Emma's Story

by Mitchel Grace

  “You should see your face,” she said as they got off the Ferris wheel.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You look like you’re going to faint. I don’t want to get on those rides any more than you do. I especially don’t want to right after we eat.”

  “Oh, thank God! I didn’t want to seem like a coward, but my idea of a good time isn’t exactly being too dizzy to stand up.”

  “We’ve actually been here for a while, you know. We could eat and get on some of the tamer stuff. After that, I think it’s going to be time to find that beach you were talking about.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. It’s going to be a little early then, though, isn’t it?”

  “Not if you let me do the picking when it comes to where we go. I know a few private spots, and I wouldn’t mind starting the New Year’s celebration a little early with you. We can drink our wine and just enjoy each other until midnight.”

  “That’s perfect. Now, since you’ve been to this place before, what’s good to eat here?”

  They enjoyed the rest of their time at the park, and when they were done, they made their way out to the car only to discover something very disappointing. Emma’s car window had been busted out. The thieves had taken a phone charger, a small amount of cash she had in the pocket, and of course, their fireworks and wine.

  “Well, our New Year’s is ruined. I can’t believe this happened here. I’ve never been robbed,” Emma said in surprise.

  “Hey, it’s not ruined. We’ll get your window fixed tomorrow, and we don’t need wine or fireworks to have a good time. Do you want to file a police report before we head out to the beach?”

  “No. They only took a few dollars. It’s not worth the trouble. I’ll get my dad to fix the window, and I can handle losing the money. I just hate that this ruins our plans. I had so much . . .” Emma managed to say before he interrupted her with a kiss.

  “What was that for?” Emma asked with a smile.

  “It was to remind you that all we really need to have a good time is each other. Now, will you show me where this private beach is? I’m ready to get our first New Year’s celebration underway.”

  “Sure, but you know we’ve still got like two hours until midnight. What are we going to do without wine or fireworks?”

  “You’ll see. Come on,” Jasper said while wiping the broken glass off her seat.

  Once they got to the beach, Jasper saw why Emma liked this spot. It was private, and the moonlight reflecting off the ocean made the perfect romantic scene. Jasper pulled her to the ground with him and rolled on top of her. Then he kissed Emma passionately. She enjoyed the moment for a minute but then stopped things.

  “You know, when I said I was worried we wouldn’t have anything to do until midnight, I didn’t mean you should fill that time with a make out session,” she joked.

  “Sorry. I’ve waited over a week to see you again, though. I just thought . . .”

  “I did, too, but let’s take our time. I’ll make a deal with you. Do you see that small island out there?” Emma asked.

  “Yeah, but that looks pretty far away.”

  “Are you scared?” she teased.

  “No, but what are you saying?”

  “I’ve always wanted to swim out there, but I was too scared to do it alone. I’ll race you. If you beat me, we’ll spend New Year’s doing whatever you want. Otherwise, I’ll be calling all the shots.”

  “Wait a second. That’s not even fair. You’ve lived right next to the beach your entire life. You’re clearly the better swimmer.”

  “What’s wrong, Jasper? Are you scared a girl is going to make you look bad? I mean, I would never look at you differently just because I’m better than you at everything. You shouldn’t either,” she joked.

  “All right. That’s it! You’re on.”

  “Okay, but you know, your blue jeans aren’t going to be great to swim in. I, on the other hand, wore shorts, so I’ll be fine. You might just have to strip to have a chance, which means that when you lose, you’re not only going to get beaten by your girlfriend, but you’re going to be in your boxers, too. This will kind of be a nightmare scenario for you.”

  “Very funny. Less talk and more swimming,” Jasper said and smiled.

  At the count of three, they sprinted for the water. Jasper got a small lead on the sprint, but Emma quickly caught up once they were in the ocean. About halfway to the island, she passed him, and Jasper never quite caught up. As a matter of fact, Emma beat him pretty handily. When he reached the island, she was waiting on him so she could gloat a little.

  “So how does it feel to get beaten by your girlfriend? No, here’s a better question. Is this like a living nightmare for you? I mean, you’re literally in your underwear,” Emma joked.

  “Shut up,” Jasper said and grinned.

  “It looks like I won, so the rest of the night is mine.”

  “What do you want to do with it?”

  “First, I want to declare this island ours. Then I want to do this,” Emma said and kissed him.

  She pulled him down to the sand and got on top of him. Jasper probably shouldn’t have, but he stopped for a second. He had to know where this was coming from.

  “So I thought you didn’t want to do this before. Not that I’m complaining, but what’s going on?” he asked.

  “Wow. You really don’t know when to be quiet, do you?” Emma teased.

  “You’re right. I’m shutting up right now.”

  “No, I’ll answer. I just wanted to have a little fun, and I really have always wanted to swim out here. As for me choosing this as what I want to do, I missed you just as much as you did me. It turns out that we both want to spend the night with just each other. Now, shut up, and kiss me.”

  Jasper smiled and flipped her over. Then he kissed her passionately. There were no fireworks or alcoholic drinks that night. They didn’t need all that, though. Jasper and Emma knew then that the only thing required for a celebration was each other. As they made love on New Year’s Eve, they knew they were ringing in the New Year exactly as it should be - in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 17

  The Call

  Two Weeks Later

  Two of the best weeks of Emma and Jasper’s lives had passed. It was great to be reunited, and after New Year’s Eve, they only grew closer. When school started back, they easily fell back into their routine of school, work, and play. For some, that routine might have grown boring, but it was what they chose. It was everything they had always wanted. Jasper was about to learn a very important lesson, however. One phone call can change everything.

