by Bria Marche
“Excuse me, who do we speak to about accident reports?” Mia asked, politely.
“Are you reporting an accident?” the dispatcher asked.
“No, we’re looking for someone who may have been involved in an accident Saturday night. We just want someone to confirm that it was, or wasn’t, our friend.”
“So you aren’t related to the person you’re looking for?”
Son of a bitch, why did I say that? “Um… no, but she’s engaged to him. His name is Max Cole.” White lies run out of my friggin mouth like water. I’m really getting good at telling them. Sorry, Jesus. I’ll go to church next Sunday, I promise.
“Have a seat, someone will be out in a few minutes to talk to you.” The dispatcher gave them both the once over, then disappeared around the corner.
“I can’t sit down,” Vic said, as she walked the length of the counter fifteen times before an officer came out and introduced himself.
“Ladies, I’m Officer Moreno. What can I do for you?”
Mia gave him a quick assessment. He doesn’t look like a complete jerk. He’s not puffing out his chest with a full of himself attitude. He does have a pot gut and that handlebar mustache? What the hell is that crusty stuff on it? Oh well… he’ll have to do. “We we’re wondering about an accident that was called in Saturday night, or actually Sunday morning to be specific. It was about a motorcyclist hitting a deer.”
“Yes, I’m familiar with that accident. Are you family?”
“Well, no, but it is public information. The report was on the Internet.”
“It didn’t state the victim’s name though, did it? If it had, you wouldn’t be here asking.”
“Victim?” Vic went into a round of hysterics at the sound of the word.
“Ma’am, you need to compose yourself. Victim is the generic term used for anyone involved in an accident. It does not mean he’s deceased. Now what relationship do you both have with this person?”
“I’m a close friend and… ”
“I’m his fiancé. We’re getting married in a few months. I’m pregnant with his baby!” Vic wailed.
Mia’s head spun around so fast it almost shot off her shoulders. Damn girl, you’re good!
“It’s Wednesday night. You’re just looking for him now?” the officer asked, becoming suspicious.
“We had a fight, okay? I was giving him space, but it’s been too long.” Vic was sobbing so hard she was almost unable to speak. Mia hugged her and patted the top of her head.
“I’ll take over, hon. Breathe like they taught you in Lamaze class. Officer, please help us. We only want to know if the person involved in that accident was Max Cole and where he is right now. We’ll leave as soon as we get that information. You don’t want this sobbing, irrational, pregnant woman sitting here all night do you?” I might as well jump on the preggers bandwagon.
He gave each of them an irritated look and asked for their driver’s licenses. “I’ll be back with these in a minute. If there’s any disturbances in town from either of you, we’ll be knocking on your doors.” Officer Moreno walked into a small room where the copy machine was located. He returned and handed each of them their licenses back. He sat down nearest Mia. Something told him to stay out of arms reach of the pregnant Puerto Rican.
“Okay, ladies, I do have confirmation that the person in the accident on State Highway 9 early Sunday morning was indeed Max Cole.” He flinched in defense as Vic’s arms began flailing wildly. “What in God’s name?” he asked, as he ducked for the second time. “Please control your friend or I’ll have to restrain her. As I was saying, the motorcyclist was Max Cole, and he was transported to Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Peekskill immediately after the accident. Would you like me to call and see if he’s still a patient there?”
“Yes, please. That would be so helpful,” Mia replied, as politely as she could. “Vic!” she whispered, “take it down a notch before he locks us up. We’ll be out of here in five minutes. Just control yourself for crap’s sake.”
“I can’t help myself, I’m PMSing, Mia. You know the mood swings and all?”
“That would be funny if this wasn’t so serious.”
“You’re right, and I’m sorry. I won’t make another peep.”
The officer returned and informed the girls that Max was still listed as a patient. He didn’t think they would be allowed to see him since he was in ICU. Visitation in ICU was normally reserved for family only. “Give it a shot and good luck. Take your time getting there too. You don’t want to be detained with a speeding ticket tonight, right, ladies?”
