In the end, we had another fabulous day. We ate incredible food, caught some more street music, and strolled small cubbies to find more artwork. We laughed our guts out and felt like we were kings of the world for a few short hours. When the time came to leave, Callie packed up her few things and we were back on the motorcycle, winding our way through the roads and back to our lives. I could feel Callie’s arms holding me tightly around my waist, and ninety minutes blew by just like that.
As we drove up to the hotel, Ted came running out of his room. He was yelling at us. “Stop! Shit, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for hours, Callie!” What the hell was going on?
“I’m here now, what’s happening? Why do you look so upset? Ted! Just tell me, tell me…" Callie looked like she was freaking out.
Ted walked up to Callie, with tears in his eyes and said in a low voice, “There’s been an accident. Oh, Callie, there’s been a car accident!” He broke down sobbing, and I wanted to shake him. I wanted to scream, “Who? Who??Who???” But I swallowed down my fear and looked over at Callie. I had to be strong for her.
“What happened?” Callie asked quietly, I felt like all the noise in the world stopped in this one second. One moment to chaos. I could see her crumbling before we even knew what was going on.
Ted took a deep, fortifying breath, trying to ebb his sobs. I could tell he was wrecked by the news he had to share, and I didn’t know how to help him.
“Your parents, Gaby....they got hit by a semi. I don’t even know how they are, but they got air lifted to the hospital. They won’t tell me anything. I just got a call that it happened, they were looking for you.” Ted started crying again, as Callie threw herself into his arms. She was breaking, crumbling apart with every word he uttered. I watched as she fell into a million tiny pieces.
“Oh my god, oh my god,” she whimpered again. She wasn’t assimilating well, and I wasn’t sure if she really got it. What had happened to her family destroyed me inside, and I knew we faced a fucking difficult, grim time.
“Babe, I’ll take you to them,” I offered, even though she wasn’t looking my way.
“We all need to go,” Ted whispered,
Marko, who had been standing behind Ted all this time, quietly said,[SO21][ES22]“Callie...let’s go, honey.” He was crying so hard I could barely hear his words. The three of them were wrecked. I needed to take charge of the situation.
“Okay, everyone, get your shit together. Ted, give me the phone number, and I’ll figure out where we’re going. Marko, pack up the van, Callie, babe, come with me.” Callie turned and collapsed in my arms, sobbing tragically on my shoulder. This was so fucked up, and we didn’t even know right now if any of her family had survived the devastation. Were they alive? What the hell was I going to do? I steadied myself and started to formulate a plan. We needed to stick to my strategy. I needed to cancel some dates, get us to Callie’s family, get rooms for all of us and figure out how to guide Callie through this fuckedupness. If she lost anyone, this would be the worst day of her young life. How was I going to get her through the wreckage? I began to pray for strength I didn’t know if I had.
I shook myself out of my thoughts. I had to deal with one thing at a time. I told myself to get moving and grabbed Callies’ hand to drag her to my room. She barely had the strength to stand, so I gently laid her down on the bed.
“I’m going to call, okay babe? When I get the right person on the phone at the hospital, they’ll want to talk to you. They’ll tell us what’s going on, okay?” Callie nodded, frozen on the bed. She sobbed quietly now.
I placed the call to the hospital. When I finally got the right ward, a nurse answered, “This is Nurse Brown.” I explained why I was calling. The nurse asked if Callie was with me. She said, “I need to talk to their daughter, can you put Callie on the line?”
I nudged Callie and placed the phone in her hand, wrapping mine around hers to hold them steady. “Callie, you’re on speaker phone. I need you to get to Ryans Hospital ASAP. Your mother has a crushed spine,” Callie gasped loudly and grabbed hold of me tighter. Oh my God! Callie’s mother broke her back? Callie was crumbling right before my eyes. The nurse paused, then she continued, and the hits just kept on coming, damnit! “And your father had a heart attack. He’s broken his foot and has bruising over most of his body. They both need operations. I think your father is scheduled soon. We are trying our best to keep him alive.” Oh my God! Her father could die?
