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After the Storm (Part 1)

Can he get to her in time?

By Lindsay WatersPublished 6 years ago 9 min read
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**I was driving home from work, it was late, and I was tired. I worked three hours overtime today on an article that my boss gave to me today, that needed to be done by tomorrow. Talk about a time crunch. I decided to stay late instead of getting up early to go in. I figured I'd miss rush hour traffic and have a nice quiet drive home. The one thing that made me sad was that I'd miss my husband before he went to work. He's a cop in the next town over and he works nights so I liked to see him before he went in since I always leave for work before he wakes up.

So, I was driving, on the interstate, in the dark, and lightning flashed in the distance. Watching it I was sure I could make it home before it hit. We live in northern Colorado and the thunderstorms can get pretty nasty in the summer. I went to school for a year to be a meteorologist before I switched my major so I'm usually pretty good at predicting how fast a storm is moving. I did a few storm chases in my early days, so much fun. But I'm rambling. Back to driving. I took the exit off the interstate and headed towards home. The storm was moving way faster than I had predicted. I was driving a Honda Pilot and she'd never let me down in the past, so I kept going hoping to make it home. The wind started to pick up and leaves started crossing over the road. It started sprinkling and then out of nowhere, it became a downpour. I flipped my wipers on high and turned my fog lights on. I've lived in Colorado my whole life, a little bad thunderstorm is nothing compared to some of the winters here.

It started hailing. I've never done well with loud noises, although I can shoot a gun no problem. But the hail was so loud against the car it sounded like a million bullets hitting all at once. I kept it together as much as I could and kept driving, the hail starting the cover the road in front of me.

I came to a stop light and slowed down way back since my tires were a little worn out, and the hail covered the road and it was slick. I always remember this stop light because it's where Josh's jurisdiction ends, I have to drive his town every night to get home from work. I managed to make it to a complete stop and the light turned green and I started going. Halfway through the intersection I saw lights to my right and heard a very loud horn. That's the last thing I remember.**

Coming back into consciousness, I can't hear anything. It's stopped hailing I think. Or maybe I'm just in shock, I think I read somewhere you don't hear much when you're in shock. I don't know. All I know is I can't move and I'm upside down stuck in my seatbelt. I look around and there are lights outside my car, I think it's from the car that hit me. I see broken glass, and everything is wet. The only other thing I can see is the traffic light changing from green to yellow to red in the distance. My hearing is coming back it's only sprinkling now and I can't hear anything else. Not even wind. The next thought through my mind is "Where is my phone, I have to call Josh." I have no idea where my iPhone is, but I know if anything survived through this it's that. I recently put a waterproof Otterbox on it. I shout out, "Hey Siri!" Listening for the tone I hear nothing, fearing the worst, but then I see a light pop on the roof of the car.

"FaceTime Josh's work phone," I hollered, knowing he wouldn't answer his personal phone on duty. He has an android and it's about 80 years old so I know he shoves it in his truck and leaves it there. Knowing I have his work number if I need him. At this point, my phone is dialing out. I hear the tone and just thinking about hearing his voice I have tears in my eyes and I'm trying to hold it together.

"Hey babe what's wrong, why are you FaceTiming me?" I hear his voice come through. I can't help it I start bawling. Tears sliding into my hair because I can't get out of my seatbelt. "Lindsay, where are you? Why are you crying? Why is it dark?" He knows something is wrong now.

"Babe I can't get out of my seatbelt I'm stuck upside down," I muddle through the sentence hiccupping and trying to stay conscious now. "Someone hit me driving home tonight in the storm and there's no one around. I can't move."

"Where are you? Don't try to move, keep talking to me," I hear him say.

"I think I was stopped at County Line Road, I can't remember; the storm was so bad. I just remember lights and a horn and then nothing, I don't know how long it's been."

"Okay I'm on my way don't move anything, I love you." I hear his sirens turn on in the background of the call and see red and blues coming from the screen, I know he's coming to get me. "Dispatch, Firestone 737," I hear him calling into the dispatcher.

