Short story..

Rain pummelled the windscreen as he drove down the winding mountain roads at deadly speed. The trees at the roadside were trees no more, but a dizzying blur of green lining his peripheral vision. Occasional fleeting glances of passing cars were often accompanied by a muffled sound of car horns. He certainly was going too fast, and probably putting other people at risk, but time was of essence.

"Oh Lord, please. Please let me get there in time, Lord. Please. I need to be there with her." He repeated inaudibly under his breath, silently hoping for a miracle from God above. He knew there was little hope for him to get there in time, but what was he to do? He could only do his best and nothing else, and he felt entirely helpless then. He stepped on the gas pedal as hard as he could and sped on, the roar of the car's engine filling his ears.

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Somewhere not too far away, a woman lay on a hospital bed, suffering from severe injuries inherited from a traffic accident not too long ago. Her family gathered around her, positively emanating sorrow and noisy with the sound of weeping. Her mother wailed endlessly, blaming every single thing possible for her plight, even God.

She knew they loved her, yes, but no one in that room loved her enough and she was sure of it. They would forget her existence after some time. The pain, both physically and spiritually, was unbearable. Maybe it would not be such a bad thing to die after all. She would be in heaven. She would be in Paradise.

There was one person she wanted to see for one last time though...

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His thoughts ran astray as he continued speeding down the road. What if he wasn't there when she needed it most? What if he was too late? The thoughts came in a flurry, giving him no rest from perpetual worry. What would life be like without her around? Would he still be able to carry on?

He snaked through the mild traffic and blazed past every single vehicle on the road. There still was some hope left.

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She could feel the end coming. Death was so near she could feel Him somewhere around in the room; trudging warily about and getting ready to pounce when the time came. Fear gripped her like an iron vice. No, please, no. I want to see him again before I die. God, please.

For a moment it felt like heaven was so near. All the pain was gone, and Death was there no more. Evil thoughts ceased to exist within her, and she suddenly felt so...

Alive.

A jolt of pain brought her back into the room filled with the sounds of sorrow and the moans of melancholy. She began gasping in pain, and the people around cringed in fear. Every gasp cut them in the heart and every jerk in pain scarred them emotionally.

She could feel that pain, and how she wished that he would never see her in such a pathetic state.

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The hospital was not too far away now. No one had called with bad news so there was still hope. Things looked much more hopeful now that he was getting closer to his destination, and he proceeded to speed up further.

Which was a bad move on his part.

He had to swerve suddenly to avoid crashing into a couple of jaywalkers, which led to him crashing his car on a nearby tree. He was not seriously injured, but suddenly all hope had evaporated. How was he going to get to the hospital?

"Certainly not by ambulance." He muttered, and proceeded to run in the direction of the hospital.

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There she lay, breathless and in pain, just wishing that she would die there and then. The pain was unbearable, and all the weeping around her did not do much help.

"God, please take me home. Please. Let me leave this place of suffering. Take me into Your arms and hold me." She whispered in silent prayer.

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The hospital was now in sight, and he continued sprinting towards it, ignoring all physical fatigue. He was going to see her, and that was all that mattered. He literally crashed into the counter and asked for directions to Ward 508, after which he hurriedly sped up the emergency staircase. He did not have time for the lift.

After some grueling physical torture on his part, he finally reached the fifth floor.

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She could feel Death standing beside her now, His icy breath stung her skin as He bent over her, ready to take her life. She braced herself and said a final prayer.

"Now take me."

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He burst through the door of the ward and found despair.