Christina stood at the door and watched as they drove down the highway her heart felt as if were torn in to.
"What are you looking so glum about?" Maureen asked as she headed towards the kitchen.
"I'm not glum," she snapped coldly as she closed the door and sat down on the sofa.
"Well you sure could have fooled me," replied Maureen as she came to an abrupt halt and leaned up against the doorway and looked searchingly into Christina's face.
"Just leave me alone,” she snapped sharply which was highly unlike her. There were very few times when Maureen had ever seen her sister show even the slightest signs of temperament that there must really be something bothering her. It was times like these that Maureen wished she could comfort her sister, but she always seemed to make matters worse when she tried to help her.
"Can I get you anything, maybe some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk?" Maureen asked softly, her eyes narrowing.
Christina glanced up and attempted a half smile. "Okay. Some cookies and milk would be nice, thank you."
"Be back in a jiff," she hurried off to the kitchen.
"Look Christina, it's starting to snow again. I hope it isn't like the last one," chattered Maureen as she se down the plate of cookies and milk.
Christina took a big bite of the cookie, moaning as the sweet taste hit her tongue. "These are great. Just what I needed." She picked up the glass of ice-cold milk and took a long drink. She stared out the big picture window dismally.
"You still look a little peaked today. Are you feeling any better?"
"I feel all right, just a little tired and achy. I'll be fine," replied Christina quietly. All she could think of was Andrew and how much he meant to her.
She wished she could forget Tyler but his memory was still all around her, haunting her night and day.
"We ought to go away on a cruise sis. It would help take your mind off things and maybe cheer you up. What do you say?"
"I don't know. We'll see."
Just then Lauren entered the room. "Christina, could I leave early today? I have to take my mom to the doctors and that usually takes all afternoon. I could come in early tomorrow to make up the time."
"Go on Lauren, but you don't have to come in early to make it up. You do more than your share here and you know it. Now go on. And take tomorrow off too. You've earned it."
"Thank you," answered Lauren as her face beamed happily. She had a lot of things that had to be done today and was happy at the time off. Christina was such a nice lady it was too bad that things had to be what they were. She wished it had been Maureen who had been married to Tyler and not Christina, and then she wouldn’t have felt so bad about what she had to do. However, no matter, it had to be. Life wasn’t fair and she had to do what she had to do.
Maureen scowled at Christina's decision. Why she was always so nice to her was beyond her comprehension. She had never seen anyone treat hired help like Christina did. But she knew it would be useless to say anything. She picked up the remote control and turned on the television. It was almost time for her favorite talk show to come on.
Just as the show was about to begin there was a news bulletin. "Anyone traveling down interstate 4 please be aware that a tractor trailer has jackknifed on the icy road crashing into two other vehicles and traffic is at a standstill. If you must travel this way, there may be a one to two hour delay. Rescue workers are on the scene and we'll bring you an update at the top of the hour. "
"Some people just don't know how to drive in this weather and should stay off the roads," exclaimed Maureen as she curled up on the sofa. "Damn, another re-run," she muttered as she began flipping the channels to see what else was on. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked tossing the remote on the coffee table and looking at Christina. She still had circles under her eyes and looked sick but she never complained.
"Not right now. Think I'll go up and take a long hot bath. I might take a little nap as I’m still not feeling great. Wish the guys hadn’t had to get back. I miss them already."
"Well I'm starved," remarked Maureen as she headed to the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich. If Christina hadn't let Lauren leave early today she could have had her fix something. Maureen hated cooking with a passion. If she were the head of the house she'd never lift a finger that was for sure. But she wasn't head of the house, but one day she might have a home of her own like this one. Surely there was one rich man out there for her, she just had to find him.
Suddenly the phone rang. "Hello," a familiar voice said a little shakily.
"Hello," replied Christina, who picked up the phone upstairs while her water was running.