"Firestone 737 go ahead."

"I have a traffic accident with injuries, possibly at East County Line Road and HWY 119. Send EMS." I hear his voice crack when he says to send medical. "I'm in route to the location."

"Sending EMS, do you need a second?" asks the dispatcher.

"A-firm send two." Josh's voice is getting quieter for some reason. I come back to what's going on in my car and realize I am starting to feel again. And panic is setting in because I can feel something in my side that shouldn't be there. From the red and blues from my phone, I can see a little bit and I glance down and there's a piece of glass in my upper right side underneath my boob. I can see blood trickling out and I watch it travel along the path it's made until I can't see it anymore, but I can feel it move up the side of my neck into my ear. It itches but I can't move, Josh told me not to.

Josh is still talking on the radio to the others that were dispatched. "How did you find out about the accident?" One is asking. "My wife is the one with injuries that I know of," is all he says and the radio cracks and all the other cop says is, "A-firm, in route."

"Josh." I try to say, but it comes out as a whisper. But he hears me somehow.

"Yeah, I hear baby, keep talking to me, I'm on my way I'm still about 10 minutes away. Can you feel anything, tell me where you're hurt.” He's starting to panic I can hear it in his voice but he's trying so hard to keep it together for me. His training is taking over, but he can't turn his emotions off entirely.

"Babe there's a piece of glass in-" I can't make it through the sentence I'm starting to cough up blood and the pain is sinking in.

"Fuck, baby girl stay with me!" I hear him yell. His training doesn't train him for this. I know he's really freaking out because he never calls me baby girl unless it's super important or he's very emotional. I hear the engine of his Charger rev. When my coughing subsides he asks, "Where is the glass?"

Trying to take a deep breath but only managing a shaky half breath, I manage to whisper, "It's in my chest right under my boob."

"Left or right side?"

"Right," my voice cracks and I can feel more blood in my mouth. "Josh, I love you..." My eyes are going dark around the edges I can hardly see the lights of the other car anymore.

"I love you too, don't you stop talking to me I'm almost there. I need you to hold on for me." I hear him respond and, in the distance, I can hear his sirens and at first, I think it's just the video call but it's starting to echo and I know that he's close.

I can't respond to him anymore, I hear him keep trying to get me to talk but there's so much blood and pain I can't do anything but watch the lights and listen to the sirens get louder.

The lights finally get so bright I can't keep my eyes open to watch anymore. I hear an engine rev and then tires screech, sirens shut off, and a door slam. Someone is running over to my car and I open my eyes to see the spotlight of Josh's bright flashlight hitting the slick pavement in a pattern that tells me he's hauling ass. I'm starting to wonder why he parked so far away, but I remember one time I asked him, and he said that in case the cars blow up or catch fire their cars don't get damaged.

Finally, he gets to me and I realize that my passenger side door is gone off my car. So, instantly he's in the car with me, only right side up. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, baby wake up," I hear him and feel his hot hand on my shoulder and then pain against my chest. I mutter out a grunt of discomfort and he says, "I'm so sorry but I have to put pressure on it; you've already lost a lot of blood." I wonder why he's asking me to wake up and I forgot that my eyes are closed. I open them and turn my head to look at him, and he freaks out, but weirdly quietly. "No, no, don't move your head we don't know if you broke your neck or back yet." I don't listen to him because I need to see his face, I have to see his bright blue eyes looking back at me.

I manage to turn my head a little and it doesn't hurt so I move it more to fully see him. I can see those worried and scared blue eyes looking back at mine. It's the worst situation in the world right now but I'm so happy to see him and hear his voice all I can do is smile. I'm sure it's terrifying with all the blood but he smiles back, and I reach up with my left hand to grab his collar to pull it into mine. I need one more kiss before I lose consciousness again. It's super weird upside down but we manage. He kisses me hard but gently, so he doesn't hurt me. I kiss back and manage to whisper, "I love you so much," and then the world faded to black.

literature
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