"...was automobile versus automobile...one thrown from vehicle...both in bad shape...our expected ETA is ten minutes..."
Chel had been floating in and out of consciousness for the last fifteen minutes. She remembered the horrible sound when the other car had hit them, a loud metallic crunching sound. She remembered lying on the pavement next to the car with people looking down at her and lights flashing all around her. She remembered being lifted into the what she knew was the ambulance, which was where she was now. Every inch of her body was screaming in pain and she was having a hard time breathing. Chel had never been so scared in her life and all she wanted was to be safe in Nicks arms. "Nick..." That was the first and only word she got out as the familiar darkness enveloped her again.
AJ was still at the venue finishing some last minute business. He was trying to hurry because he was anxious to spend some quality time with Kayla. He couldnt believe that she had come into his life only a short time ago, but he already knew that he wanted her in his life. Not just for a little while, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he couldnt imagine life without her. He was going to start small, by asking her to move in with him. Laughing, he thought to himself, we've been doing that for the past three months anyway. Now finished with the last of what he was doing, he grabbed his car keys and started towards the door.
Peeking out the door, he made sure there were no fans poised and ready to attack him. When he saw that all was quiet, he pulled his hat down low and walked quickly to his car. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he switched on the radio and groaned when he heard his own voice singing at him.
~You hit me faster than a shark attack~
"Nope, not tonight." He said as he slid in a cd. It was Kayla's song, their song.
~Why should we worry, no one will care girl, Look at the stars, so far away...We've got tonight, baby, why dont you stay?~
He was so happy that the tour was over because, although they had been together everyday for the last three months, they hadnt been able to be alone. This time off would give them the chance to be a couple, not AJ and Kayla on tour. Still thinking about that, he heard his cell phone ring.
Picking it up he said, "Hey whats up?" There was a pause on the other end, then he heard a serious but familiar voice. "Bone, where are you now?" "On my way to my house to shower and change, then im pickin' Kay up. You knew that kev, why are you asking?" He knew it was Kevin, but was trying to figure out why he was calling him. There was another pause on the other end and AJ got a strange feeling that something was wrong. Starting to get annoyed he asked, "Kev, what the hell is going on?" "AJ, youve got to get to the hospital..." "The hospital? Why Kev? Is it one of the guys?" Concern and worry instantly replaced his annoyance. "No, not us. Chel and Kayla were in an accident. The four of us are on our way there now. Just get there as soon as you can."
AJ felt his body grow cold with fear as he pressed his foot harder on the gas peddle. He answered Kevin with a shaky "Im on my way," letting the phone drop onto the passenger seat. Realizing how fast he was going, he took his foot off the gas slightly. You dont want to cause an accident AJ, he thought to himself. An accident. "Oh shit." Realization began to hit him hard and he knew he wouldnt be happy until he knew that Kayla was alright. He looked up and saw the big yellow "H" sign, telling him the hospital was at the next turn. Instinctively, he pulled opened the glove compartment and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. As he pulled into the hospital, he took one out of the pack and lit it as he parked.
A few minutes later, he was at the admitting desk on the first floor of the hospital, getting annoyed with a nurse. "Davis! Kayla Davis! She was in a car accident, Dammit, just tell me where she is!" He could see that she was as annoyed with him as he was with her, but he at this point, he didnt give a damn. He needed to know how Kayla was doing. "Im sorry, but we need to talk to her family first" AJ took a long drag of his cigarette, then began again more calmly this time. "Please, im her boyfriend. I just need to know if she's alright."
"AJ!" He turned at the familiar voice calling his name. He saw the other four guys walking out of the elevator and he began walking towards them. "They're upstairs, Lets go." AJ fell into step beside Nick, trying to read his face for any indication about the girls. His friends face was clouded over, his eyes more pale and lifeless than AJ had ever seen them. "They havent told us much yet. Chel's awake but they wont let me see her." "What about Kay?" AJ watched Nicks gaze shift down to his feet, then looking him directly in the eye he said, "Nothin yet, man."
Walking out of the elevator, AJ saw three police officers talking to a group of doctors. They walked over to them and Kevin cleared his throat to make their prescence known. Everybody looked at them and one of the officers began walking toward them. "Are you friends of..." He paused, looking down at the papers in his hand. AJ felt something inside him snap. This guy was a total stranger and he knew Kayla's condition, yet the five people standing there who cared about her were told nothing. Aj felt himself losing control and he began yelling at the officer before him. "Kayla Davis!!! Thats her name!!! You dont even know her fucking name and you know everything about her condition because she's a statistic in your hand. To you she's a fucking piece of paper!!!!! She's my world! I love her than i love myself!!!! Why the Hell cant anybody tell me how she's doing? What the Hell is wrong with you? Where is she? Why wont you tell me..."
