“My name is Nina Dennison. My husband is Larry Dennison, the sports agent. Jeremy told my husband to bring our little girl here at two o’clock today. Well, it’s two o’clock and I’m not about to stand out here for two or three hours. Where is Jeremy?”
“Actually, he has been waiting for you, Mrs. Dennison. Follow me.”
Nina smiled and gave a snooty look to the mother who stood at the front of the line. The woman was not shy about protesting Nina’s bully tactic.
“Right over here, Mrs. Dennison. Jeremy, this is Larry Dennison’s wife, Nina, and their daughter, Precious. They’re here to audition for the lead part.”
“Hi, Nina,” Jeremy said. “Larry and I know many of the same people. Please forgive me for rushing, but as you can see, we have a lot of people to see today.”
“I understand. I’m just happy that . . .”
“Yes, yes. Young lady, I’m going to need you to take that child and stand over there,” he instructed Val in a rude tone.
Val grabbed Chrissy by the hand and stood off to the side.
“Now, Nina, I need you to stand here out of the way. My assistant is going to spend a few seconds giving . . . what’s the child’s name?”
“Precious.”
“Yes, Precious, interesting ethnic name.”
“No, he didn’t!” Val shouted from across the room.
“Quiet on the set, please!” Jeremy shouted as he rolled his eyes at Val. “Now, Precious, I need you to stand over there next to the wall and look into the camera and say the lines. Do you know the lines?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Start saying your lines whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay,” Precious replied, clearly nervous. “My mommy took me to . . .”
Precious was interrupted by a whining sound; it was Chrissy.
“Excuse me. Lady, could you please quiet that child?” Jeremy said to Val.
Val rolled her eyes at the obnoxious director and started whispering into Chrissy’s ear. A few seconds later, Chrissy seemed to calm down.
“Thank you! Now, Precious, I want you to try again.”
“My mommy took me to Old . . .”
The whining sound started again. This time Nina marched over to Chrissy, grabbed her by the arm, and said, “Chrissy, calm down!”
“Nina, you ain’t helpin’ the situation by grabbing this child that way. You’re only goin’ to upset her.”
“Well, you’re supposed to be the expert on handling autistic kids. Do your damn job, Nanny!”
“You gonna make me curse your ass out in here,” Val said in a low tone.
“Can we please get started?!” shouted Jeremy.
“I’m sorry, Jeremy. This is my stepdaughter and she’s autistic. Sometimes she makes these sounds when she gets nervous.”
“Well, honey, I’m on a tight schedule, so I need you to figure out a way to keep her quiet, or I’m gonna move on to the next child.”
Nina turned to Val and mumbled, “Val, I don’t care what you have to do to keep her quiet, but you need to figure out a way. Take her little retarded ass outside if you have to.”
The excitement of the moment must have rattled Chrissy because she started screaming uncontrollably.
“That’s it!” Jeremy shouted. “Mrs. Dennison, I don’t have time for this.”
“Wait, Jeremy; my friend is gonna take her outside.”
“It’s too late, honey! Next child, please!”
Nina had mastered the wealthy, spoiled housewife routine. Although she’d only been married for a short time, she’d already grown accustomed to pouting and getting what she wanted. But she had no control of this situation. Jeremy had all of the control and to make matters worse, he was an even bigger diva than she was.
As Nina, Val, and the kids left the audition, the protesting mother whom she skipped earlier walked past with a smirk.
“Maybe next time,” the woman commented.
Nina gave the woman the one-finger salute and exited the building. As she walked briskly to her car with Precious struggling to keep up, she thought to herself, This is the last time I let Chrissy ruin something for my baby.
CHAPTER THREE
The weather was starting to change quickly. The children were asleep in their seats, and Val was struggling to keep her eyes open. She allowed her head to rest against the window as she drifted in and out of sleep.
The silence created a perfect environment for Nina’s anger to grow. She glanced back at Chrissy four times within the first hour of the drive. A part of her wanted to give the child a smack across the head. Val’s eyes opened long enough to notice her friend’s vicious glare.
