"Jim! Let's go, we've got a call-out. An accident outside Melinda's store!" called Matthew. He was Jim's partner.
Jim looked up at the sound of his partner's voice and then ran out to the ambulance. It wasn't long before he and Matthew were both speeding towards Same As It Never Was Antiques, Melinda's antique shop. The sight that greeted them was minor, but the guys could see a person on the road, and another woman kneeling next to the person.
Getting out of the ambulance, Jim realised that the person kneeling on the road was Delia, and the person on the road was his wife. He raced ahead of his partner and dropped to his knees, praying that Melinda was okay.
Half an hour earlier
"Delia, I'm going to the bakery. Do you want anything?" asked Melinda.
It was almost twelve thirty and Melinda was starting to get hungry.
"Just a coffee please Melinda," replied Delia from the back room.
Melinda left the shop and was just crossing the street when she heard a screech and saw a car coming around the corner. It was going too fast and Melinda tried to get back onto the footpath. She was unsuccessful and the car hit her. It kept going as Melinda fell to the ground.
Delia looked up when a loud screeching sound filled the store. She looked out the window in time to see Melinda drop to the ground. Racing out the door, Delia pulled out her mobile phone and called 911, asked for an ambulance and hung up. She knelt down next to her friend and checked for a pulse.
Holding her breath, Delia listened hard for sirens and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the ambulance coming around the corner. However, the minute the door opened, Delia's heart dropped. Jim climbed out and she could see the fear on his face when he saw his wife on the ground.
"Delia, what happened?" asked Jim.
"I don't know. She was just going to the bakery. We do it every day Jim," babbled Delia.
Jim pulled Delia into a brief, one-armed hug, and then helped Matthew put Melinda into the back of the ambulance.