Darina had been working as an emergency medical technician for several years.
Sometimes she thought she couldn’t handle the pressure — the workload was enormous.
But quitting the profession was impossible: the city was in desperate need of qualified medical workers.
Getting into a private clinic was almost impossible, and switching to a general practitioner meant doubling her workload.
Who would then take care of little Ruslan?
Working on the ambulance was tough.
Endless false calls, when someone was just fooling around, and serious cases where you literally had to bring someone back from the brink of death to get them alive to the hospital.
Just think about yesterday. The calls came one after another.
The first — to an elderly woman who nearly suffocated in a stuffy room.
Her grandson calmly watched TV, sipping beer, not even turning his head while the medics did everything possible to stabilize her condition.
The second — to a middle-aged woman who suddenly lost consciousness during a walk with her husband.
Arriving on the scene, Darina realized there was nothing to be done.
But for the sake of her relatives — the husband and daughter, who had run ahead of the ambulance — she still began resuscitation efforts: chest compressions, injections…
But the woman never regained consciousness.
After such a case, Darina returned to the station and couldn’t calm down for a long time — took Corvalol, repeating to herself that she had no choice. She had to hold on.
After all, Ruslan depended only on her, and she had no right to let her son down.
So, receiving another call — a traffic accident — she tried to pull herself together.
She decided not to take everything to heart anymore.
She would do everything possible but wouldn’t allow herself to fall apart after every case.
There were two victims, but only one seriously injured.
A truck collided with a car.
The truck driver escaped with a light scare and a bruise on his forehead, but the young man driving the small car was less lucky.
He lay unconscious, his face and chest covered in blood. By all signs — internal bleeding.
While Darina administered drugs, nurse Katya wiped his face and brought ammonia to revive him.
They had to check if he was breathing, where the pain was strongest, and what other injuries there were.
But at one point, Darina froze. She looked closer — and almost dropped the syringe.
It was Vladislav. The same Vlad who once called her Darochka, saying she was a gift from heaven.
And then disappeared as soon as he found out she was pregnant.
Not just disappeared — he refused to acknowledge the child, ignored all her attempts to contact him, and even sent a cruel message: “Let the father be whoever you cheated with.”
After that, he blocked her on all messengers.
She swore to herself she would never turn to him again.
Even if Ruslan got seriously ill, she would sooner beg for alms at church than call him.
And now fate had brought them together again.
Katya shook her sleeve, asking how to connect the IV.
Vlad’s life depended on her.
If they were inside the hospital, she would hand the patient to another doctor.
But now — no options.
Only her, and the decision she had to make.
Darina didn’t think about how his life had gone all these years.
Maybe he had a family now, children.
But one thing she knew for sure: she couldn’t tell her son, “I killed your father because I could have saved him but didn’t want to. I wanted revenge.”
She sat next to him on her heels, as if weighing the decision.
Then suddenly stood up:
“Stretcher! Quickly!”
The gathered people willingly helped.
Together with Petya, the ambulance driver, they carefully loaded the injured man into the vehicle.
The siren wailed, and the ambulance rushed to the hospital.
On the way, Darina administered necessary drugs, painkillers, monitored the pulse.
Vlad never regained consciousness, only gasping through pain: “It hurts… hurts so much…”
At the hospital, they were already waiting.
The patient was immediately sent for an X-ray, then to surgery.
“Now we have to clean the whole ambulance — it’s covered in blood,” Petya sighed.
“What’s this? Looks like he dropped a medallion.”
Darina looked at the pendant. A simple metal charm on a thin chain.
She recognized it immediately.
When they studied together, she had no money, so she had ordered such a modest gift herself.
Their initials were engraved on it — hers and Vlad’s.
“Give it to me,” she held out her hand. “I’ll give it to the owner when I visit the ward.”
But she personally didn’t want to give it.
She handed the medallion to a familiar orderly and asked her to pass it on.
She learned that Vlad had surgery, his spleen was removed, and a cast was applied.
He would have to lie still for a long time.
Darina walked home on foot.
She needed to gather her thoughts.
Giving the medallion away seemed silly — a trinket, but Vlad had worn it for many years.
Maybe out of habit? It happens — people wear something without noticing.
Remembering everything, she thought of her grandmother.
It was her who supported Darina when she found out about the pregnancy.
Of course, she didn’t plan to get rid of the child, but the fear was huge.
University, scholarship, not a penny to spare…
How to combine study and motherhood?
She transferred to another medical university — where her grandmother lived.
“We’ll live!” said the old woman. “There’s a roof over our heads and a pension too.
It’s not war now, food is plentiful.”
And indeed, they survived.
Sometimes they ate only porridge or potatoes with cucumbers but held on.