“Nina, that’s a child. She can’t help her condition.”
“Val, I don’t want to hear that shit!”
“I don’t care what you feel like hearin’, you don’t need to take your frustration out on that child. We will be back at the house in a few minutes. I suggest you go inside and get a drink of wine to help calm your damn nerves.”
“I don’t know if I can deal with this.”
“You have no choice but to deal with this; she comes as a part of a package deal. The last time I checked, if it wasn’t for her daddy, Precious wouldn’t be attending any auditions.”
The rumbling of storm clouds interrupted their conversation. The dark, menacing clouds wasted no time dumping gallons of water onto the landscape. This torrential downpour made it difficult for Nina to see.
As they blew through Pacific Grove and into the city of Monterey, Nina pondered her next move. She had to come up with something that would make her desire to get rid of Maria an easy sell to Larry.
As she maneuvered her SUV along the winding road that led to their gated community, the lake that ran alongside the road looked like a black canvas. The two-lane road they traveled was smothered in the darkness brought on by the setting sun and dirty brown-colored rain clouds.
“Val, I have some decisions to make.”
“Nina, stop being overly dramatic. There’ll be other auditions. I’ll stay at home and watch Chrissy the next time, and you can take Precious by yourself.”
She turned and looked at Val, and then looked out the front windshield again. With her eyes squinted and a firm grip of the steering wheel, Nina attempted to brave the elements.
A few landmarks alerted Nina that her home was less than five minutes away. As she struggled to see through the wall of rain outside of her window, Nina envisioned pouring a glass of wine, sinking into a nice hot bubble bath, and then retreating to her bedroom.
Suddenly, her daydream was interrupted by a set of bright dots that appeared to be suspended in midair. The dangling dots appeared to get closer and closer; so close that Nina soon realized the dots were actually headlights that belonged to an oncoming SUV.
Nina jerked the steering wheel to the right in a desperate attempt to avoid the vehicle. Unfortunately, the response of her high-priced vehicle was too good. The car maneuvered so well that her reflexes weren’t fast enough to readjust before she crashed through the frail wooden railing that stood between the road and the edge of the cliff.
The tree that protruded from the lake’s surface was probably one hundred years old. Its branches were massive and spawned smaller, curvy branches that were the width of a toddler’s arm. Only an inanimate object such as this could ignore the urge to flinch as Nina’s 2007 Range Rover hurled through the rain-filled sky and landed on top of it.
The screams that filled the air were silenced instantly as the huge branch shattered the front windshield, cut into the deployed driver’s side airbag like a hot knife through butter, and pierced Nina’s right shoulder. Val was knocked partially unconscious by the force of the crash. Blood streamed from her scalp and along the bridge of her nose, as she slouched in the front passenger seat like a blood-soaked ragdoll. The right side of the vehicle was partially submerged as the left side relied heavily on the tree branch to keep it propped above the water. The rain seemed to re
lish this carnage as it came down harder, seemingly out of spite.
As the creaking sound of metal subsided, the only thing that could be heard were the soft moans of a child—make that two children. Precious was positioned in the passenger seat directly behind her mother. Like Nina, she was benefiting from the position of the tree branch. Her right foot was the only part of her body that touched the surge of water that was starting to fill the vehicle.
Chrissy wasn’t as lucky. Much like Val who struggled in the front passenger seat, being positioned on the right side of the vehicle brought her one step closer to death. With her face partially submerged, Chrissy was able to manage a moan. Precious joined in as the sounds from the two children served as the only indication of life inside the demolished vehicle.
“Mommy!” Precious called out in a barely audible tone. “Help me, Mommy!”
“Uhh, uhh,” Chrissy moaned. Her limited speech capabilities combined with injuries from the crash made it impossible for her to utter anything else. Nina’s maternal instincts must have kicked in because she awakened from her unconscious state at the sound of her daughter’s cries for help.