“Yes, you’re right, officer. Thank you very much for your help. Goodbye.” Mia shook his hand. They turned and bolted out the door toward the parking lot.
Officer Moreno shook his head and walked back to his desk. He had a glazed donut to finish eating.
Chapter Twenty Two
“Vic, find the address of Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Peekskill just like you did for the police station earlier. We should be there in about ten minutes.”
Vic was so nervous her hands shook as she tried to type the name of the facility into the Google search bar. “Son of a bitch,” she screeched, “I can’t even spell simple words that a second grader could right now.”
“Use Google microphone. Just say what you’re looking for. Make it easy on yourself for Pete’s sake. I’ve got to keep my eyes on the road.”
“Shit, that’s right, sorry, Chica. Okay, hang on. I’ve got to breathe first. Alright, stay on Highway 9 until you get to the South Street ramp. Turn right on South Street until you come to South Division Street. That turns into Crompond Road which will take us right to the hospital driveway.”
“Okay. Just keep guiding me as I drive.”
Mia parked in the emergency area parking lot. They rushed into the hospital entrance and up to the counter. Vic was already wailing again. The startled looks on the faces of the ladies behind the reception counter put everyone on alert. They gave a head’s up glance in the direction of the security guards.
“Vic, calm the hell down. I’ll do the talking or we’ll get kicked out of here before we find out anything.” Mia put on her best smile and took a deep breath. She told Vic to sit in the waiting area and not to move or speak until she came back for her. “Hello there, I’m hoping you can help us. My friend and I were told her fiancé is a patient here. His name is Max Cole. We’re aware he’s in ICU and there’s strict rules as far as family goes, but he has nobody else here. His fiancé, the crying woman over there, is pregnant with his child. Please, you have to help us.” The look of concern swept across Mia’s face as she blurted out another lie with ease. She smiled pitifully, and waited. The calming elevator music played in the background. There were obvious shades of green on the walls, meant to relax visitors and patients. I need to remind Vic of that.
One of the ladies behind the counter rose, scowled at Mia and said she would be right back. She soon returned with a security guard and informed Mia they could go up to see Max.
“Any ruckus, incidents, or outbreaks of crazy, and both of you ladies will have to leave. The security guard will immediately extract you from the building. Is that clear?”
“Yes, ma’am, we’ll behave, I promise.”
Mia waved to get Vic’s attention. Vic ran over to join her. The silence in the elevator was deafening as they were led up to the fourth floor. The music played quietly. The guard gave them both the shit eye as he stared them down. “Follow me,” he said, as the elevator doors opened.
They were led down several hallways until they arrived at the ICU wing. A large counter with people hustling about was directly in front of them. “I’m going to wait up here for you. Don’t make me throw you out, understand?”
“Yes, we understand,” Mia replied, nodding her head up and down. Mia grabbed Vic’s hand and held her close. “Excuse me, we would like to see Max Cole.” Be assertive, but polite, Mia reminded herself.
“And you are?” th
e nurse asked, with her head cocked to the side.
“I’m a friend that drove his fiancé here. She’s pregnant.” Damn it, this whole preggers thing is taking on a life of its own.
“Please take a seat. His doctor will come out and talk to you.”
The girls sat and waited. The soft background music echoed through the hospital hallways, in an attempt to sooth frazzled nerves. They stared into space not knowing what else to do. “Do you want some coffee?” Mia asked.
“Yeah, that sounds good, thanks.” Vic quietly cried into her hands, not wanting to upset the guard or anyone else.
Within ten minutes a typical looking, middle aged man in a white lab coat approached them. “I hear you’re asking about Max Cole? One of you is his fiancé, is that correct?”
“Yes, I am,” Vic replied, with red, swollen eyes.
Mia couldn’t believe the stories they were coming up with. Jeez… we’re so going to hell for all the lies we’ve told in the last hour.