"Christina, it's Rusty. We've been in a wreck and they’re taking Andrew to the hospital. I don't know how serious it is but it doesn't look good. Can you come down here?"
"A wreck? What happened? How?" she stuttered frantically.
"Look it's best if you come on down here," Rusty said trying to keep his composure.
"We'll be right there," she cried softly.
"Maureen,” she screamed down the stairs as she shut the water off. “Come on, we've got to go. Andrew's been hurt in a wreck and is on his way to the hospital."
"Slow down Christina. What happened, is Rusty all right?".
"We've got to hurry and get down to the hospital. That wreck we saw on the television was them. Andrew is hurt and I don’t know how bad. That was Rusty on the phone and he sounded all right, a bit shaken.”
“Let’s go. I’ll drive. Christina, you don’t look like you could drive right now. Don’t worry, he’s going to be all right, I just know it.” Maureen raced to the car and got in the drivers side. She was shaking and wondered if Andrew were dead and they hadn’t wanted to tell Christina until she got there.
“Hurry Maureen we’ve got to get there,” Christina cried as the tears ran down her face. “What if Andrew is dead….I love him. I can’t lose him now, not when I just found him. Oh God, please don’t let him be dead.” Christina grabbed for a Kleenix to wipe her eyes as the tears ran down streaking her makeup. What would she do without Andrew? He had been such a help when she lost Tyler and now she knew how much he meant to her. Her body began to shake in fear as she looked at the traffic outside. They would never get there.
“I’m going as fast as I can sis, please just hold on. I know Andrew will be all right, he has to be.” Maureen weaved in and out of the traffic as she headed for the hospital. She felt so thankful that Rusty was all right and amazed that she cared so much. For one terrible moment when Christina said they’d been in an accident, Maureen felt her heart flutter and she realized that she was in love with Rusty. No matter that he wasn’t rich and couldn’t give her all the things she wanted out of life, she loved him. It seemed like an eternity before they were pulling into the emergency room parking lot. Christina jumped out before the car was in park and began running.
Rusty was waiting for them in the emergency room.
“Oh Rusty how is he?” Christina cried as she ran into Rusty’s arms. He held her close for a few minutes letting her cry, his eyes on Maureen’s white face as she stood behind her sister.
“Are you all right,” she asked.
He saw the tears welling up as she tried to regain composure. “I’m fine. I was afraid that you’d been hurt when I heard about the accident. What happened anyway? Have they not told you anything about Andrew yet?
“Whoa, wait a minute,” Rusty said as they walked to the chairs to sit down. “It happened so fast I’m not sure just what happened. One minute we were driving out of town, and the next thing I knew this 18-wheeler came right at us. Andrew tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. It hit us and I blacked out for a few minutes. Then the ambulance was there and they were putting me inside and the next thing I knew I was here in the emergency room. The other ambulance brought Andrew a few minutes later. He had been pinned inside and they had to get him out.”
“I’m so afraid Rusty,” Christina crie
d. “What if he dies? I’ll never be able to tell him how much I love him. I didn’t know how much I loved him until now…and now it may be too late.” Christina put her face in her hands as the sobs came harder now. Rusty put his arms around her. He thought how bad she looked and hoped that her heart was all right.
“I don’t know how Andrew is doing in there. The doctor hasn’t come out yet. After they checked me out and found I just had some bruises, they let me go but they wouldn’t let me see Andrew because I am not family.”
It seemed like an eternity before the doctor approached them, nervously rubbing his hands as he walked toward them. Oh God, what if he didn't make it, what if he died, thought Christina suddenly.
"Are you folks with Mr. McArthur?" he asked and they nodded. "I'm Dr. Donaldson. Your friend suffered a pretty severe head injury and is in a coma. That's not unusual with an injury this severe. There was some internal bleeding but we've got that under control. He's being taken to the intensive care unit and the next 24 hours are crucial. I wish I could tell you more but right now only time will tell."
