“Sir,” said one of the crew working on Jake. “We’ve sedated your friend here to keep him still for now. We’re about to transfer him into the rig. Do you want to ride with us?”
“I don’t know,” replied Grey shakily. “What about Rich? Are they ready to move him too?”
“Let me check.”
A few seconds later the medic ran back over to him, calling out that they were ready to move the guitarist too. He confirmed that they were taking them both to the emergency room at Beebe.”
“Paul and I will follow you in the truck,” said Grey calmly. “Any word on Gary?”
“Not yet,” replied the medic solemnly. “But it doesn’t look good. He’s trapped under the tanker and they can’t get to him. As soon as we hear, we’ll let you know.”
“Thanks,” mumbled Grey, feeling a lump of emotion swelling in his throat. “I’ll call Jake’s fiancée and get her to meet us at Beebe.”
“No need,” said the medic. “The police have that in hand. Your friend gave them the contact details. Now, we really need to get moving.”
Silently Grey nodded, as he watched an unconscious Jake being stretchered into the back of the ambulance. A single tear slid down his pale tanned cheek.
♫
After Jake had called, Lori had settled back on the sun lounger to read another chapter of her book. She had spent the afternoon quietly sunbathing in her bikini, confident that no one was going to drop by and disturb her. When she reached the end of the chapter, she slipped her bookmark into place and closed the book over. “Time to light the coals,” she thought, as she got to her feet. The decking boards were hot under her bare feet as she crossed the deck to the BBQ. A plastic chest sat at the side of the deck with the charcoal and BBQ fluid inside. Trying not to cover her bare skin with charcoal dust, Lori tipped the remains of the bag into the tray, scattering the lumpwood evenly. She sprayed it lightly with lighter fluid, then tossed in a lit match. Small flames licked up, gradually spreading out evenly over the bed of charcoal. Satisfied that it would stay lit, Lori headed indoors to wash her hands.
As she turned off the tap, the front doorbell rang.
The noise sounded alien in the quiet house. No one ever rang the bell. Pausing to lift one of Jake’s shirts, that he’d left hanging on the back of the kitchen chair, Lori slipped it on over her bikini as she limped down the hallway. She could see two dark shadows through the frosted glass pane. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. Two police officers stood on the top step – one male; one female.
“Miss Hyde?” asked the male officer politely.
“Yes,” replied Lori, feeling the blood drain from her face. “What’s happened? Is it Jake?”
“There’s been an accident out on Route 1. I’m sorry to inform you that Mr Power was in one of the vehicles involved.”
“No!” she exclaimed sharply, shaking her head. “No!”
“I know it’s a shock, Miss Hyde,” began the female officer softly. “He’s been taken to the medical centre. We don’t know his exact condition, though.”
Tears flowed freely down Lori’s cheeks as she stared at the two officers in complete disbelief. Her legs were trembling and she gripped the edge of the door tightly to steady herself.
“We’re here to take you out there,” added the other officer. “Or to escort you, if you’d prefer to drive yourself.”
“Jake,” sobbed Lori quietly. “Not Jake.”
“Miss Hyde,” said the female officer, reaching out to touch her arm. “The sooner we get you to the medical centre, the sooner you’ll see Jake. Do you need me to help you fetch anything before we go?”
“Give me a minute, please,” replied Lori tearfully. “I’ll grab my purse.”
Turning her back on the officers, Lori stumbled down the hallway to the bedroom to fetch her bag. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she grabbed her sarong off the bed and tied it around her waist. She slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops, lifted her bag and her cane then left the bedroom again. Remembering her cell phone, she detoured through the kitchen before returning to the front door.
“Ready,” she whispered sadly as she stepped out of the house, pulling the door closed behind her.
As she sat in the back seat of the police car, tears flowed soundlessly down her cheeks. Her chest was tight with a sickening knot of fear and panic. Reaching into her bag with trembling hands, Lori pulled out her phone and called Maddy. The line was busy. Before she could decide who to call next, the phone began to ring. Grey’s number came up on the small screen.