“I’m Doctor Taylor. Mr. Cole has suffered considerable damage to both legs and has numerous stitches. Our main concern though, is the swelling on his brain. That’s why he’s in ICU.”
Tiny sobs and coughs came from Vic, even though she was doing her best to suppress it. Tears streamed down Mia’s cheeks.
“The good news is, we’ve seen considerable progress over the last 48 hours. The swelling is going down. Right now Mr. Cole is in an induced coma, but we’re hoping to wake him up tomorrow. We’ll do an MRI of his brain and see how things look then. What he needs is rest. His legs will heal of course, but they were both broken in multiple areas. He’s wearing casts, and he’ll be in a wheel chair for a while. Our focus and concern right now is his brain and if there is any permanent damage. There’s really nothing else I can tell you.”
“Can we see him?” Vic asked. “I just want to sit with him, please.”
“Of course, but you have to remain calm. We don’t know if subconsciously he hears you, or not, but we don’t want any loud noises that might startle him.”
“Okay, thank you, doctor. We’ll be as quiet as possible.”
Vic and Mia tiptoed into Max’s room. The sight of him shook them both to the core. His face was deeply bruised and swollen. Stitches covered much of his body that was visible. Both legs wore white casts. Max had every kind of monitor and alarm hooked up to him. IV’s and tubes dangled from both arms. He lay asleep with no idea they were sitting next to him. Vic and Mia looked him over closely and whispered their anguish to each other. Vic gently touched his hand. It flinched lightly. The girls each said a silent prayer over him and walked out to the nurse’s station.
“Will someone take down my name as a contact?” Vic asked. “I’d like to come back every evening, especially once he wakes up.”
The nurses wrote down Vic and Mia’s phone numbers, and listed them as people allowed to visit.
The ride back to Tarrytown held disbelief and sadness for both women. Mia watched the dark road closely as she drove. Vic looked out the window staring into the blackness.
“Mia?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think Max had the accident because of me? Was he upset about the way I acted toward him Saturday night, and not paying attention to the road?”
“Honey, don’t put that burden on yourself. You’ll never know what Max was thinking unless he tells you. It’s not like he carelessly veered off the road. He hit a deer, Vic. It was standing in the road. There wasn’t enough time to react, that’s all.” Mia reached over and patted Vic’s shoulder.
“I’ve learned a hard lesson.”
“What’s that?”
“Not to believe everything I see. There could be a totally innocent explanation for a lot of things people misinterpret. I should have spoken up. If I would have walked over to you guys on the driveway, I would have realized neither of you were doing anything wrong. I’ll never, and I mean never, prejudge people again. I’m so sorry, Mia.”
“It’s okay. Now, all we have to do is pray for Max. Why don’t you make a few phone calls while I drive? We need to tell everyone what’s going on.”
Back in the comfort of her house, Mia and Vic slumped down on the couch, letting out spontaneous sighs. Aaron handed each of them a glass of chilled Chardonnay and sat next to Mia, comforting them both, as they took turns explaining what they learned in the last few hours.
“I don’t really know Max, but I’m so sorry he’s going through this. If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the words. Mia and I are there for you, Vic. The same goes for all our friends.”
“Thanks, that means a lot. I’ll probably be going to the hospital after work each night. I’d like it if everyone took turns going along. I think leaning on each other as he recovers will lessen the stress.”
“I agree, hon. I’ll do my photography around your work schedule. We’ll go with you whenever you want. Max might recover quicker if he has stimulation from people he knows.”
“Okay, guys, I’m beat. I need to go home. Stop in at lunchtime tomorrow, Mia. You can decide where to eat. Aaron, join us, please. It would be nice.”
“Will do, Vic. Good night.”
Chapter Twenty Three
The next week went by slowly. Ninety percent of Vic’s mind was on Max and ten percent on her job. Anything that was critical like hair coloring and cuts, was left in the capable and safer hands of Tina. Vic settled for taking care of the mani-pedis and rolling the little old ladies’ hair in curlers. She didn’t get much sleep and found her head bobbing plenty of times throughout the day.