"But there must be something else you can do for him. You’re a doctor," shouted Christina as she began to sob uncontrollably.
"I wish I could ma'am. We're doing everything possible and if he makes it through the next twenty-four hours, he stands a good chance of recovering. "
"If he makes it through the next twenty four hours, my God there's a chance he could die then isn't there?" Christina continued sobbing.
"You can see him for few minutes if you’d like but he needs all his strength to get better. ICU is on the fifth floor. I don’t know if he can hear you or not. I would say not because he is in such a deep coma. I didn’t see any damage to the brain, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any. I’m sorry." The doctor turned and walked away, leaving them speechless. At least he was still alive Rusty thought as they turned to go to see Andrew.
Christina half ran to the elevator with Rusty and Maureen right behind her. As she approached the door she felt weak in her knees, tears still streaming down her cheek. Please dear God, he's got to make it. I couldn't stand to lose both men that I loved. Christina knocked on the door and waited for the nurse to let her inside.
"We'll wait here for you," Rusty said somberly. Christina nodded as she went inside.
The nurse led her to where Andrew laid, his face badly cut and bruised, he was hooked up to all kinds of wires. She went over and held his hand in hers.
"Oh Andrew, please don't die,” she whispered. “You've got to pull through this for me. I love you so much, more than you could ever imagine." The tears continued down her face as she held his hand tightly while he laid there so still it frightened her. The nurse tapped her on the shoulder.
"Your time is up. However, you can come back at 2 p.m. if you'd like. He needs to rest." Christina leaned over and kissed his cheek softly, whispering I love you, hoping he would hear her and respond. She turned to follow the nurse out.
"He is going to be alright, isn't he?" she asked tearfully.
"We're doing everything we can for him but it's too soon to tell right now," the nurse replied sympathetically. "Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."
"But I want to be here in case he wakes up."
"We'll page you if anything changes, I promise," the nurse continued tenderly.
"Well, alright," Christina said reluctantly as she went out the door of ICU.
"How is he?" Rusty asked with a worried look on his face.
"He looks awful," she sobbed as Rusty tried to comfort her.
"There, there, he'll be alright. I just know he will. He's always been a fighter as long as I've known him. He'll pull through this one too," Rusty whispered in a broken voice as if he were trying to convince himself. He knew from the looks of things at the crash site that it was pretty bad. If only he had seen the truck sooner but the snow had been falling hard and before he knew it, the truck in front of him jackknifed and they slammed into the side of the truck in seconds. Then everything went black for a moment. Although they had their seatbelts on the impact of the crash pushed Andrew into the windshield. Andrew never regained consciousness from the time of impact.
They took the elevator to the cafeteria.
"He's going to be o.k. sis." Maureen said softly reaching over and squeezed her hand. Christina stared off into a daze, lost in thoughts of her own. Why hadn’t she told Andrew how much she loved him, she wondered. Tyler wouldn’t have wanted her to spend the rest of her life alone. He was that kind of man and would have wanted her to find someone else to spend her life with. Now, maybe it was going to be too late to tell him how much he meant to her.
“You know,” Christina said to Rusty, “its funny how you think you have so much time in life and we never tell people things we wished we had after they are gone. I should have told Andrew that I loved him. Now he thinks I don’t and he may die thinking that I didn’t love him.”
“I think he knew how much you loved him Christina. We talked a lot about you and he felt that you loved him, but you felt torn because you thought it was being unfaithful to Tyler if you moved on in life and loved someone else.”
“I just wished I could have told him. It seems so important now but I didn’t know this was going to happen. I thought we’d have the rest of our lives.” Just then they heard a voice over the loudspeaker.
"Code blue ICU, Code Blue ICU," came over the intercom bringing Christina back to reality. Don't let it be Andrew she whispered. Please God. She jumped up and headed for the elevator. She just had to get back upstairs to see if he was alright as the tears began to sting her eyes again. She knocked on the ICU door but no one answered as her heart pounded faster inside her chest. Why won't someone open the door. The fear was building up inside her as she leaned against the door exhausted. Finally a nurse came to the door.