What the hell? Her father was struggling to survive? This couldn't be more of a mindfuck. The nurse went on to say she didn’t know exactly what had happened, but if Callie wanted to see her parents alive, she needed to get there, now. For a moment, I felt like I was moving through molasses. I had to snap out of it, goddamnit!
Callie dropped the phone. She went to the bathroom. I heard her empty her stomach. My heart broke for her. She washed her face and, in a stilted voice, said, “Hunter you have to get me there.”
I knew we needed to get the fuck out of here. I called Ted and Marko and said, “We need to leave, Callies’ parents might not make it through the night. Meet us at the van now.”
I didn’t check us out of the hotel, we needed to store our equipment so there was enough room in the van for all of us.
We piled inside, and I drove while the three of them silently wept. Callie held onto Ted, and Marko laid his hand on top of their intertwined hands. I realized, these two brothers thought of Bob and Keri as family. They were all crushed beyond words, crushed beyond measure. My heart was stuck in my throat, and I felt my blood thudding in my head.
I stayed focused on the road. It was going to take some time to get there, and I couldn’t...I just couldn’t let her down. The situation sounded completely dire. What the hell was I going to do? When we got there, we’d just have to see. I really didn’t know what we were facing, but I had to be ready for the worst. I didn’t know how to get prepared for that, for possible deaths in her family. This was almost too much to bear. My heart wrenched for the three friends. I just knew, no matter what, that this was going to be absolutely tragic. It already was, and my heart clenched inside my chest. I couldn't let my emotions rule me, though. I had to become a block of ice and get us the fuck to that goddamed hospital.
I drove for hours. The pained silence inside the vehicle was deafening. We sped through the dead of night. It was dark as fuck out here, but finally I saw the hospital signs, and I could breathe a little easier. As soon as I drove up to the ER bay, Callie jumped out and ran straight to the doors. I parked, and we all rushed in after her. I sped up to the desk and asked, “Where are Bob and Keri Jenson?”
We followed the directions and found Callie talking to a doctor dressed in green scrubs standing in front of her. She was sobbing loudly, and I raced up to her and took her in my arms.
“What’s happening? How’s her family?” I demanded answers. I needed to know what she was facing. What we were all facing. The truth was, I had never dealt with death like this before, and I prayed I could be solid as a rock for all three of them.
“I was just telling Callie, here...” He nodded towards Callie, and I noticed he looked a bit uncomfortable. He was a young doctor and maybe he wasn’t used to delivering bad news. He was a shorter man, with a shaved head. He wore the white coat like it was armor of steel.
“Are they alive?” I demanded. I asked the one question that was blaringly obvious.
“Yes, they are all alive for now. Mrs. Jenson has a crushed spine, and we needed to operate as soon as she arrived. It’s not clear if she’ll ever walk again. I'm so sorry. We had to remove her spleen, too. Mr. Jenson went into cardiac arrest, umm... a heart attack, as soon as they arrived. He’s resting comfortably for now.” The doctor took a deep breath and added, “He broke his ankle, so we put a cast on him. He’s bruised up pretty bad.”
“Ggggaby? What about Gaby? Oh, my fucking god, what about my brother?” Callie was hysterical now. I could tell she was letting herself think the worst
possible scenario, and I held onto her tighter, looking straight into the intern’s eyes. If he told us anything except that Gaby was safe and sound, I knew we were all going to fall into tiny pieces that we would never recover from. I held my breath as I waited too long..the seconds seemed like hours, and I was about to flip my shit.
“It’s a miracle. Your brother was strapped into his baby seat, and it protected him. He’s crying for his mother, but he’s basically fine,” Doctor Brown stated in an awe-struck voice.
Callie pushed me away hard and started running down the hall, calling out loudly.
“Gaby, Gaby, where are you?” she screamed with all her might.“Gaby!”
Chapter 31
Callie
I had to find my brother. I lost my fucking mind, running down the hall. I didn’t know why I was yelling for him. He was a seven-month-old baby, and he couldn’t answer me. I fundamentally knew this, but I just couldn’t stop. I had to find him immediately and needed to see for myself that he was okay. I had to see with my own two eyes as my heart beat a heartbroken thump. As I sprinted down the hospital hallway, I felt a hand on my arm, and Hunter was pulling me in a new direction. Thank God he was here; I couldn’t take this alone. I just couldn’t face any more bad news! I felt a scream bubble up inside and pushed it back down my throat.
