The following week....
Destiny woke up to the sound of a loud clanging in her driveway. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced over at the clock. 3:47 a.m.
"Who the hell would be in my driveway at this time of night?" she said into the darkness.
Fumbling in the nightstand drawer for her pistol, she sat up and slid her feet into the slippers laying in the floor beside the bed. Gun in hand, she slowly eased down the stairs.
With the front porch light off, she couldn't see much outside through the window. She listened for any sounds, but hadn't heard any more since that God awful racket that woke her up. After several minutes of silence, Destiny reached to open the door, her hand shaking. She took a deep breath and flung it open. But, the only sign of life out there was the neighbor's dog.
"Murray! It's just you," she said with a relieved sigh. "Go home."
Her heartbeat slowly returning to normal, she turned and went back upstairs, intent on using the few short hours she had left before work for some much needed sleep. Since that heated night with AJ, she hadn't been sleeping well. She still had to figure that one out, and Nick was still off on one of his tangents.
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The next day at work....
Instead of eating like she knew she should at lunch, Destiny drove around in search of a quiet spot to think. In the middle of the city, though, where her office was located, there just wasn't many places like that.
"I know the perfect place!" she thought to herself.
Right after she'd moved there, she'd spent a good bit of time just riding around and getting familiar with the area. On one of her little outings one day, she had found a beautiful clearing down at the bottom of a valley with a huge old tree and a couple of picnic tables. The perfect thinking spot, she smiled. And it wasn't but a few miles out of the city.
Enjoying the scenic drive, Destiny slipped in a cd and turned the volume up, losing herself in her thoughts once again. Rounding the last curve before the clearing, she pressed the brake to slow down.... but her foot went all the way to the floor. She panicked when she realized the car was still gaining speed instead of slowing down. She furiously began pumping the brakes as her eyes scanned the console for any signs of warning lights. When she looked back up, she was headed straight toward a minivan.
The next few seconds seemed like an eternity.... as if in slow motion. Her eyes immediately went to the driver of the other vehicle for his reaction. Beside him she could see a woman, and in the larger seat behind them were two small children. She made her split second decision right then. There was no way she could hit those babies.... even if it meant risking her own life....
She jerked the wheel hard to the right, her small car speeding off the side of the enbankment and crashing head on into the same huge old tree she'd planned to sit beneath.
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Nick's blue eyes glared against the bright sunshine as he stepped out into the cool crisp air. His head finally straight after almost a week in a drunken stupor, it felt good to take a deep breath of fresh air instead of the musty air in the hotel room he'd been holed up in. Events of the past week ran through his mind as he made his way to his car. He could vaguely remember being at Brian and Graycie's anniversary party. The next thing he remembered was cruising down the interstate, trying to catch up with the blonde girl in front of him. He'd trailed her, as if on some stakeout, on and off the highway. Keeping a safe distance at each stop she made, he waited to make his move. But, each time he had the chance to confront her, his nerves had won out and he just sat watching.
Finally, battling with himself and building himself up, he got brave enough to get out of his car when she pulled into a gas station. His heart pounded in his chest as he approached the car. She was pumping gas into her midsized sedan as he walked up to her and spoke.
"Caitlyn," he called to her, the flip flops in his stomach making him nauseous.
The blonde girl turned to face him, saying, "Excuse me?"
Nick felt sure then that he would be sick. Realizing he had needlessly followed this poor girl, he felt his heart sink.
"I'm sorry," he said, turning to walk off.
He cursed himself all the way back to his car.
"Stupid! You're so stupid!" he said. "What kind of fucking lunatic are you? You have followed a total stranger for over 200 miles!" >[?He began to question his sanity, as Destiny had several times recently.
"She's right!! You ARE fucking crazy!"
The next place he remembered being was some run down old motel in a small town. Bottles of liquor surrounding him, he drank one right after the other until he passed out. When he'd wake up, the whole scene was repeated. Drink, get drunk, pass out. Drink, get drunk, pass out. Until he had ran out of booze and reality came crashing down on him.
He realized his actions of late may have finally been enough to push Destiny completely out of his life. He had up and disappeared on her time and time again in search of Caitlyn, and had just assumed she'd still be there when he decided to come back. Totally taken her for granted. Now, on his way back to beg forgiveness, he prayed he wouldn't be too late. Would he be able to salvage any piece of their relationship?
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"I've got a faint pulse here," the EMT called to one of his coworkers. "Get the backboard over here so we can get her out."
The workers carefully maneuvered Destiny's limp body onto the hard board, strapping her to it and stabilizing her neck with a brace. Once they had loaded her into the back of the ambulance, the EMT's began to work on her, cleaning the cuts, removing shards of glass from her face as the driver sped off toward the hospital. Making their way back into town, about five minutes before the hospital, the driver called ahead to warn of their arrival.
