After a scary experience as a child, Taylor lost trust in doctors. Because of this, he refused to move his car when an ambulance was stuck in traffic. But soon he realized that his stubbornness could have cost him everything.
One evening after dinner, Taylor’s wife, Polly, said, “We need to hire a nanny. I can’t manage three kids, my job, and the house by myself.”
Taylor shook his head. “A nanny? That’s too expensive and unnecessary,” he said, before leaving the table and sitting on the couch.
“Please, Taylor. I have meetings in the afternoon. The kids may be older now, but they still need care. I can’t manage it all anymore,” Polly pleaded.
Taylor frowned. “No. You’re lying. And even if you’re not, doctors won’t help. I’m not moving,” he said firmly. He didn’t believe Polly really needed help. In his mind, her writing job wasn’t even a “real” job, though he kept that thought to himself.
“It’s too expensive,” he repeated.
“We have plenty of money,” Polly argued.
“That doesn’t mean we waste it. My mom raised me alone until I could take care of myself. My father never cared, but I still became a millionaire. Our kids don’t need a nanny. Just tell them to behave after school,” Taylor replied stubbornly.
Polly sighed and walked away. Their children were between five and nine, and Taylor thought they could handle themselves while Polly worked. Since she worked from home as a writer, he assumed it was easy compared to his office job, full of paperwork, clients, and meetings.
To Taylor, the idea of a nanny was ridiculous. “Children should be raised by their parents. That’s how I made it in life,” he told himself, proud and without any regret for denying Polly’s request.
A few days later, Polly suddenly fainted in the living room. Their oldest child, Mark, quickly called Taylor at work. “Should I call 911?” the boy asked.
“No! Definitely not,” Taylor said firmly. “Call Mara. Her number is by the phone. I’ll be home soon.” He hung up and rushed back.
Mara, their neighbor, was a kind nurse who worked night shifts. Taylor didn’t fully trust her either, but to him, she was still better than any doctor. When he arrived, Polly was awake, and Mara was checking on her while the kids stood nearby, worried.
“How is she?” Taylor asked.
“Let’s talk in the kitchen,” Mara said firmly, pulling him aside. “Polly needs to see a doctor. Fainting isn’t normal for a young woman.”
Taylor shook his head. “We’re not young. She’s 35, and I’m 38.”
“That’s still young. She might have anemia. She needs blood tests and a check-up,” Mara insisted.
“No. Absolutely not,” Taylor said, crossing his arms.
“Listen, I know you don’t trust doctors, but Polly really needs one. If not, this could happen again. Your kids are scared. Please, think about it,” Mara said seriously, looking him straight in the eyes.
“We’ll do the blood tests, but no doctors,” Taylor said. “My mother died because a careless doctor failed to find her cancer. He misdiagnosed her, and I was left with my abusive father because she didn’t get the right treatment in time. That’s why we had home births, Mara. And look—our kids are healthy.”
Mara sighed. “Fine. Do the blood tests, and I’ll ask a friend to review them. But Taylor, you need to face your fear eventually.”
Just as Mara thought, Polly had mild anemia. With some medicine, she improved. Later, Polly asked again about hiring a nanny, but Taylor refused.
“No. You’re feeling better now. A nanny is a waste of money. We should save for important things. I may be the CEO of an oil company now, but what if one day I end up as a regular worker?” he argued.
Polly stayed quiet and didn’t bring it up again.
One morning, Taylor shouted on his way out, “I’m late for a meeting. Don’t call me—I won’t answer today!” He had an important client to meet and was determined to be on time. But fate had other plans. His usual route was stuck in heavy traffic, and the minutes crawled by.
Taylor slammed the steering wheel in frustration as the traffic stayed completely stuck. Then he heard sirens behind him. Looking in the mirror, he saw cars moving aside to let an ambulance through.
“No way! They’re just pretending to have patients to get past traffic,” Taylor muttered, refusing to move while everyone else made way. The ambulance honked nonstop, but he acted like nothing was happening.
The driver in the next lane rolled down his window. “Hey! Move for the ambulance!” he shouted, but Taylor ignored him.