“Grey!” she sobbed as she answered it. “Is he ok?”
“He’s knocked about a bit, Lori, but I don’t think it’s too bad,” replied the bass player, trying to sound positive. “We’ve just arrived at Beebe. The doctor is with him just now.”
“How bad?” demanded Lori sharply, the phone shaking in her quivering hand.
“Lori, he walked out of the wreck. Lord knows how! He was talking to me. He’s hurt his shoulder pretty bad and his ribs. There’s a nasty cut on his cheek. They’re working on him just now. Try not to panic, sweetheart. Are you on your way here?”
“Yes,” whispered Lori tearfully. “The police came to the house. I’m about twenty minutes away.”
“I’ll meet you at the door to the ER,” promised Grey warmly.
“What about Rich?” asked Lori, suddenly remembering that he had been driving.
“They’re bringing him right now. I’ve not spoken to him. Paul stayed with him while I was with Jake. I think he’s pretty much the same as Jake though. There’s no word on Gary yet,” he explained, images of the carnage they had left behind on the highway flooding his mind. “It doesn’t look good, Lori.”
“No,” she sobbed. “This isn’t happening.”
“I know,” he agreed, emotion cracking in his own voice. “Look. I need to try to call Linsey. I’ll see you in a few minutes. I’ll wait right by the door for you.”
“Ok,” whispered Lori. “Ok.”
The first person Lori saw, as the police car pulled up outside the medical centre, was Grey. True to his word, he was standing in the shade beside the entrance, talking on his phone. Spying Lori stumble out of the car, assisted by the police officer, he quickly ended the call and ran over to her. Wrapping his arms around her, the bass player held her tight for a few moments, whispering soft reassurances to her as she sobbed into his chest. While he held her, the police officers discretely said that they would catch up with them inside, leaving them to make their own way into the emergency room. Keeping an arm around Lori’s shoulders, Grey guided her through to the small, family waiting room where Paul was sitting with a cup of coffee. Hearing Lori’s cane clicking on the floor, he jumped to his feet and embraced her tightly as she came into his reach. Both of them were trembling and just held each other for a few moments.
“Where is he?” asked Lori, bravely trying to keep her emotions in check.
“They took him down the hall to do some x-rays,” explained Paul, his voice trembling. “I was told to wait here.”
“And Rich?”
“He’s here somewhere. I saw them wheel him down the hallway a few minutes ago.”
“Any word on Gary?” asked Grey, dreading the answer.
Paul shook his head and fresh tears filled his eyes. “He didn’t make it.”
Feeling her legs go weak, Lori sank down onto the nearest chair. “No! Tell me he’s here too!”
“Lori, I wish he was,” sighed Paul. “One of the police officers broke the news to me just after Grey went out to fetch you. Said he hadn’t stood a chance. That he wouldn’t have suffered.”
With sobs wracking her body, Lori sat rocking backwards and forwards, her face buried in her hands. Both grieving musicians moved to sit on either side of her; both putting their arms round her shoulders. Lost in their own private grief, the three of them sat silently for what felt like an eternity. In the background, the buzz of hospital life continued. A phon
e was ringing loudly. A young child was screaming, obviously in pain. At the nurses’ station, a man was yelling about the waiting time. After a while, Grey went to fetch them all a drink from the vending machine at the end of the hallway. Sipping their coffee from Styrofoam cups, they slowly told Lori as much as they could about the accident. They held her as she cried fresh tears, trying their best to console her and answer her questions.
“Miss Hyde?” asked a young male voice.
A junior doctor stood in the doorway with a chart in his hands.
“Yes,” said Lori, looking up through a veil of tears.
“Mr Power’s going to be ok,” he said reassuringly as he came to sit across from them. “He’s back from radiography and we’re waiting to admit him.”
“Admit him?” echoed Lori, looking confused.
