Chapter 8 — The Finish Line of Years Gone By

Three weeks after the rehabilitation, on a normal Tuesday afternoon like any other afternoon, Son was doing a gentle recovery run on the Bến Cá slope when his mother's phone - the brick phone he brought with him in case he needed to contact him - vibrated repeatedly.

"Hello, Son?" The neighbor's voice, Ms. Tu, a grocery seller in the neighborhood, spoke excitedly over the phone. "Run quickly to the district hospital, your father had an accident at the construction site!"

Son stopped in the middle of the slope, his heart pounding, his hands shaking so much that he almost dropped his phone. "How's your dad? Is he serious?"

"I don't know. I heard that I fell from the scaffolding and they're taking me to the emergency room." Ms. Tu's voice choked. "Your mother is on her way there, hurry up."

Son didn't have time to think any more, rushing straight towards the district hospital, the distance of nearly four kilometers he ran in less than fifteen minutes, faster than any speed exercise he had ever done, his legs seemed to move automatically without conscious control, there was only one thought throughout: dad must be okay, dad must be okay.

When he got there, he saw his mother standing in front of the emergency room, her hands covering her face, her shoulders shaking. A few of his father's colleagues, still wearing work clothes covered in cement dust, stood haphazardly in the hallway, all of them tense.

"Mom, how's dad?" Son ran over, his voice panicked.

Mrs. Nhu turned back, her eyes were red, she couldn't say anything, she just shook her head to show that she didn't know, then hugged her son, her whole body trembling. A man standing nearby, probably the construction site foreman, stepped forward and explained in a sad voice.

"Uncle Danh was reinforcing the scaffolding on the fifth floor when suddenly a piece of steel frame had a loose weld and collapsed. He tried to jump to avoid it but was still entangled and fell from a height of more than four meters." The man said, his voice somewhat apologetic. "The construction site emergency team took her away immediately. The doctor is probably handling it now."

The three hours waiting outside the emergency room were the longest three hours of Son's life. He sat on a plastic chair, his hands clenched together until they turned white, his mind reeling with all kinds of worst thoughts that he tried to push away but couldn't.

Finally, the emergency room door opened, a doctor walked out, took off his mask, his face was tired but not desperate.

"Patient Hồ Bá Đảnh's family?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, I am." Mrs. Nhu quickly stood up.

"The patient has a broken pelvis and a damaged lumbar spine. Luckily, the spinal cord was not completely severed, so he is not paralyzed, but he needs urgent surgery to repair the damage. After surgery, there is still a chance of restoring movement, though he will likely suffer long-term effects that may make walking difficult," the doctor explained, his voice professional but not lacking in sympathy. "The district hospital does not have enough equipment to perform this complex surgery. We recommend transferring him to a higher-level hospital as soon as possible."

Mrs. Nhu fell to her knees. If Son hadn't caught her in time, she would have collapsed right in the hospital hallway. He hugged his mother, feeling like the whole world was collapsing right under his feet, at the same time as the scaffolding collapsed that he had never witnessed but could imagine with terrifying clarity.

***

Two days later, when Mr. Danh was transferred to the provincial hospital and underwent his first surgery, a familiar black car stopped in front of the hospital gate. Mr. Đường Khắc Vinh, wearing a neat suit but with a serious expression different from his usual confident businessman image, walked down with an assistant carrying a file.

He found the hospital room and knocked lightly on the door before entering. Mrs. Nhu and Son were sitting next to the hospital bed, both were startled when they saw the group boss appear.

"I am Đường Khắc Vinh, the investor of the project where Mr. Danh works," he spoke in a low voice, bowing sincerely, not politely. "First of all, I apologize for this unfortunate incident that happened. I have asked the labor safety inspection team to investigate immediately."

"You don't need to apologize," Mrs. Nhu said, her voice still shaking from fatigue and worry. "Who wants an occupational accident?"

"But the responsibility still lies with us, even if it was a technical error from the subcontractor constructing the scaffolding," Mr. Vinh said, his voice resolute. "Preliminary investigation results show that the weld in the steel frame section does not meet standards, this is an error during the construction process, and my company is responsible for monitoring that quality even though it has been subcontracted."