Moments later, the ambulance driver, an older man, rushed to Taylor’s window. “Sir, please move! I have a child in the back who needs urgent care!” he pleaded.
Taylor shook his head. “You’re lying. And even if you’re not, doctors won’t help him. I’m not moving,” he said coldly.
“Are you serious?” the driver asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. I’m not moving.”
“This is against the law!” the man warned.
“Then sue me. Or call the cops,” Taylor said with a shrug, staring straight ahead as if nothing mattered except waiting for the traffic to finally clear.
“I hope no one you love ever ends up like this boy,” the driver said angrily, spitting on the ground before climbing back into the ambulance. He managed to drive onto the sidewalk, and the other cars moved aside to let him through.
After about 15 more minutes, traffic finally cleared. Taylor reached his office building just in time. His client had already started speaking when his phone rang. He saw Polly’s name but ignored it. I told her not to call, he thought, focusing on the meeting.
But Polly kept calling again and again until a message popped up: “Mark is in the hospital! Call me ASAP!”
“Hospital?” Taylor muttered, staring at his phone in shock.
“Mr. Brown?” one of his executives asked.
“Roger, take over this meeting. My son’s in the hospital. I have to go,” Taylor said quickly before running out.
His hands trembled as he rushed. He knew Polly would never take Mark to a hospital unless it was truly serious. That meant this was bad—very bad. He called her, got the hospital’s name, and drove off as fast as he could. Thankfully, the roads were clear this time.
Taylor didn’t even care where he left his car. He ran straight through the emergency doors, asked the nurses for help, and finally found Polly waiting outside the operating room with their other kids, Jason and Mona, clinging to her in fear.
“What happened? Where’s Mark?” Taylor asked, panicked.
“He’s in surgery,” Polly sobbed. “It was serious, Taylor. His head was bleeding.” Their younger kids cried harder, and Taylor hugged them all tightly.
“It’s OK. It’s OK. Everything will be fine. Mark is in good hands,” he repeated, trying to calm them—and himself.
After hours of waiting, a surgeon finally came out. Everyone held their breath.
“The surgery went well. Your son is recovering in the ICU. We’ll know more when he wakes up, but things look good so far,” the doctor said. “We’re moving him now, and we’ll let you know when you can see him.”
Polly broke down in relief, kneeling as she told Jason and Mona their brother had made it. Meanwhile, Taylor stepped closer to the doctor, his voice low and desperate.
“Tell me honestly, Doc… is Mark really going to be alright?”
“Yes, he’s fine,” the doctor confirmed with a nod. “But only because he got here on time. We heard about the heavy traffic earlier—if it had taken any longer, things could’ve ended very differently.”
Taylor stayed silent as the doctor patted his shoulder and went back inside. Traffic jam? he thought, stunned.
He turned to Polly, who had calmed down a little. “Polly… were you caught in that traffic jam this morning?”
“Oh yes. I was terrified. The cars weren’t moving at all for a while. The driver even got out and argued with someone who refused to move their car. Can you believe that? Who would block an ambulance?” she said, shaking her head. “But then he drove onto the sidewalk—I was scared for a moment—but he managed to get us here fast. That man was a hero.”
She didn’t notice how pale and quiet Taylor had become. “Kids, let’s grab some snacks from the vending machine while we wait to see your brother,” she suggested.
Taylor cleared his throat. “Go ahead. I’ll stay here, just in case.”
“Alright,” Polly said with a small smile, relieved now that Mark was safe.
Taylor felt like he was in hell. He sank into a chair and stared blankly at the wall. He had blocked the ambulance—while his own son was fighting for his life inside it. If the driver hadn’t been quick-thinking, Mark might not have made it.
“Oh God… my wife was right,” Taylor whispered, forcing a weak smile as he looked out the window.
Tears suddenly poured down his face. His chest tightened, his breathing sped up, and he buried his head in his hands, sobbing. The truth hit him hard: this was all his fault. He had refused to hire a nanny, refused to move for the ambulance, and even ignored Polly’s calls.
