Post by Razgat on Oct 25, 2009 15:41:59 GMT -5
The road was pretty busy, but that was normal in the afternoons, especially since the school just let out. Sarah was driving her little brother, Tommy, home. They were pretty close, and she joked with him as she drove home. “Hey, do you want to listen to the radio?” Sarah twisted the dial, searching for a good tune.
Tommy nodded, but looked out the window. Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Anything wrong, Tommy?”
He shook his head and sighed. “Nah, I’m just tired.”
Sarah smiled and ruffled his hair. Tommy protested, so she tried to poke his stomach instead. His protests barely got through his fits of laughter until he finally said, “Stop, you’ll crash!”
Sarah stopped, and Tommy sighed with relief. “Hey, I’ve driven you home tons of time. We won’t crash. Hey, listen, you love this song!” Bohemian Rhapsody was playing, and Sara started to sing along. Tommy didn’t, and she jokingly punched his shoulder. “Hey, come on. Sing with me!”
Tommy smiled and joined in until they were singing at the top of their lungs and laughing with each other. When it came to a guitar solo, Sarah stopped and looked at her brother. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. But then his smile quickly turned into a frown, and he pointed at the window screaming, “Look out!”
Sarah’s eyes darted to the wind shield, but it was too late. They collided straight on with a truck that had been turning onto their lane.
-----------
Sarah awoke, but she couldn’t see anything. She felt wet and cold, and there was a sharp pain in her head. She felt it everywhere. What had happened? She had been driving home with Tommy, and they had hit something. Tommy. She groaned and tried to open her eyes, but she could only see out of one. The air bag had deployed, and she lifted her head to see around it, but something was wrong. Everything seemed different. She glanced at the windshield, which was pretty much shattered, and saw that they were upside down. She heard a moan beside her, and her eyes darted to the passenger seat. In a little heap on the ceiling was Tommy. His clothes were stained red, and he wasn’t moving. She heard him whimper. “Tommy? Tommy, can you hear me?”
She heard him whimper again, and she thought she heard her name. She stretched her arm out towards him and tried to reach him, but he was too far away. “Tommy? Tommy you have to stay awake! Tommy!”
Her vision started going blurry, and Tommy was now a smear in her vision. She tried to call to him again, but it sounded slurred. She kept her arm out towards him, trying to reach him. She was almost there. Almost there. She heard sirens, and red and blue smears alternated in her vision. She could almost reach him. She heard what sounded like voices, and more smears came into view. They were all around the car. One was extremely close to her, and she felt them put something over her mouth. She tried to tell them to help Tommy, but she couldn’t even move her mouth anymore. Her vision finally went black, and her arm went limp. She couldn’t reach him.
-----------
Sarah awoke for a second time. This time she was on a hospital bed. She saw tubes connected to her body, and a cover was over her mouth supplying her a steady supply of oxygen. She reached for it and pulled it off, taking a breath for herself. She sat up in the bed and looked around. The room was empty, but there was a bouquet of flowers on her night stand. She examined herself and found that she didn’t look that damaged. She had many cuts and bruises, and she felt some bandages wrapped around her head, but nothing drastic. But where was Tommy?
Just then, a nurse stepped in. She looked surprised when she saw Sarah sitting up, but smiled and waved outside the door. She stepped aside as her parents came in. They looked ecstatic to see Sarah, and her mother went up to her and kissed her on her forehead. Sarah smiled back and looked towards her dad. “Where’s Tommy?”
Their smiles suddenly faded into a grim line, and they looked at one another before answering. Her father had to answer because her mother had turned away and started crying. “He’s in a coma, dear.”
Sarah didn’t hear anything else they said, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to hear their sympathy about how it could happen to anyone. She didn’t want to hear that it was always possible for him to wake up. She didn’t want to hear any of it. It had been her fault that they crashed. It was all her fault.
------------------
Sarah’s parents had left her alone to rest after their conversation, and the nurse had injected her with some type of fluid, she didn’t see which, that put her straight to sleep. Hours later, or at least that’s what it felt like, she woke up to hear doctors and nurses running down the hallway. They were shouting for anesthesiologists and surgeons and other types of jobs Sarah didn’t recognize. Nurses ran by carrying equipment. One doctor had stopped after someone shouted to him. A man and woman ran up to him and bombarded him with questions. They were her parents, and they were asking about their son.