He gave Ms. Nhu a set of documents, clearly explaining that occupational accident insurance and treatment costs would be fully paid by the company in accordance with the law, plus an additional amount of support beyond the mandatory insurance, showing the goodwill of the business.

"I hope my family will accept this extra support amount as part of our responsibility," Mr. Vinh said. "If necessary, the company can also arrange a more suitable job for Mr. Danh after recovering, lighter office work, to ensure income for the family."

Son stood still, listening to the entire conversation, feeling a complexity in his heart that he didn't know how to name - both appreciation for Mr. Vinh's dignified and responsible attitude, and a vague unexplained discomfort at the thought of his family having to receive help from the family of the girl he loved.

Mr. Danh, although still weak after the surgery, also spoke from the hospital bed, his voice was hoarse but clear. "Thank you for coming to visit, thank you for the insurance according to regulations. But for additional support, I would like to refuse to accept it."

"Mr. Danh, this is not alms, but the company's responsibility," Mr. Vinh said, somewhat surprised by the refusal.

"I understand what you mean," Mr. Danh replied, his eyes steadfast even though his body was still weak. "But I worked for your company, had an accident at work, I accepted the insurance and liability part according to the law, because it is the legitimate rights of the worker. But I did not receive the extra money. After accepting it, in the future my child will not be able to raise his head when standing next to your daughter."

The words made the whole room silent. Mrs. Nhu looked at her husband, her eyes filled with sadness and understanding why he was so determined. Son stood there, feeling something stuck in his throat - he understood, his father did not refuse because the money was not necessary, but because he wanted to keep his son in a stable position, not weighed down by a huge debt of gratitude right from the first days of a relationship.

Mr. Vinh looked at Mr. Danh for a long time, then nodded slightly, his eyes showing respect. "I understand what you mean. Then I will respect this decision, just make sure the insurance and liability parts are fully implemented as quickly as possible."

Before leaving, he turned to Son, his voice softer. "You're Son, right? My daughter told me a lot about you. I'm sorry that this happened, even though it wasn't an intentional mistake. If you need anything, just contact me through Khue." Son nodded, couldn't say much, just bowed his head in thanks. When Mr. Vinh left, the hospital room returned to heavy silence, with only the steady sound of the heart rate monitor, and in Son's mind, a question began to form that he had not dared to voice: whether after this, his family's life, and even the relationship with Khue, would still be able to continue as before.

***

That night, when Mrs. Nhu fell asleep from exhaustion on a makeshift chair next to the hospital bed, Son went out into the hallway and stood alone, leaning against the railing as he looked down at the dark hospital yard below. The phone in his pocket vibrated—Khue was calling. She had not called through his mother's number as usual; she had asked her father for the hospital room number.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was small, full of worry, behind her was the sound of wind rushing through the car window.

"I'm fine," Son replied, his voice tired. "My father just had surgery. The doctor said he needs to monitor more."

"I'm sorry," Khue said, her voice choked. "I know saying this won't solve anything, but I'm really sorry for what happened at my construction site."

"It's not your fault," Son said, trying to keep his voice calm even though his heart was still full of chaos. "My dad also came and handled it properly. It's just..." He paused, not knowing how to properly express what was churning in his heart.

"Just what?" Khue asked, her voice low.

"I just didn't expect that one day my family would be in a position to receive favors from your family in this way," Son spoke honestly, his voice was a bit bitter but he couldn't help it. "Before, I still thought that if I was poor, I would be poor, but at least you and I are on equal footing in terms of love. Now..."

"What now?" Khue asked again, her voice filled with tears.

"I don't know." Son sighed, his hands gripping the stair railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I just need time to think, not because of you, nor because of your dad coming to visit. It's just that everything happened so fast, I haven't had time to organize my mind." Khue was silent for a long time on the other end of the line, then spoke, trying to keep her voice calmer. "I understand. Just take care of me first, let's talk later, when you're ready, I'm always here."

"Thank you," Son said, then hung up the phone and stood alone in the quiet hospital hallway beneath the cold white fluorescent light. His worry about his father's future and the coming financial burden gradually mixed with another, vaguer fear: the distance between him and Khue, already fragile, could grow farther and farther—not because anyone was stopping him, but because circumstances were pushing them to opposite sides of life.