AJ would have kept going, but he felt Kevin dragging him to one of the chairs. Looking up, he saw the shocked look on not only the police officer's face, but also on his bandmates faces. There was also concern on those faces. "Kev, whats going on? Why havent they said anything about Kayla?" AJ's voice broke as he looked to Kevin for answers. He watched his older "brother" start to speak, then stop, shaking his head. The silence was speaking volumes to AJ as he watched Kevin sigh, then began again to speak. "AJ, they did give out alittle about kay, thats what the officer was about to tell you. She's not doing great, but you need to hear it from the officer, not me. Just promise me you wont jump down his throat again." AJ leaned back against the hard chair and let out a deep sigh. He felt defeated and didnt like the way Kevin was talking to him. As he watched the policeman walking toward him, he pulled out his second cigarette.
"Mr. McLean..." AJ looked at him then corrected him. "AJ." The officer nodded and began again. "AJ, my name is Officer Phillips. I was one of the first people on the scene. What Im going to tell you is not all good and not all bad. I will give you the hopeful news first. Ms. Davis's vitals are god and she is responding well to all of the tests." Aj was taking in all of what he was telling him. "So what does that mean?"
" Let me tell you the bad now. When i arrived, Ms. Davis was lying about ten feet from the vehicle, the impact having thrown her from it." AJ took in a deep breath and whispered, "oh god, baby." He listened to everything else that officer phillips was about to tell him. "She is still unconcious, that is the doctors main concern right now. They have also noticed that there is a substantial amount of swelling at the base of her spine. What this means is that if she wakes up, there is a good chance that she will be paralyzed from the waist down. As i said before, our main concern is for her to wake up." Officer Phillips words were hitting AJ hard. If she wakes up.....paralyzed.....If.....If....
AJ stood up and ran to the exit, knowing that he wouldnt be able to control what he was going to do. Pushing open the heavy glass doors, he ran until he came to a brick wall. Leaning against it, he looked up at the sky.
~Look at the stars, so far away We've got tonight baby, why dont you stay~
Those words echoed through his mind as he watched a shooting star fall through the sky. What the hell did she do to deserve this, he thought, Its not fair. He couldnt find any answers in his mind and it frustrated him. He began laughing, almost maniacally and fell to his knees, hitting the wall, softly at first, then harder until he was slamming his fist into it. Oblivious to the blood that was now flowing down his arm, he continued asking the same question...Why?
He hadnt heard or seen Howie approach him, but felt his friend pull him up and away from the wall. "AJ, its not gonna help Kay. She needs you right now." Always the voice of reason, AJ knew Howie was right. He let Howie lead him back into the hospital and they first stopped to get Ajs hand taken care of before heading back to where the others were. As they approached the guys, AJ noticed that Nick wasnt there. He could also feel both Kevin and Brian's eyes on him as he asked, "Wheres Nick?"
AJ saw Brian staring at his hand, where the bandages were still blood stained. He was grateful that nobody had commented on it, knowing that he had a bad temper and handled things badly when they went wrong. He always seemed to have trouble letting the others no when he was mentally in pain. He didnt mind letting himself cry in front of the guys, but didnt always show his true feelings. He had promised himself this time, though, that not one tear would fall, not only for the fatc that if one did, he was sure there would be a million more to follow it. More importantly, he refused to cry because Kayla needed him to be strong for her, more than he had ever been before.
Brians words broke through AJs thoughts. "Nick was allowed to go see Chel, hes there right now. Kaylas mom just got here and shes with her now." AJ noticed for the first time that Kayla's sister Ryan was curled up in Kevins jacket on one of the chairs behind him. He watched as she raised her tear stained face to meet his, as if looking for something. Knowing it was the right thing to do, he held out his arms for her. She ran into them, nearly knocking him down. He could feel her sobbing and he tried his best to comfort her.
"Ryan, its alright. Its gonna be alright." He regretted telling her that because he knew those were empty words. Instead he opted for silent comforting, not realizing it was helping him as much as it was helping Ryan. He led her over to one of the chairs and sat down, Ryan curled up as best as she could on his lap. They sat like that for a while, neither noticing Kayla's mother walking up to them. She sat in the chair next to AJ and he sensed her prescence.
"Mrs. Davis, I...I dont know what to say." AJ still didnt have the courage to look her in the face. He saw that ryan had fallen asleep in his lap. "Dont say anything , AJ. I can see that this is hurting you as much as its hurting us. I can see the pain in your eyes. And looking into those eyes, i can also see how much you love her." He looked up at her and she continued. "Your eyes betray you. You arent as tough as you seem." Smiling through her pain, Kayla's mother winked at him whispering, "Dont worry, i'll keep your secret."
AJ laughed inspite of himself. He now knew where Kayla got her courage from. He looked at Kayla's mom and said two words to her. "Thank you." "No, AJ, thank you. You are exactly what she needs in her life. Ive told the doctors that you are allowed in her room any time you want. You can go see her now." AJ woke Ryan up, watching her scramble from his lap to her mothers.
He stood up and gave Kaylas mom a hug. As they hugged, she told him, "Go to her, she's in room 319." He pulled away, then stopped, unsure of himself. He gave her mom one last look, "What do i say?" "She just needs you in the same room with her....NOW GO!!" He nodded, half smiling and began walking down the hall.
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