“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, but we’re not sure about the cause. We found deep lacerations in his sides that started to bleed profusely. There are also small cuts all elsewhere, and his heart rate shot up. He seems to have gone into shock. We’re not sure about what caused this, but we’ll end it. I swear, we will.”
Tommy nodded, but looked out the window. Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Anything wrong, Tommy?”
He shook his head and sighed. “Nah, I’m just tired.”
Sarah smiled and ruffled his hair. Tommy protested, so she tried to poke his stomach instead. His protests barely got through his fits of laughter until he finally said, “Stop, you’ll crash!”
Sarah stopped, and Tommy sighed with relief. “Hey, I’ve driven you home tons of time. We won’t crash. Hey, listen, you love this song!” Bohemian Rhapsody was playing, and Sara started to sing along. Tommy didn’t, and she jokingly punched his shoulder. “Hey, come on. Sing with me!”
Tommy smiled and joined in until they were singing at the top of their lungs and laughing with each other. When it came to a guitar solo, Sarah stopped and looked at her brother. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. But then his smile quickly turned into a frown, and he pointed at the window screaming, “Look out!”
Sarah’s eyes darted to the wind shield, but it was too late. They collided straight on with a truck that had been turning onto their lane.
-----------
Sarah awoke, but she couldn’t see anything. She felt wet and cold, and there was a sharp pain in her head. She felt it everywhere. What had happened? She had been driving home with Tommy, and they had hit something. Tommy. She groaned and tried to open her eyes, but she could only see out of one. The air bag had deployed, and she lifted her head to see around it, but something was wrong. Everything seemed different. She glanced at the windshield, which was pretty much shattered, and saw that they were upside down. She heard a moan beside her, and her eyes darted to the passenger seat. In a little heap on the ceiling was Tommy. His clothes were stained red, and he wasn’t moving. She heard him whimper. “Tommy? Tommy, can you hear me?”
She heard him whimper again, and she thought she heard her name. She stretched her arm out towards him and tried to reach him, but he was too far away. “Tommy? Tommy you have to stay awake! Tommy!”
Her vision started going blurry, and Tommy was now a smear in her vision. She tried to call to him again, but it sounded slurred. She kept her arm out towards him, trying to reach him. She was almost there. Almost there. She heard sirens, and red and blue smears alternated in her vision. She could almost reach him. She heard what sounded like voices, and more smears came into view. They were all around the car. One was extremely close to her, and she felt them put something over her mouth. She tried to tell them to help Tommy, but she couldn’t even move her mouth anymore. Her vision finally went black, and her arm went limp. She couldn’t reach him.
-----------
Sarah awoke for a second time. This time she was on a hospital bed. She saw tubes connected to her body, and a cover was over her mouth supplying her a steady supply of oxygen. She reached for it and pulled it off, taking a breath for herself. She sat up in the bed and looked around. The room was empty, but there was a bouquet of flowers on her night stand. She examined herself and found that she didn’t look that damaged. She had many cuts and bruises, and she felt some bandages wrapped around her head, but nothing drastic. But where was Tommy?
Just then, a nurse stepped in. She looked surprised when she saw Sarah sitting up, but smiled and waved outside the door. She stepped aside as her parents came in. They looked ecstatic to see Sarah, and her mother went up to her and kissed her on her forehead. Sarah smiled back and looked towards her dad. “Where’s Tommy?”
Their smiles suddenly faded into a grim line, and they looked at one another before answering. Her father had to answer because her mother had turned away and started crying. “He’s in a coma, dear.”
Sarah didn’t hear anything else they said, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to hear their sympathy about how it could happen to anyone. She didn’t want to hear that it was always possible for him to wake up. She didn’t want to hear any of it. It had been her fault that they crashed. It was all her fault.
------------------
Sarah’s parents had left her alone to rest after their conversation, and the nurse had injected her with some type of fluid, she didn’t see which, that put her straight to sleep. Hours later, or at least that’s what it felt like, she woke up to hear doctors and nurses running down the hallway. They were shouting for anesthesiologists and surgeons and other types of jobs Sarah didn’t recognize. Nurses ran by carrying equipment. One doctor had stopped after someone shouted to him. A man and woman ran up to him and bombarded him with questions. They were her parents, and they were asking about their son.
“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, but we’re not sure about the cause. We found deep lacerations in his sides that started to bleed profusely. There are also small cuts all elsewhere, and his heart rate shot up. He seems to have gone into shock. We’re not sure about what caused this, but we’ll end it. I swear, we will.”