable blood traces appear in the car?