"I've got to see Andrew," she begged the nurse standing there.
"I'm sorry. No one can come in right now."
"But I've got to see for myself if he's alright," she screamed angrily.
"I'm sorry ma'am but no one is allowed in when there is a code on the floor. We'll let you in as soon as things settle down in here," the nurse replied as she closed the door firmly.
Christina's knees buckled as she fell to the floor. Rusty picked her up and carried her over to the couch in the waiting room while Maureen tried to find a nurse or doctor for her sister.
Just then Dr. Donaldson stepped off the elevator.
"Dr. Donaldson, she's fainted. Can you look at her?" Maureen asked solemnly.
The doctor pulled an ammonia packet from his jacket pocket and put it under her nose. Within seconds she came too. "What's happened doctor, you've got to tell me the truth," she demanded in a shrill voice.
"You fainted young lady, that's what happened," he said seeming a little annoyed. "I know you’re worried about your friend but you’re not helping him by getting hysterical. Why don't you go home and rest a while. I promise I'll call you if there are any changes."
"I can't. I need to be here in case he wakes up." Christina sat up and the doctor realized it was useless to continue.
"Very well. But you do need to calm down before you go in and see him. I don't want him getting upset."
"I will, I promise. Can I see him now?" she asked impatiently.
"When I'm through checking him I'll come out and let you know," he answered as he quickly went inside.
It seemed like hours had passed before the doctor returned. Christina's pulse raced as she sat waiting. "You can see him for a few minutes. He's still in a coma but his vital signs are stable."
"Then the code blue wasn't for him?" she asked relieved.
"Ma'am we have a 21 bed ICU unit so you can't get upset every time you hear a code blue over the intercom. It could be any one of the 21 patients." He had seen this reaction so many times before with other family members who loved ones were in ICU. Yet it was hard to reassure them all.
; Christina smoothed his hair with her hand gently as she chattered nervously hoping for a response. She closed her hand over his and told him again and again how much she loved him then suddenly felt his hand twinge beneath hers as if to say he heard her. She bent down and kissed his forehead as his eye seemed to flutter beneath his eyelid.
All too soon the nurse once again reminded her it was time to leave. "I'll be back sweetheart. You rest and get well for me o.k.," she whispered tearfully as she turned to leave.
When Christina returned Rusty noticed a relief in her eyes. "Is he looking better?" he asked nervously.
"I think so," she replied. "I felt his hand move and his eyelids flickered."
"Well why don't we go home and rest awhile then come back later this evening?" Maureen asked as she moved towards Christina. She gave a forced smile and a tense nod of consent.
The drive home was filled with silence and gloom. "Now you go and sit down while I fix some coffee," Maureen ordered once they were home.
"Need any help?" Rusty offered.
She shook her head negatively. Rusty sat down next to Christina silently. "He'll be alright Christina," he remarked matter-of-factly. Christina nodded woodenly. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk right now to anyone.
Maureen returned with steaming hot coffee and a platter of sandwiches. "Thanks," Rusty replied, his hoarse whisper broke the silence.
"Come on Christina, have a sandwich. You need to keep up your strength or you'll be no good to anyone," Maureen commanded firmly.
"I'm not hungry," Christina snapped. She didn't want to talk or eat. She just wanted to think.
"O.K. Just trying to help. You don't have to take my head off you know. We're just as worried about Andrew as you are."
"I'm sorry sis, really. It's just been such a trying day," Christina replied softly. She could see the concern in Maureen's eyes and was sorry she snapped at her. Just then the phone rang. Christina jumped to answer it. "Hello," she answered hesitantly. Suddenly tears streamed down her face and Rusty was afraid that Andrew might have taken a turn for the worse. Christina put the phone down slowly and a half smile formed on her delicate face.
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