Max was taken out of his induced coma five days ago. He slept a lot on his own just because of the pain medication, and didn’t seem to recognize anyone that stopped in, especially Vic. Her face was the constant in that hospital room every night, but he still couldn’t get a grasp on names or faces. Max worked with a speech and occupational therapist several times a day. His motor skills were improving, but he had a long, hard road ahead of him. Vic was diligent and loyal. She felt a true sense of love toward Max. She also felt an equal sense of guilt that she couldn’t shake off.
The chimes on the grandfather’s clock in the living room sounded three times. Vic tossed and turned in bed, irritated by her inability to sleep. Her eyes burned like hot pokers. She needed sleep, but she wouldn’t get any without help. Vic stumbled out of bed and zombie walked to the kitchen. Sleepytime tea always made her dozy. With her eyes only open enough to see through the slits, she poured water into a cup, placed it in the microwave and set the timer for two minutes. That should help me fall asleep. She sat with her tea on the recliner and thought about Max. The TV was turned on as background noise with a middle of the night ‘firm up your butt’ infomercial playing. Vic stared at it, but didn’t see a thing. Her fingers grasped the tea bag string and mindlessly bobbed it up and down in the cup. Will he ever remember me? Is his mind going to come back and function fully in time? I want to start over with him, and show him I can be a sweet person. I don’t have to be the hard ass, insecure bitch. It isn’t at all funny, or attractive, now that I think about it. Why don’t I ever let the real me show? Why am I always hiding behind the tough girl facade?
Vic thought back to her childhood. It was hard being the only girl in a family of four kids. They definitely weren’t privileged either. The family worked hard for everything they had. “The tough ones win, Vic,” her dad always said. Is that where it came from? Vic took one last sip of tea as she watched the butt firming exercises on TV. This is such crap. I’ve got a firm butt anyway. Time for bed. She clicked off the remote and vowed to get some sleep.
Saturday, Mario offered to go with Vic to the hospital. Everyone else had prior commitments that day. Mario also volunteered to stay another week just to make life a little easier on Vic. She appreciated her baby brother so much. Vic was optimistic. The doctor told her Max would be moved to the neighboring rehabilitation center in two days. His condition was good, but he needed extensive mental an
d physical therapy while his brain and broken legs healed. They entered the room as Max was being helped with his lunch. His weak grasp caused him to drop the fork. The therapist handed it back to him. He dropped it again.
“I can do that,” Vic volunteered happily. She sat on the edge of the bed and handed Max the fork each and every time he dropped it. Max stared at her, then looked at Mario.
“How’s it going, Mario?” he asked, with a thick slur.
Vic dropped the fork. “Max, you recognized Mario. You remembered his name,” she said, excitedly.
He looked at her again, and with the heavy slur said, “Vic, you’re here.”
She sobbed openly as she pushed the food tray to the side and carefully hugged Max. “I’m here, Max. I’ll always be here for you. You can depend on me. I promise you that. Mario, get the doctor. They have to see his memory is coming around. This is such good news!”
They were asked to leave the room while the doctor checked Max over.
“Mario, text me as soon as the doctor comes out. I’m going outside to call the girls. They’ll be so excited to hear the news.”
The doctor and therapists worked with Max for nearly an hour before they came out of the room. Mario and Vic waited on the edge of their seats.
“Max’s brain function needs to be tested,” the doctor said. “I would suggest going home and coming back in the morning. We’ll be running him through quite a few tests throughout the day. Tomorrow we’ll have more information after we read the results. Go home and relax. It looks like it’s going to be a long day, but I think the prognosis will please you.”
“Thank you, doctor. We’ll be back in the morning.” Vic was on cloud nine as she and Mario drove home.
That night everyone gathered for dinner at Vic’s house. The girls brought all the food so Vic could sit back and enjoy the evening with her dearest friends. They toasted Max’s imminent recovery.