Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
It was a few minutes of holding her head steady against the back of the seat when paramedics and volunteer fire departments arrived. They used the Jaws of Life to open the passenger side door, and then they immobilized her neck with a c-collar. Then transferred her to a bright yellow backboard.
Her belly poked out from underneath her blood stained t-shirt, and all I could think about was that laying there like that, she in no way resembled a heifer. She looked like a broken god damned doll.
Two paramedics were frantically working on either side of her, and I dropped to my knees and watched as they ripped her shirt and placed sticky pads onto her chest, and then hooked her up to a monitor. I watched as the line stayed straight across the screen.
Shouldn’t it be moving up and down?
The closest medic to me started doing chest compressions, and I watched the line jump up and down in time with his hands. The other medic breathed for her, and it was then I realized I was crying. Big fat tears were rolling down my face. I reached my hand up to touch my face, and then looked down at my hand. It was covered in blood.
“Clear.” A voice clipped.
I looked up in time to see Payton’s body bow up off the backboard. Nearly two feet separated her back and the yellow plastic.
“I’ve got a pulse!” The closest medic cheered.
Relief swept through me, and I watched through my cloudy haze as they loaded her into the ambulance. A cop’s strong grip on my arm stopped me from following them. I was surprised enough that I stopped, and the ambulance was able to pull away before I was able to get to it.
“Let go!” I said frantically.
I knew I wasn’t rational. Something was wrong. Something was keeping me from functioning correctly. I felt like I was a witness to this, rather than a participant.
“Sir, let me get you in my cruiser and we’ll follow the ambulance.” He said as he helped me into his front seat.
As soon as I sat down, I must have passed out, because I woke up again as I was being transferred to a gurney at the entrance to the hospital. I was taken straight back into the belly of the ER, and nurses and doctors flitted around me like butterflies.
“Sir, can you tell me what happened?” Someone asked me.
I turned my head to the left and up, spotting a young male doctor with a flashlight. “We were in a wreck. My wife.”
I tried to sit up, but something was holding me down. “Payton!” I yelled.
The slamming of doors brought my attention to the front of the ER as long blonde hair, Cheyenne, came running into the room. She was wearing her nursing scrubs, and her face showed concern as she looked around the room wildly. She hesitated when she saw something in the room beside me, but came to a decision when she spotted me looking at her.
She ran towards me, and then placed her hand on the side of my face. “Hey, Maxie Poo. You look like shit.”
“Don’t call me that, twerp.” I said searching her face. “Why isn’t anyone telling me about Payton?”
She smiled at me. “She’s in the next room over. Let me go check on her.”
I watched as she walked out of my room, and then to the left. I once again tried to get up, but my body wasn’t cooperating. I prayed. For the first time since my parents died, I prayed.
Everything went black, and I slept.
ɸ
I opened my eyes to a white wall. Looking over, I found myself in the ER room I was in earlier, but the chaos surrounding me was gone. Cheyenne was still there, hovering beside me, watching the hallway. Beside her were my sister and Gabe.
“She okay?” I rasped.
Ember came over to me, and wrapped her arms around me. I grimaced, but hugged her back. “They took her to surgery. We don’t know what’s wrong.”
I closed my eyes on a fresh wave of tears. “Find me someone to talk to.” I said as I forced myself to stand up.
“Stay down.” A nurse barked from the doorway.
I glanced at her, but disregarded her, and stood up on shaky feet. I yanked the IV out of my vein, and threw it to the floor. “Where’re my pants?”
“I told you to stay down.” The nurse with no bedside manner said to me trying to sit me down on the bed again.
I pushed her away from me instead, and found my jeans that now sported new rips on the outside seams. Disgusted, I threw them back down again, and walked out to the main room. Spotting a doctor, I walked up to him.
“Can you tell me anything on the pregnant woman who was in the room beside me?” I asked him.
He looked at me, and worry crossed his brow. “She’s got internal bleeding. The baby was in distress as well. They took her up to surgery about ten minutes ago. Now I think you need to sit down, or you might fall down.”
“I need some pants, and I need to know how to get to where she’s at.” I demanded.
He looked at me with pity until the look on my face registered with him. “This way.”
He found me some scrub pants, and a scrub shirt, and then instructed me to get into a wheel chair. I sat since he looked like he wasn’t going to budge on this one.
“Nurse Rodgers. Please escort this young man to the surgical waiting room.” The young doctor instructed the bitchy nurse that was staring daggers at me.
“But sir, he’s got a concussion, and broken ribs.” She protested.
“I don’t need her. Cheyenne. Take me.” I said and snapped my fingers.
Cheyenne jumped, and took ahold of my wheel chair, pushing me away from the protesting nurse. Gabe and Ember followed behind. All silent.
“I’m going to see if we can get onto the actual floor; if I can’t we will have to go to the waiting room.” Cheyenne said placing a hand on my shoulder.