Help arrived quickly. As the soldiers worked to free them, the ambulance was turned to its side. One door was blocked and the other was bent out of shape and would not open. The only solution was to get them out through the windshield, which had to be shattered by the rescuers. The doctor, with Anna's help, put a cast on the driver's broken left arm.
They transferred to a truck, abandoning the crippled ambulance on the side of the road. Arriving at Heraklion late at night, they passed the Hotel Minos, where Anna and Nikolas had spent such a happy night making love and plans for their future. "My God, it seems like another lifetime," she murmured to herself.
The overcrowded hospital had been bombed at night, either accidentally or on purpose. It was all but destroyed. Panic and chaos overtook the staff and patients. They moved as many people as they could to a nearby hotel and used it as a hospital. Anna asked many of the wounded patients about Nikolas. A man with his eyes bandaged overheard Anna's plea. He raised his arm to get her attention. Anna rushed to him.
"I was a sailor on the Hellas. Captain Nikolas was on the bridge trying to save the ship, but the last bomb destroyed the Hellas. The whole sea was on fire; oil was spilled all over. I was next to the captain. Both of us were on fire as we went down with the ship. The force of the sinking ship drew us into deep water. I held my breath and tried to hold on against the down pull. Somehow, I was able to get away from the fire. Then a British ship rescued me. I never saw Captain Nikolas again. He could have been on the same rescue ship with me, but there were other vessels around too." The sailor took a deep breath. Anna could not see his eyes, but she knew there were tears in them. "If he survived, it must have been by a miracle of God. He was a brave man."
Anna took the man's hand in hers. "Thank you for telling me all this."
"Who are you?"
"I am Anna, Nikolas's fiancée."
The sailor squeezed her hand. "You were lucky to know a person like him."
Anna gave the man a light kiss and left.