“Taylor,” Polly said softly when she came back, wrapping her arms around him. “Kids, come hug Daddy.”
The little ones ran over, hugging him tightly as he struggled to calm down.
“Mark will wake up soon, Daddy,” his youngest daughter said sweetly, her tiny voice soothing him. The guilt didn’t leave, but little by little, his sobs eased.
An hour later, they went to see Mark. He opened his eyes, and the doctors tested his movements. Everything looked good. He even managed to speak a little before falling back asleep. His surgeon reassured them that Mark was fine and would soon be moved from the ICU to a regular room. Their son was officially out of danger.
When Mark was finally moved to a regular room and resting safely with his family around him, Taylor stepped out and asked a nurse if he could meet the ambulance driver.
“Oh, that’s James. You’ll probably find him outside, where the ambulances park when they’re not out on calls,” the nurse said kindly.
Taylor went outside and quickly spotted James. Despite the hectic morning, the older man recognized him right away.
“Wait—aren’t you the guy who wouldn’t move his car?” James said, pointing a finger at him.
Taylor didn’t stop walking. Instead, he opened his arms and hugged the man tightly. James tried to push him off, but then Taylor spoke.
“I’m sorry. Thank you. Thank you for doing everything you could. The boy you brought in was my son. I… I was such a fool. I could’ve lost everything. I’m so sorry,” Taylor said, his voice breaking.
James finally relaxed a little and patted his back. “How’s the kid?”
“He’s doing well. He woke up,” Taylor said, wiping away a tear. “He’s resting again, but the doctor said he’ll recover. Thanks to you.”
“I just did my job,” James replied with a nod. “I used to be a paramedic, but now I only drive. I’m just glad he’s safe.”
“Why are you still working?” Taylor asked gently. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“My wife needs hip surgery. With how things are right now, I can’t afford to retire. Driving an ambulance doesn’t pay much, but it helps,” James admitted with a sigh.
Taylor suddenly asked, “Would you be open to changing jobs?”
James frowned. “What do you mean?”
“How about working as my driver?” Taylor offered. He explained what he did for a living and how much he would pay—more than three times what James currently earned.
“Is this a real offer?” James asked, surprised.
“Absolutely,” Taylor said firmly. “I may be a fool in other ways, but when it comes to business, I never lie.”
After thinking it over, James agreed. He stayed at the hospital for two more weeks, then started working as Taylor’s personal driver. Taylor quickly realized how much easier life was when he didn’t have to worry about driving himself everywhere.
After Mark left the hospital, Taylor and Polly needed extra help. James stepped in—he ran errands, bought groceries, watched the kids when he could, and drove Taylor everywhere. Within a few months, James had saved enough for his wife Helena’s surgery.
Taylor gave him all the paid leave he needed and even visited them at the hospital. Once Helena recovered, Taylor had another idea.
“James, what if Helena worked for us as a nanny? Do you think she’d like that?” Taylor asked from the back seat one day.
James glanced at him and nodded. “She would love that. She adores kids. We never had our own—it just wasn’t God’s plan for us—but she’d be so happy. Would you really hire her, sir?” he asked, touched.
“Oh yes. My wife needs the help,” Taylor replied with a smile, gazing out the car window.
Since Mark’s accident, Taylor had realized something important: money meant nothing if you didn’t use it to care for your family. All his success only mattered if it made them happy. His fear of doctors was also gone.
He still felt bitterness toward the doctor who failed his mother, but he finally understood—one person’s mistake didn’t define an entire profession. Everyone, from the ambulance driver to the doctors, had fought to save Mark. And they had done an incredible job.
Taylor started supporting the hospital, donating money so children from poor families could get the surgeries they needed. James and Helena kept working for his family, and the kids loved them dearly. Polly was doing well in her career and no longer had health issues.
And Taylor? Whenever he heard sirens, he was now the first to move aside for an ambulance. He promised himself he would never make that mistake again.
Lesson from the story:
- Don’t let childhood trauma control your life and decisions.
- Helping others and keeping your family happy matters more than just saving money.
- Sharing kindness and inspiration can change lives.