Grandma sat with Ruslan while Darina prepared for exams.
And Ruslan grew attached to her with all his heart.
It was a pity she was gone long ago.
Now, it seemed the worst was behind.
Darina returned to her hometown — here were friends and good universities where her son would one day study.
Years would follow one another.
She would raise Ruslan, give him an education, make him happy even without a father.
In the evening, a call came from the orderly Natalia:
“Darina Alekseevna, I did everything you asked — passed on the medallion.
He was so happy, almost cried!
He said: ‘It’s very valuable to me.’
And immediately asked: ‘Where did you find it?’
When I explained that you gave it, he practically begged for your phone and address.
But I didn’t say a word or hint.
Without your permission — no way.
That’s what I told him.”
“You did the right thing, Aunt Natasha,” Darina answered slowly. “I don’t need his gratitude.”
Days passed, but Darina couldn’t completely forget what had happened.
The meeting with the past shook her to the core.
However, she firmly reminded herself that the decision she once made was final.
She wouldn’t seek a meeting with Vlad, wouldn’t stir up the past.
But why did he want to contact her?
Maybe he was lonely? Or family life hadn’t worked out, and he remembered old feelings?
Or maybe he just wanted to spice up his life with a new fling?
Whatever the reason — it was right that the orderly didn’t give him her contacts.
There was no way back.
So she was very surprised when one morning near the ambulance station she saw Vlad himself.
He was sitting on a bench, barely standing — thin, pale, and haggard.
In his hands was a huge bouquet of roses.
Darina approached quietly.
If the conversation was inevitable, it was better to start it herself.
“Did you come to see me?” she asked directly.
Vlad hurriedly stood up.
Tall, gaunt, he stood before her without his former confidence, without defiance.
His gaze was tired but attentive.
“How do you feel?” she asked, glancing at the flowers.
“Thanks, almost recovered,” he replied.
“Don’t worry, I’ll leave now.
I just… want to know you’re okay.
Can I just look at you once after all these years?
Just stand nearby… In memory of what was?”
“You have no right,” she said sharply.
“After you called me a woman who didn’t even know who the father of her child was…
That doesn’t get forgotten.”
“What?” he asked, surprised.
“Are you serious?
Did I say that?”
“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t remember.
If the years have sobered you up a bit and you realized what a jerk you were — I accept your apology.
But nothing else can ever be between us.”
“Wait,” he stopped her.
“We need to talk.
There’s some awful misunderstanding here.
But let’s not here and now.
Are you at work? When do you finish?”
“In twenty-four hours.
Tomorrow at eight in the morning.
And believe me, after my shift, I won’t have energy for any talks.”
But the very next morning, just after nine, as Darina left the hospital, she saw Vlad again.
He was waiting for her.
“Let’s go somewhere we can talk quietly,” he suggested.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.
First, you’re a terrible driver.
Second, I’m so tired I could fall asleep standing.
Third…”
But Vlad, not listening, took her arm and led her to the car.
“You wrecked your own car,” she sneered.
“Did you already steal a new one?”
“I borrowed one from a friend.”
He took her to the park where they used to walk often.
While he went to get coffee and ice cream, Darina waited on a bench.
Returning, Vlad sat beside her.
“Let’s figure this out,” he said.
“We agreed to meet right here, on this bench.
But I got sick — appendicitis.
I went to surgery.
I left my phone at home, so I asked Tamara to tell you I’m in the hospital and would contact you soon.”
“And Tom told me you went to the sea with another woman and that my child wasn’t yours.
I tried calling but you didn’t answer.
Then came that message…” Darina’s voice trembled.
“And Tamara told me you flew to Cyprus with a guy you love who is the father of your baby.
I almost went crazy.”
They fell silent, exchanging looks.
“Now it’s clear,” Vlad finally said.
“Tomka wanted me to marry her friend.
So she decided to split us up.
As a result — two ruined lives.
I never loved anyone.
And you?
Did everything work out for you?”
“Let’s go,” Darina stood up.
“Take me home.
I’ll introduce you to my son.
Your son.
I have no husband, so don’t worry.”
In the car, kissing her, Vlad asked:
“So, what about Tamara?
Drown her in the fountain?”
“Let’s try to understand and forgive first,” she smiled, mocking a famous phrase.
They laughed.
And ten minutes later, when Vlad saw the boy who opened the door for them, he realized — it was himself in miniature.
The full physical resemblance.
Looking at Ruslan, full of strength and possibilities, Vlad felt for the first time in many years that time could still be turned back.
He and Darina could start over too.
Sitting down in front of the boy, he extended his hand:
“Well, hello, Ruslan Vladislavovich…”