“We want to keep him under observation for twenty-four hours as a precaution,” explained the doctor. “He’s a lucky man, all things considered. He’s dislocated his shoulder but the paramedics relocated it at the scene. His x-rays are clear. Nothing’s broken. No internal injuries. His ribs are quite extensively bruised though. There’s also a nasty cut below his eye that needs to be sutured and he’s had a bang to the head. He was sedated at the scene so he’s quiet and a bit drowsy.”
“Can I see him?” asked Lori, wiping away a tear.
“Of course,” said the doctor, before turning to Paul and Grey. “Have either of you managed to contact Mr Santiago’s family?”
“Not yet,” replied Grey. “How is Rich?”
“He’s on his way back here from radiography. He’ll be admitted for a few days. His nose was badly broken by the impact and needs surgery to realign it correctly. There’s hairline fractures to his cheek bones, but nothing appears to be displaced. Apart from that, he’s got a cut above his eye that needs attention and extensive bruising to his ribcage and chest. They’ve both been incredibly lucky.”
“Can we see them now, please?” pleaded Lori, getting shakily to her feet.
“Certainly,” said the doctor. “If you could follow me please, ma’am.”
The doctor led them down to the end of a short corridor lined with curtained off cubicles, then pulled aside the pale blue curtain.
“We’ve kept them both together,” he explained, stepping aside to let Lori enter.
Nervously, Lori moved past him into the cubicle, the curtain catching on her sarong, exposing the full length of her thigh to all three of them. In front of her, Jake lay propped up on several pillows, his left arm in a blue sling and his eyes closed. His ashen face was still blood stained. A few stumbling steps took her to his side and, as Lori took his hand in hers, fresh tears glided silently down her pale cheeks.
“Hey, li’l lady,” said Jake drowsily, struggling to open his eyes. “Don’t cry.”
“Oh, Jake,” she sobbed. “Are you ok?”
“I’ve been better,” he admitted, trying to sound “normal”.
“The doctor told us,” said Grey, joining them. “Sounds like you and Rich have been the lucky ones.”
“Well, we’re still here,” mumbled Jake, squeezing Lori’s hand. “They just told us about Gary.”
“I’m so sorry,” whispered Lori tearfully. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t think he would have known much about it,” replied Jake, his voice thick with emotion. “It all happened so fast. He was asleep up front when the tanker hit us.”
From the other side of the enclosed space, Rich spoke for the first time. “It could easily have been all of us.”
Hastily Lori turned round and hurried over to his bedside. Trying to smile, she asked if he was ok.
“I’ll live,” he said, forcing a weak smile back at her. “They’ve scheduled surgery for tomorrow morning to rebuild my nose. I thought airbags were meant to protect you?”
“It did,” stated Grey bluntly.
Before they could continue with their conversation, a small nurse came into the cubicle.
“Sorry to interrupt, folks,” she apologised as she pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. “Time to suture those cuts, boys.”
Both Jake and Rich groaned.
“You’re first, Mr Power.”
“Christ,” sighed Jake. “My lucky day.”
“I’ll be gentle with you,” she promised kindly. “And I’ll do a neat job. Need to preserve those rock star looks of yours.”
The nurse proved to be as good as her word. She worked swiftly and efficiently while Lori sat silently holding Jake’s trembling hand. After a few short minutes, the nurse declared she was done.
“How many was that?” asked Jake, curious to learn the extent of the damage.
“Six,” she replied, as she removed her latex gloves. “You’ll need to come back to visit us in about ten days to get them removed. It’s deep but it’s a nice clean cut. I don’t think there will be too much of a scar.”
“Thank you,” said Jake, forcing a weak smile.
“Ok, Mr Santiago,” she called across the room. “Your turn next.”
As she approached Rich’s bed, Paul declared, “I can’t watch. Can I get anyone a coffee or something?”
All of them declined his offer.
“I’ll go and call Maddy instead,” muttered Paul, desperate to avoid watching the nurse work on Rich.
“I’d better call my mom and tell her to keep Becky tonight,” said Grey. “Can I trust you guys to behave until I get back?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” said Jake closing his eyes. His head was pounding and waves of nausea were washing through him.