I certainly didn’t want to frighten my baby brother any more than he already was.
Hunter and I skidded to a stop in front of the nursery. He urged me forward, and I heard him say in a strong, capable voice,“Excuse me, we’re looking for her brother Gaby, Gabriel Jenson. We heard he was here.” Hunter pleaded with the nurse on duty, but suddenly he lost all patience and demanded in a harsh-as-fuck voice, “Someone bring us to Gabriel!” His anger flashed and his neck turned instantly bright red. He tightened his grip on my hand. Why was it taking so fucking long to find my baby brother? The anguish I felt was overwhelming. I couldn’t hold it together much longer.
Just when I thought I was going to rip in two, I heard cooing sounds and looked over to my left in time to see a nurse carrying out Gaby. He looked so sweet with his arms reaching out towards me, and relief flooded my bloodstream to see him in one piece. I went to her and gently pulled him to me. My heart broke when I saw bruises all over his little, adorable face. But he didn’t seem to notice, he hugged me and blew bubbles from his tiny mouth. He was the cutest seven-month-old, and I was over-the-moon and held him close to my heart. I cuddled him in my arms and felt him stretch up to my neck, his tiny arms holding me tight. He smelled like baby powder and comfort.
“Does he need to be here, or can I take him with me?” I asked the nurse as my lips connected to Gaby’s neck. He started giggling and squirming. He was absolutely lovable. Thank God, my brother was healthy and happy.
“I think the doctor wanted to check him out one more time. I’ll call him to see what he wants to do, okay? You can hold him in the meantime.” I nodded, and the nurse trotted off to call his doctor.
“I’m just going to stay here with Gaby until we know. Is that okay, Hunter? Would you do me a favor and go check on Mama and Daddy? Tell them I’ll be by as soon as I can.” I looked into his eyes, we were both so emotional, and I knew I needed to dig deep to face everything right now. It was so fucked up, and I didn't know what to do first. I decided this was where I'd start, with my baby brother.
Gaby needed me to be strong. He was adorable, laying his head on my shoulder. I heard him blow out a breath, and finally he relaxed. He fell asleep just like that. I looked up to see the nurse walking towards us.
“I talked to Doctor Slater, and he’s on his way. He’d like to talk to you before you take Gaby. I know you need to check on your parents, we’re trying to get this done quickly so you can go.” The nurse was dressed in blue scrubs and seemed really kind. I was so stressed out I didn’t even answer her but finally nodded. Gaby was sleeping, and I had to stay focused to get through this shit storm. How the fuck did we end up here in the ER? I prayed my parents were doing well, but I had to handle one thing at a time. I told myself to breathe and took another whiff of Gaby’s baby smell, which thankfully calmed me the fuck down.
Gaby first.
Doctor Slater came up to us just then. “Miss Jenson?” he started. He was a different doctor, a pediatrician? Dressed in a familiar white coat with the stethoscope wrapped around his neck, he approached us with a gentleness I needed right now.
“Please call me Callie. How is Gaby? Please, I beg of you, tell me he’s fine.” Tears streaked down my face; I couldn’t stop crying. This was my family, goddamnit, and I felt myself tremble. My resolve to stay strong crumbled to the ground.
“He’s fine, Callie, Gabriel is fine. Just look at him. Thank God your parents had such a great baby seat. I think it saved his life. But he is a little banged up. His face has bruising, as you can see.” Doctor Slater brushed Gaby’s blonde hair off his face, and my heart lifted. He was going to be all right. The bruises looked worse than they did when I first saw him. Fuck me, my poor little brother. He was a baby! How could he understand what was going on? I was shredded at the thought of him being here without me, scared and defenseless.
“What do you need from me?” I hoped I could take him with me to check on my parents. I felt torn between him and them, and my gut twisted inside. No matter what, though, I wasn’t leaving him alone for another moment.