“Precious!” Nina screamed as she twisted and moved around in her seat. “Mama’s here, Precious! Mama’s right here!”
“Help! Help me, Mommy!”
“Val, are you okay?” Nina asked.
Val didn’t reply. Truth be told, Nina didn’t wait for a reply. She used her right hand to release the seatbelt and her left hand to push the tree branch more toward Val. At that moment, Nina had one thing on her mind; getting to Precious.
WHEN VAL FINALLY REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS, she realized the severity of their situation. “Nina, I think my arm is broken. Grab Chrissy, the car is sinking on this side,” she mumbled.
Nina didn’t respond to Val, but she did scream as she maneuvered her body so she could look over her seat to see her child. The tree branch had taken a hunk of flesh from Nina’s right shoulder, and she was in excruciating pain.
“Nina, grab Chrissy; she’s going to drown!” Val shouted a second time as water started to invade her mouth and nostrils.
Nina watched Chrissy as she struggled to keep her head above water. Nina’s gaze was interrupted by the sound of Precious’ voice.
“Mommy, help me!” Precious screamed. “I’m scared, Mommy! Help me!”
“I see you, baby! Mommy’s coming!”
“Nina, the branch is in my way. I can’t reach Chrissy; grab her before she drowns.”
“Okay,” Nina replied, as she started to push the branch out of her way so that she could get a better angle at Chrissy.
The force from her push was all the branch could take. The snap of the branch sounded like a firecracker exploding in a closed closet. The entire rear end of the vehicle dipped and the front portion went up like a seesaw. Nina was nearly thrown over her seat and into the water when the car shifted. Val was the biggest beneficiary of this event because her head and shoulders were now elevated above the water.
“Lord, please help us,” Val prayed aloud.
Nina screamed as she witnessed the girls’ heads slowly disappear beneath the surface of the water that now dominated the car. Val looked helpless as her severely broken arm prevented her from helping.
“Precious!” Nina screamed.
As if on cue, a tiny arm emerged from the water. The attached hand wiggled while the stretched fingers desperately searched for something or someone to hold on to.
“Nina, look, it’s Chrissy’s hand! Grab her, Nina; she’s alive!”
Nina looked at Chrissy’s outstretched hand. She wanted to grab the child’s hand and pluck her from the water, but all she could think about was saving Precious.
“Hold your breath, Precious!” Nina screamed. “I gotta save my baby!”
“Nina, grab Chrissy’s hand!”
Nina climbed over the seat and reached along the side of the seat Precious sat in and released the seatbelt. Fortunately, Precious had developed into a pretty good swimmer for her age. Nina’s insistence that Precious take swimming lessons as early as the age of five paid off. The moment Precious went underwater, she started holding her breath the way her swimming instructor taught her.
With her child cradled in her arms, Nina managed to open the passenger door. Like two rubber ducks bobbing up and down in a bathtub, she and Precious appeared, disappeared, and then reappeared in the water. On the other side of the car, a splash could be heard. Suddenly, a light shone brightly on Nina and Precious. From the shore, silhouettes could be seen pointing and moving toward them.
“I got one!” shouted a man.
“I got two!” shouted another man as he drug Nina and Precious toward the shore.
Nina and Precious were gasping for air as they sat on the shore surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Val’s voice could be heard as two women attempted to apply a makeshift splint to her compound fractured arm.
“Get Chrissy!” Val screamed.
“What is she saying?” asked a rescuer.
“Chrissy is in the backseat!” Val blurted out.
“Oh my God! She said someone was in the backseat.”
As the car became totally submerged, a half dozen bystanders dove into the water and swam toward the old tree that once cradled the Range Rover. Seconds turned into minutes as the swimmers risked their lives to reach the car. Within minutes, five of the would-be rescuers returned gasping for breath and looking dejected. The last diver seemed to be lost in the unforgiving water like the vehicle.
“Honey!” screamed the wife of the final rescuer.