“Too damn right you’re not,” stated Lori firmly, finally feeling a little more in control of her emotions.
Sleepily, Jake opened his eyes again and smiled at her. For the first time, he noticed Lori was wearing her bikini with his shirt over the top of it.
“I see you left in a hurry, li’l lady.”
“Something like that,” mumbled Lori, suddenly self-conscious about her state of undress. “I was scared. I just wanted to know you were alive. The police didn’t have too many details when they arrived to fetch me. It was Grey, who let me know you were still with us.”
“I’d have called if I could,” apologised Jake quietly. With a weary sigh, he added, “I still don’t believe this has happened. He was there one minute and then….”
Tears welled up in his eyes and he turned his face away from Lori, not wanting her to see him cry.
“Baby, it’s ok to cry,” she whispered softly.
“There was nothing, absolutely nothing, we could do. If Rich hadn’t reacted as quickly,” a sob caught in his throat. “We could all have been killed.”
Getting to her feet, Lori gently reached out to hug him. Ignoring the pain, Jake struggled into a sitting position and wept openly into her shoulder. Silent, painful sobs wracked his battered body. Tenderly, Lori smoothed his hair, rubbed his back and held him as he wept. Seeing her strong rock star grief stricken was tearing her apart, but she knew she had to be strong for him. As his tears subsided, Lori kissed him on the cheek and helped him to lie back against the pillows.
On the far side of the cubicle, the triage nurse had left and Rich was quietly watching his friend unravel. When he saw Jake sink back onto the pillows, he called over, “Hey, you ok, buddy?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Jake looking over at his band mate. Ignoring Lori’s protests, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and struggled to stand up. Rather unsteadily, he staggered over to sit in the chair beside Rich’s bed. “You?”
“I’m not sure,” confessed Rich, reaching out to touch his arm. “One minute he was there, then he was gone. He never uttered a sound.”
“Boys,” interrupted Lori, sensing they needed a minute alone. “I’m going to the ladies’ room. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She slipped out of the curtained off cubicle, leaving them to talk in private. Out in the corridor, she met Paul on his way back. She stopped him, suggestin
g that he give the two musicians a moment or two in private.
“I guess,” he sighed, running his hands through his tousled, spiky hair. “I’ve spoken to the police. Given my statement. They said they don’t need me to hang about. Are you ok if I head home to Maddy and the kids? She’s frantic.”
“Of course. I’ll be ok here.”
“Will you explain to the guys?”
“Go home, Paul,” instructed Lori firmly. “Maddy needs you more right now.”
“Thanks,” he said sadly. “What a shit end to an awesome day.”
Without another word, he turned and headed towards the exit, his head bowed and shoulders hunched, grief draped all over him. Slowly, Lori made her way down the hallway to the ladies’ room. When she came out of the stall and had washed her hands, she stood leaning on the sink, gazing into the mirror. Her face was flushed and blotchy from crying. Her hair was dishevelled. Rummaging in her bag, she found a hairbrush that allowed her to at least rectify that. She had an eyeliner and a lip gloss that helped to make inroads to improving her overall look. There was nothing she could do about her attire, but now that she had calmed down sufficiently, she was aware that her own scars and her bruise were poorly disguised by the thin sarong. Adjusting her clothing as best she could, she took a deep breath and headed back out into the corridor. Grey was waiting outside for her.
“They’re about to move the boys to a private room upstairs,” he explained. “I thought I’d better come and find you.”
“Thanks. Did you track down Linsey yet?”
“Yeah. She’s out of town at her sister’s. She’ll be back first thing tomorrow,” replied the bass player as they walked down the corridor. “I let her talk to Rich. He’s still got my phone.”
“And are you ok?” asked Lori softly.
“I guess. I don’t think it’s hit me yet. I’ll see the guys settled upstairs, then head home. Mom’s keeping the little one until the morning,” he replied, suddenly sounding and feeling weary. “What about you?”
Impossible Depths (Silver Lake series Book 2) Page 17
