Real life nightmare

From Sam's question "What's one thing you just can't forget?"




*bzzzzt* *bzzzzt* *bzzzzt*

The thick fog that slowed thoughts clung tightly to my brain as I tried to identify where the noise was coming from. Picking up my phone, I was momentarily blinded by the blue light that revealed a number I had never seen. Even though I recognized the area code, I could not for the life of me, ascertain who the hell would be calling me at such an hour.

"Hello?" I croaked, my voice still thick with sleep.

"Don't freak out. He's fine."

"What?!" I shouted as I sat straight up in bed, the chill of my bedroom hitting my body as the air was simultaneously sucked from my chest.

I didn't know who's phone was calling, but that was Rick on the other end. One sentence delivered a sucker punch to my gut that made my mouth water and gave me the urge to run for the toilet.

"We had a little accident."

"What kind of accident? Is everyone okay? What happened? What's hurt? Where are you?"

All of the questions tumbled out of my mouth as if it weren't even part of my body. My mind was already outlining a scenario that did not end well for me, or the Lieutenant.

"I don't know."

I stared dumbly at the phone. That was all he could tell me? I tried to figure out exactly what was 'hurt' but Rick could not offer me much more info than that. All he could confirm was the Lieutenant was at the hospital and they would call me back as soon as they knew what was wrong. Everyone else escaped unscathed.

I hung up the phone as the tears pierced my eyes. I didn't know what to say, what to think. I dialed the phone, my mother's voice filled my ear and all I could do was sob. Fear, pain, worry, anger, love and every thing in between filled me and poured out my eyes. My hands shook as I ran for the bathroom. I sobbed and screamed as I clung to the bowl as if I were drowning.

All I could do was sit. Sit and wait.

I moved about the house waiting for the phone to ring. The dogs barking woke me from my trance. My parents came over. And still, I waited.

The house got cleaned, the laundry washed and folded, the dishes were cycled through both sinks and finally assulted with a dish towel and put away. I was insistent on controling something, anything.

And then the news.

Both legs broken, he is in a lot of pain and they are arranging for the long drive home. That was when I called his parents. His dad was up north and couldn't understand me very well with the bad cell area. His mom started crying as I figured she would. I lied and assured her it wasn't a big deal.

That was the first of many lies I would tell in the next eight days. Little did I know, it would affect our lives for much, much longer.