“My main concern is internal bleeding. I’ve given him a few tests and think he’s okay, but if he starts vomiting or you notice any change at all, call me, page me. I’ll come right away.” Doctor Slater handed me his card, and I briefly glanced at it.
His number and pager were printed in black ink.
“I’m not leaving here for a while, and I’ll call if there’s anything, I promise.” I just wanted to keep Gaby in my arms and run as fast as I could to the other side of the hospital. “I’m worried about his bruising.” I noticed Gaby had bruises on his belly.
“This is why I’m concerned about internal bleeding, but I think the bruises look worse than they are.” I sighed, so relieved to hear it. “Okay, Callie. I hope everything works out with you.” The nice Doctor Slater walked away. I was just so flustered by everything hitting me all at once. I looked up and saw Hunter walking briskly towards me. He had a grim look on his face, and my heart seized up. Time just stopped completely. I wished I could run away and hide, but I had to pull myself together right now, goddamnit! I had to be strong.
“What? Tell me, what’s going on?” I demanded. “Just spit it out, Hunter.”
“Your mom is down for the count, babe. She won’t wake up for a while, and your dad is going in for more tests. I’m frustrated. I was hoping to give you some good news. How’s Gaby? What did the doctor say?” I shared everything I knew. He looked relieved as his shoulders slumped forward. At least that was one of us. I was strung tighter than a kite.
Gaby squirmed in my arms but then settled back to sleep. “Let’s go, I want to at least see them.” I followed Hunter as he started walking back the way he came. I traipsed behind him all the way to a doorway.
“Here she is, do you want me to take Gaby while you go sit with her?” He did his best to reassure me.
“Aw, thanks, but I just can’t yet. I can’t let go of him. I’ll sit with her. Come with, okay?” I looked over at Hunter, and he nodded, following me inside.
When I saw Mama lying there in her hospital bed, I completely fell apart. She looked so bruised up. Cuts dotted her face, and scabs had already begun to form. They hid her beautiful face behind large black bruises and bloody deep cuts. There were scrapes all over her too, like she had been dragged along the asphalt. Holy hell, she was a mess. The road rash looked horribly painful.
The nurse explained the surgery, and I grabbed a chair and sat down before I fainted. They had fused her spine together with pins and screws so her back wouldn’t collapse any more than it already had. I needed to breathe, my god, I just needed to catch my breath. My sweet mother lay wo
unded like she had fought valiantly in a war. Maybe it was a war of survival. I said a silent prayer, that she would come out of this 100 per cent, though I knew it was virtually impossible. They couldn’t even reassure us that she would ever walk again.
How did I face this? How would she?
Mama looked so small and frail. She was laid on her side, her face scrunched into a pained expression. I placed Gaby down next to her and he snuggled right up, his nose pressed against her arm. He finally looked relaxed, sleeping next our mother. The stress he must have gone through, the trauma of being separated and away from her with strangers must have done a helluva number on him. I looked over at Hunter and felt the tears sliding down my face. I shook my head.
I couldn’t stop crying. I was falling apart all over again. Hunter gently took my hand in his large, warm, comforting palm. He said, “It’s going to be okay, Callie girl, it is.” He gave me a small, reassuring smile.
I didn’t know if any of that was true.
I was speechless. I was wrung out like an old dishrag; I couldn’t wrap my head around all the pain and heartbreak right here in Mama’s room. As much as I tried, I just couldn’t, wouldn’t, be okay until I knew my family was going to survive this catastrophic wreck that smashed all our lives apart.
This was just wrong.
None of them deserved any of this bullshit.
I sat quietly and wept.
I wept for everything we lost that day.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Chapter 32
Hunter
This was such a huge fucking mess! Lord, I wasn’t sure how long we would be here, and I still had to handle the tour. I knew Callie wouldn't be ready to get back on the road for at least a week, maybe more. I had to put my manager cap on and take care of business. I called the spaces that were expecting us and explained what was happening. Everyone was sympathetic but disappointed that I was cancelling their show. They had heard through the grapevine how awesome the band was, so I did what I thought was best, and added them to the end of our tour. I wasn’t going to bother Callie with all this right now. She had too much on her plate already. I just accepted that we’d be out longer than originally planned.
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