As he appeared from the murky water carrying a small lifeless body, the man’s tears were disguised by the dirty lake water that saturated his face. He placed the lifeless body on the ground and attempted CPR, but after three minutes of failed resuscitation, he gave up. No one had to ask whether there was still a chance to save the child’s life. Tthe look on the rescuer’s face and the child’s limp limbs said it all; Chrissy was dead.
Val put her head down and cried, “No, no, Lord, not Chrissy. She’s only a child!”
Nina sat a few feet away, holding Precious, as she watched a total stranger carry her now deceased stepdaughter to the shore. She grabbed the back of Precious’ head and pressed her face up against her chest and breast so that the child didn’t have to witness the horrible scene. The emotion and drama that filled the air was suddenly replaced with a chilling silence.
As if on cue, every head bowed as Chrissy’s body was placed on the ground; every head but Val’s. Val’s anguish and tears were on full display as she planted a gaze on Nina that was so steely it would have scared Satan.
LARRY WAS ON HIS WAY TO THE AIRPORT when he got the phone call from Nina informing him of the car accident. Nina didn’t tell him that Chrissy had died because she feared he would be too devastated and have no one around to help console him. Her assumption was correct.
Being forced to wait until he returned to town to learn all of the details didn’t change his reaction. Larry was an emotional wreck as he wondered what happened to his family, especially Chrissy.
When he burst through the emergency room doors, he looked as if he had been in a car wreck. His tie was loosened around his neck. The top buttons on his expensive French cuff shirt were unfastened and perspiration beads covered his brow, cheeks, and neck.
“Where is my baby?”
Val stood up to greet Larry as he entered.
“Larry, I need to talk to you.”
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Where is Nina? How is Precious? Where is Chrissy?”
“I’m fine. Precious is still real rattled by what happened. Nina is in the back talking to the doctor.”
“Where is Chrissy? Is she okay? I want to see my child.”
“Larry, calm down.”
At that moment, Nina came from the triage area. She looked into Larry’s eyes and started to cry.
“Nina, where is Chrissy?”
Nina didn’t answer. She lowered
her head and walked away. Larry instantly knew that something was wrong. He barged into the triage area and started calling Chrissy’s name.
“Nurse, I’m looking for my daughter, Chrissy; I mean, Christine Dennison.”
“Mr. Dennison, I need you to step into this room.”
“I want to see my damn daughter!”
“Mr. Dennison, please step into the room so that we can talk.”
The E.R. physician on duty accompanied Larry and the charge nurse into the small office.
“Mr. Dennison, I’m sorry to inform you that your daughter didn’t survive the crash. She drowned. She was trapped in the backseat of your wife’s SUV. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Larry stood there in shock. He didn’t move an inch as the doctor tried to ask him if he was okay. The hospital’s chaplain walked into the room and introduced himself. Larry could see the chaplain’s lips moving, but he didn’t hear a word the man said. Images of Chrissy’s lovely face were the only thing on his mind.
Nina and Val sat in the lobby, wondering what was happening.
“Nina, don’t you think you should go in there and check on your husband?” Val asked.
Nina sat there like a statue.
“Nina!” Val shouted.
Nina finally looked at Val.
“You need to go and check on your husband!”
Nina finally nodded her head in agreement. “I’ll be back. If the doctor comes out, make sure you get an update on Precious for me.”
As Nina stood up, she heard a heart-wrenching scream; a scream that would be embedded in her psyche for the remainder of her life. Reality had sunk in and had shaken Larry to his core.
When Nina entered the small office she saw her husband on his knees sobbing uncontrollably. That same heartfelt cry that had been lying dormant inside of Larry’s diaphragm since Deidra’s death eight years earlier had resurfaced.
Nina walked over and kneeled next to him. It was the first public display of affection she’d ever shared with Larry. Larry’s body seemed to shrivel as he went from his knees and curled up into the fetal position. His pain reverberated throughout the emergency room. Larry’s unrestrained pain was so moving that it caused otherwise callous and aloof nurses to seek out the nearest Kleenex box.
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