A nurse out on a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner performs CPR on a homeless man who had a heart attack, even though her boyfriend threatened to leave her.

Mary Norton was excited! Her boyfriend Jordan had invited her out for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, and she had the feeling he was about to pop the question.

She wore her favorite little black dress and elegant high heels, a far cry from the sensible flats, and the scrubs she wore for work. Mary was in love with Jordan and she thought this might be the beginning of the best night of her life. She never imagined everything could go wrong.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Jordan picked her up at eight o’clock in the evening in a limo, and they drove downtown. She was thrilled when they stopped in front of the city’s tallest building, sat the top of which was a famous restaurant.

Mary gasped. “Jordan, the Top Hat? Really?”
“Only the best for my girl,” Jordan smiled and helped Mary step out of the limo. The driver pulled away from the curb, then Mary saw an odd movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw a man leaning against the wall.

He was deadly pale and sweating and he was rubbing his left shoulder and grimacing. Mary immediately walked towards him. “Sir, are you alright?” she asked.

The man, who was wearing ragged clothes, opened vivid blue eyes and made an effort to smile. “I’m alright, thank you,” he replied and Mary was surprised by his beautiful voice and educated accent.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Then suddenly the man collapsed, and Mary called out to Jordan: “Call 911, this man is having a heart attack!”

Jordan grabbed his phone and Mary knelt on the pavement next to the man and tried to take his pulse. It was erratic and weak and Mary started chest compressions.

“They are on their way,” Jordan told Mary when he got off the phone. Then he frowned as he saw Mary tilt the man’s head back to clear the airway. “Mary! You are not putting your mouth on that man!”

Mary looked up at him. “What else can I do, Jordan? He’s not getting enough oxygen!”

“If you do mouth-to-mouth on this bum I’m NEVER kissing you again,” he screamed. “We’re finished!”

“Then I guess we’re finished,” Mary said quietly. And without further ado, she started doing mouth-to-mouth on the unconscious man. Jordan stood there for a few minutes, then with a cry of outrage, he turned his back and walked away.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Mary alternated the chest compressions with the mouth-to-mouth until the ambulance arrived then rode back to the hospital with the homeless man. At one point he opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Angel…” he whispered and Mary held his hand.

Once they were in the hospital, which happened to be the one where Mary worked, the doctors swiftly took the man away as Mary stood in the lobby in her black dress and high heels. “Happy Valentine’s Day to me!” she said ruefully.

It was then that one of the administrators came to her and asked about the man. Who was he? Did he have insurance? Mary explained that she didn’t know. Maybe the man had an ID in his wallet?

Mary got the man’s wallet from his discarded clothes. His name was Jake Burlington, and he had a phone number with the notation ‘Mom’ in one of the compartments of his wallet.

Mary called the number. “Hello?” said a cool, feminine voice.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

“Good evening,” Mary said. “Are you a relative of Jake Burlington’s?”

“Jake?” the woman gasped. “Jake is my son! Where is he? What’s happened?”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Burlington,” Mary said. “But Jake had a heart attack and he’s at St. George’s Hospital in intensive care.”

“Please,” the woman said. “Wait for me, I’ll be there in half an hour!”

Half an hour later, a tall elegant woman in her sixties hurried into the hospital lobby and walked up to the reception. “I’m Jake Burlington’s mother, ” she said. “How is my son?”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Mary approached Mrs. Burlington. “Mrs. Burlington? I’m the nurse who accompanied your son to the hospital.”

“You did?” asked Mrs. Burlington. “You’re his friend?”

Mary smiled. “I was on my way to dinner when I saw your son having a heart attack on the street so I gave him CPR.”

Mrs. Burlington grabbed Mary’s hand. “Thank you, and thank you for saving his life.” It was then that the doctor came and told them that Jake was conscious and that they could see him for a minute.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Jake was very pale and hooked up to IVs, but he gave Mary a radiant smile. “Angel…” he whispered, then he saw his mother.

“Jake!” Mrs. Burlington sobbed. “Oh, darling forgive me! I miss you so much! I know I was wrong…” But Jake shook his head, took his mother’s hand, and kissed it. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The two women walked out of the room and Mary put her arm around Mrs. Burlington’s shoulders. “I kicked my son out ten years ago because he refused to take over the family business. He wanted to be an artist…

“I thought he’d change his mind and come crawling back, but he never did! I saw some reviews of his work, and they were fabulous, but it seems he’s still struggling…”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

The doctor explained to Mrs. Burlington that Jake was suffering from long-term malnutrition which had led to the heart attack. “Your son needs care, rest, and good food, and he may well recover fully,” he said.

And Jake did start to recover. Mary found herself popping into his room several times during the day just to check on him and to see that wonderful smile that lit up his blue eyes when he saw her.

When Jake was ready to go home, he told Mary he was in love with her. Mary had to admit that she was falling for the struggling artist too. A few days after Jake was released, Mary was stunned when her bank manager called her, telling her she had received a substantial deposit.

When she asked Mrs. Burlington, she told Mary she wanted to thank her for all her care, and her attention to her son. Jake moved back into his mother’s house, and she promised to respect his decisions.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Soon, Mrs. Burlington financed an exhibition of her son’s paintings in a major art gallery, and by the end of the evening, Jake was a star. He could now afford to buy a studio for himself, and he asked Mary to marry him.

A year after they met, Jake and Mary got married in the most romantic Valentine’s Day wedding anyone had ever seen.

What can we learn from this story?

Our first obligation as human beings is to render assistance to those in need. Mary’s first impulse was to help, while Jordan was disgusted because the sick man was homeless.
Show everyone you meet the same care and consideration. Jake was homeless but all that Mary saw was a man whose life was in danger so she did all she could to save him.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a young woman who is ashamed of her crippled mother and tells her to pretend to be a maid when her wealthy fiancé comes to visit.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com