Gina Heslop
Taylor was a rich man who had grown up with a deep distrust of doctors due to a childhood trauma.
His mother had died because a doctor failed to diagnose her cancer in time, leaving him to grow up with his abusive father. Because of this, Taylor avoided doctors at all costs, even refusing to move his car when an ambulance needed to get through a traffic jam.
Taylor’s wife, Polly, was overwhelmed with taking care of their three children while also working as a writer from home. She begged Taylor to hire a nanny, but he refused, believing that parents should raise their children without extra help.
Even though they had plenty of money, Taylor saw hiring a nanny as a wasteful expense. He believed that since he had grown up without much support and still became successful, his children could manage as well.
One day, Polly fainted at home, scaring their children. Their eldest son, Mark, called Taylor at work and asked if he should call an ambulance, but Taylor refused.
Instead, he told his son to call their neighbor, Mara, who was a nurse. Mara checked Polly and insisted she see a doctor, but Taylor refused again.
Instead, he agreed to let Polly take a blood test, which revealed she had anemia. She started taking medication and got better, but even after this incident, Taylor still refused to get a nanny.
A few days later, Taylor was rushing to an important business meeting when he got stuck in a terrible traffic jam.
An ambulance was trying to get through, but Taylor, convinced they were just using their sirens to get ahead, refused to move his SUV.
The ambulance driver even got out to beg him, explaining that a child inside needed urgent medical attention, but Taylor still wouldn’t budge. Eventually, the driver maneuvered the ambulance onto the sidewalk to get past.
Later that day, during his meeting, Taylor’s phone kept ringing. He ignored the calls, but when he finally checked, he saw a message from Polly: “Mark is in the hospital! Call me ASAP!” His heart dropped.
He rushed out of the meeting and drove straight to the hospital, where he found Polly and their other children waiting anxiously outside the operating room.
Polly tearfully explained that Mark had suffered a serious head injury and needed emergency surgery.
The doctor later told Taylor that Mark survived only because he had arrived at the hospital in time—if the ambulance had been delayed any longer, the outcome could have been tragic.
Taylor was shaken. It hit him like a ton of bricks: He had been the one who blocked the ambulance carrying his own son. If not for the quick thinking of the driver, Mark might not have survived.
Feeling overwhelmed with guilt, Taylor broke down in tears. Polly comforted him, and their children hugged him, but he couldn’t shake the weight of what he had done.
Mark eventually woke up, and the doctors confirmed that he would recover fully. It was a huge relief, but Taylor knew he needed to change.
Determined to make things right, Taylor sought out the ambulance driver, James, to apologize. At first, James was angry, recognizing him as the man who had refused to move.
But when Taylor broke down and thanked him for saving his son, James forgave him. They talked, and Taylor learned that James was still working because his wife needed expensive hip surgery.
Wanting to help, Taylor offered James a new job as his personal driver, with a much higher salary than what he earned at the hospital. James hesitated at first but eventually accepted.
A few months later, after James had saved enough for his wife’s surgery, Taylor came up with another idea—hiring James’ wife, Helena, as their children’s nanny. Since she loved kids but had never been able to have any of her own, she happily accepted.
With James and Helena working for them, Taylor and Polly’s lives became much easier. Polly no longer felt overwhelmed, their kids loved Helena, and Taylor finally saw the value in spending money for the well-being of his family.
He also let go of his fear of doctors, realizing that while one had failed his mother, many others had worked tirelessly to save his son.
Taylor didn’t stop there. He decided to give back by donating money to the hospital, funding surgeries for children whose families couldn’t afford them.
And from that day forward, whenever he saw an ambulance on the road, he was always the first to move aside. He had learned his lesson the hard way, but he would never make that mistake again.
