Chapter 5

Hearing the continuous moans coming from the woman's mouth immediately caught Franklin's attention.

The man looked puzzled about what to do, seeing the fresh blood flowing so heavily made his mind chaotic.

He was confused and scared, never having faced so much blood before.

"Miss Clara? Miss Clara, are you okay? What's happening, Miss Clara? Why is all this happening to you?"

Franklin asked, now embracing the woman. Clara's body looked weak, almost unable to support itself.

Her eyes were teary, dripping repeatedly, making her cheeks wet with those clear drops.

"Shh.. it hurts.. please help me. My hand really hurts so much."

Clara pleaded for help from the man in front of her. Regardless of the man's feelings, whether scared or anything else, Clara just wanted assistance.

Clara's only hope at that moment was Franklin alone.

"But I don't mean I don't want to help Miss Clara or anything. If I take Miss Clara downstairs and lots of people see us, they might think I've committed a crime with Miss Clara."

Franklin was on the verge of dilemma. He was confused whether to sacrifice himself to save Clara or to stick to his stance of not thinking about the woman?

Everything felt mixed up in his head. Franklin was worried, anxious, and didn't know what to do now.

"I don't know who else to ask for help anymore, Sir. Only you can help me right now. There's no one else I can turn to for help except you."

Unfortunately, all the doors of the neighboring apartment rooms were tightly closed as if there was no one there.

Franklin sighed heavily, cursing his luck that always seemed to be unlucky.

Still dealing with his mother's hospital issue and heartbroken over his lover choosing another man, now Franklin finds himself trapped helping a woman whose hand is full of lacerations.

With so much blood dripping on the floor, Franklin couldn't possibly leave the woman alone.

Especially when Franklin lifted his head while scanning around, a surveillance camera was seen recording him and the woman named Clara.

If Franklin were to leave her and the woman ran out of blood and died, Franklin would surely be a witness or even a suspect in her murder.

Franklin yelled in frustration, cursing his incredibly unlucky fate.

"I don't have any other choice. I think you can also see the surveillance camera over there. Everything will be recorded on CCTV and you could get into big trouble."

Franklin felt like swearing at the woman, how couldn't he? Instead of realizing she was the source of trouble in Franklin's life, the woman was threatening Franklin with her every word.

"Fine! Enough! I'll help her now. But, wait a moment. Miss, sit down here first."

Franklin helped the woman sit on the floor. He then took off his hoodie, and without hesitation, removed his T-shirt.

The woman closed her eyes, while Franklin was now bare-chested. It didn't matter, it was okay if he was recorded by the CCTV viewed by a few people.

Outside, if he let the wound continue to drip, Franklin could be suspected even further.

After removing his T-shirt, Franklin put his hoodie back on. Then, he focused on the woman in front of him.

Tying his black T-shirt which luckily matched, "Hold on, Miss. This might hurt. But, I have to tie it tightly so the blood doesn't drip as much."

Already like an expert in giving first aid, Franklin gave instructions to the woman.

After seeing Clara nodding in agreement, Franklin prepared himself before finally tightening the binding on the woman's hand.

"Argh!"

Franklin looked worried as Clara screamed quite loudly.

Even her tears flowed from the pain of the binding on her hand.

"Sorry, Miss Clara. I didn't mean that. I just wanted to help you, Miss Clara."

"Yeah. I know. It just really hurt earlier. I couldn't control myself from screaming."

Franklin nodded, then helped the woman to rise and stand upright.

"I'll take you to the clinic nearby, Miss . Just hold on for a moment, Miss . I just checked on G****e, there's a clinic around here."

Clara, who seemed to have endured unbearable pain, could only nod weakly.

Seeing the woman in this condition made Franklin feel increasingly guilty. As a human being, it was only right for Franklin to help the woman.

With unsteady steps, Franklin tried to lead the woman to the parking lot where his motorcycle was parked.

"Just take it slow, Miss . Don't rush, I'm afraid you might fall."

Clara seemed to only nod again without saying a word.

Seeing the woman so weak managed to capture Franklin's attention.

He felt sorry for her, before eventually offering to carry her.

"Sorry, Miss, if I'm being presumptuous. But, let me help you. Can I carry you, Miss?"

Clara was momentarily taken aback but then nodded.

Once they reached the parking lot, Franklin was confused about where to put the package, then Clara reassured him that it was okay for her to sit in the passenger seat.

Her hands then wrapped around the man's waist, not wanting to fall.

Strange! Franklin couldn't help feeling odd about it.

"Are you ready, Miss? Please hold on a little longer, Miss . I don't know how to help you if you faint in the middle of the road."

Clara nodded. "Yes. I'll keep my eyes open."

They then departed, using G****e Maps on Franklin's phone to find the nearby clinic.

After quite some time, Franklin finally found it.

Just as Franklin dismounted from the motorcycle, Clara's body slumped weakly.

"Miss!" Franklin panicked as the woman lost consciousness.

Hastily, Franklin carried her, quickly grabbing the keys before taking her towards the clinic's entrance.

"Help, doc! Please help my friend. She has a laceration on her hand, and now she's passed out."

The doctor, nicknamed Sarah, appeared panicked about the woman's condition.

"Bring her inside. Let me examine her right away."

Franklin nodded, placing the woman's body directly onto the stretcher.

Doctor Sarah began checking the woman's condition.

"Has she lost blood for a long time?" Doctor Sarah asked.

The man nodded in agreement.

"Her condition looks critical. She has lost a lot of blood. It's better to take her to the hospital. Let me prepare a referral letter."

Doctor Sarah seemed powerless to assist further. After receiving the referral letter, Franklin reluctantly had to leave his motorcycle there to accompany Clara, who was now being taken in an ambulance.

"What was I thinking? I should have just let her go with the nurse here. Why did I have to accompany her?" Franklin muttered to himself, feeling he might have overreacted. But regardless of it all, Franklin only intended to help the woman.

"It hurts..." Clara groaned, still with her eyes closed.