Lights flashing, sirens blaring, the vehicle sped through traffic lights and stop signs, other cars pulling to the side to let it pass.
"How much longer?" one of the workers asked the driver.
"We'll be arriving in about one minute," he answered, glancing in the rearview mirror at the others still working on Destiny. He shook his head, thinking what a shame it was to see such a young woman so close to death. Silently praying they'd made it to her in time after being called, he recalled what the driver of the minivan had said.
"She purposely swerved to the right so she wouldn't hit us," he had stated, his two children in his arms. "I'd really like to thank her."
I hope you get that chance, the driver thought as he topped the last hill before their destination. As the ambulance sped down the other side of the slope, a man wearing headphones getting ready to cross the road caught the driver's eye. He immediately sounded the loud horn, expecting the man to step back onto the sidewalk.
But he didn't.
"Mister.... don't do it.... Mister.... PLEASE don't do it!" the driver said, his voice growing louder and louder and more panicked.
It was obvious the man hadn't seen the ambulance, nor had he heard the sirens and horn. Realizing the man was continuing to cross, the driver slammed on brakes. The wheels locking up, the vehicle began to slide. As hard as he tried to stop it, the ambulance was no longer under the driver's control.
The pedestrian looked up the second before the vehicle hit him, sending him into the air slightly, his body coming back down hard on the asphalt. After the ambulance had finally came to a rest, the driver called for another for the man, and two of the workers in the back jumped out to check him.
"He's unconscious, but alive," the first one said.
"He is losing a lot of blood, though," his partner replied, noticing the pool of red underneath the man's head and the small amount oozing from his mouth.
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AJ could feel his head throbbing as he woke up.
Damn, what a headache, he thought. I haven't had one like this since I quit drinking. He couldn't remember doing anything that would cause an ache like he felt. Actually, he couldn't remember anything at all. Oh no, he suddenly thought. Lord, please tell me I didn't. For a brief moment, he wondered if the reason for his current memory lapse was a digression back to his old ways. But, as the smells of his surroundings filled his senses, he was distracted from that thought. His eyes still closed, he took a deep breath in. What the hell is that? he asked himself. Ammonia?
Suddenly, he felt some kind of sharp stick in his bottom lip. He immediately opened his eyes and began to sit up.
"Whoa, there," the doctor said, firmly holding him in place. "We aren't quite finished yet."
"What the hell is going on? Where am I?"
"You're at the hospital, Mr. McLean. You were in an accident."
"Accident?" he exclaimed. "What kind of accident?"
"It seems you stepped out in front of a speeding ambulance. You're a very lucky man."
"I stepped out in front of it??" he questioned. "Did I not see it?"
"Evidently not. But, like I said, you're very lucky. Eighteen stitches in the back of your head, a few here in your lip and some cuts and scrapes are the only injuries you sustained. I'd say you were very lucky, indeed," the doctor stated, finishing up the last stitch.
"So, when can I get out of here?" AJ asked as he raised to sit on the bed, his headache causing him to close his eyes against the bright lights.
"Not today, I'm afraid. We need to watch you for at least twenty four hours. Besides that cut on the back of your head, you also have a nasty bump."
"Well, sorry, doc. No can do. I have things to get done," he replied.
"I can't force you to stay, though I do strongly recommend it."
"I appreciate your concern. But, I'm out of here."
After signing his release papers, AJ made his way from his room up the hallway. As he turned a corner, he was almost plowed down by a young woman being hurriedly pushed on a stretcher. As the interns maneuvered the bed on wheels around him, he saw the woman's face.
"Oh my God!" he exclaimed as they passed him. Turning to follow them, he called out, "Hold up." But, they continued on their way.
"Hey, wait a minute!" he yelled. "That's.... that's my.... that's my friend," he finally got out.
Pausing a moment, the interns turned to face him.
"Sir, we have to get her to surgery right away," the first one said.
"What happened? What's wrong with her?"
"Auto accident. She has a lot of internal bleeding. If we don't get it stopped soon, we may lose her."
Leaning to place a soft kiss on her lips, AJ whispered, "Please be ok. I love you."
After stepping away from her seemingly lifeless body, the interns rushed her through the doors marked OR, leaving him standing there in shock. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, AJ turned to face the doctor.
"So, she's a friend of yours?" he asked.
"Yes," he replied, sadness ringing in his voice.
"What a huge coincidence this is, then."
"What do you mean?"
"The ambulance you stepped in front of....," the doctor paused, as if not wanting to finish the sentence. "....was bringing her in."
His mind reeling, AJ watched the doctor walk away. Realizing his own carelessness had wasted precious time in saving Destiny, his big brown eyes welled up with tears.
"Please, God," he said, his voice cracking. "I could really use a miracle here."