  As he got up that morning, he noticed that he had several missed calls from his mom and brother. It was unusual for them to call him in the middle of the night. Them calling a dozen times made things look even worse. Jasper noticed that his dad hadn’t called. He knew what these calls were probably about. His father, Jason, was about a decade older than his mom. While she was still in her forties, he was in his mid fifties. Something must have happened to him. Still, fifty-six wasn’t old, and his dad had never been anything but healthy. Was he jumping to conclusions? Then again, what else could this be about?

  “What’s wrong?” Emma asked as she woke up and rolled over to see Jasper blankly staring at his phone.

  “I don’t know. I have several missed calls from my mom and brother. Most of them came between midnight and five. They wouldn’t call unless there was something wrong. I’m wondering if I really want to call them back right now and find out something terrible.”

  “You have to call them eventually, and you don’t know that it’ll be bad.”

  “No, but I can read between the lines. They weren’t trying to get in touch with me in the middle of the night for a good reason.”

  “I’m here with you. We’ll get through whatever you find out together,” Emma said and rubbed his back encouragingly.

  Jasper cautiously picked up the phone. He knew the last few days
had been too perfect. Something had to come crashing down, and he didn’t think he could take it happening now, even if Emma was there for him. As Jasper waited for his mom to pick up, he just knew that his peaceful existence had ended.

  “Thank God! Where have you been? We’ve been trying to get in touch with you forever,” Chloe said.

  “I had my phone on silent because it was nighttime. Is something wrong?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know how to say this in a good way, so I’m just going to spit it out. Your dad was in a car accident. He’s alive and he woke up, but it was pretty bad. We didn’t know if he was going to make it for a while there. That’s why I called you.”

  “How bad was it? Is he all right?”

  “He has two fractured ribs, a severe concussion, a broken leg, and he didn’t wake up for eight hours. As a matter of fact, he only woke up for a second before he fell back asleep. The doctors are saying they’ll know more soon.”

  “What do you mean know more?”

  “We don’t truly know how much damage it caused. He hit his head really hard, and they’re not entirely sure if it didn’t do more damage than we would like.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “Are you really going to make me spit it out?”

  “I think I have to. I won’t believe something like this could happen to Dad unless you do.”

  “He was hurt really bad, and we couldn’t tell anything when he woke up for a few seconds. As a result of this, he could have memory loss, brain damage, seizures, or just about any other bad thing you can think of. On the other hand, he might be perfectly fine with a little time to recover. I’m not trying to upset you, but I thought you should know,” Chloe said while trying to sound as if she was fine.

  Jasper knew better. His mother had been through a lot of bad things in her life, so she knew how to control her emotions. He could hear it in her voice, though, no matter how much she tried to hide it. The man she loved was hurt, and he might not be okay. Jasper knew what he had to do.

  “I’m coming home,” he said.

  “No. You’ve got school and a life. I’ll update you on everything from here. I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

  “Mom, if it were me who was hurt, you two would be here as soon as you could book a flight, and I’m going to be there, too. Just give me a while to find a flight, and I’ll let you know when I’m going to be there.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to at least wait until I know more?”

  “I’m positive. Paul can pick me up at the airport. You just concentrate on Dad. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Jasper. What are we going to do if he’s not all right?” Chloe asked in a rare moment of weakness.

  “That’s not going to happen. Dad will be fine. Trust me.”

  “I hope you’re right. I’ll see you soon.”

  “I heard half the conversation, so I don’t really know what’s going on. Why are you going home, and what’s wrong with your dad?” Emma asked as he hung up.

  “He was in a car accident. I don’t know a lot yet other than he’s pretty messed up. They don’t know how bad it is, and until he wakes up and interacts with people, they won’t. I’m going to be there, no matter what happens. I hope you understand.”

  “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t? I understand so much that I’m not letting you make this trip alone.”

  “What about school and our jobs? I don’t have a choice other than to go, but we can’t both sacrifice what we have here. Someone has to pay the bills, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to get fired for walking away from work right after I just took a week off.”

  “So we’ll both get fired. It’s not a big deal. It’s already Thursday, too. I’ll only miss a couple days of school to go with you.”

  “Okay, but you do realize that us getting fired will mean no electricity or cable next month, right?”

  “Jasper, relax. I have very rich parents, remember? They might want me to learn responsibility by paying the bills on this place, but they’re not going to let us be cold or go without entertainment. I’ll talk to them while you pack some things, and I’m sure they’ll agree to help us out, considering the circumstances.”

  “Are you sure you want to go? It’s not going to be fun.”

  “I’m in this for more than just the good parts. Now, go do whatever you need to while I take care of everything else.”

  “You’re the best. Thank you,” Jasper said and kissed her forehead.

  Emma called her parents and told them everything. They had already heard about Jason. Chloe called them right before Jasper got in touch with her. They were planning on catching a flight of their own. Jason and Chloe had been their friends long before Emma and Jasper were even born. Her dad told her to wait on booking a flight because they would do it for them. They were all going to fly together, and Nathan assured her that he would help out if they lost their jobs. It was just as Emma expected. Her parents understood that this was a desperate situation. The only thing left to do was call their work and explain things. After that, all they could do was wait for her parents to find a flight.

  “Are you getting ready?” Jasper asked as she got off the phone with the diner.

  “I’m going to, but you need to relax. My parents are finding a flight for all of us, and they’re going to take care of anything we need. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a while before the next available flight, though, so take your time packing, and try to relax.”

  “It’s just hard. You don’t ever expect something like this to happen. I mean, he’s my dad. He’s never been in the hospital. I always thought he was indestructible.”

  “He might just be. You don’t know that he’s going to be seriously hurt. I’m sure he’s going to wake up and be fine.”

  “I hope you’re right, but how do I not panic in this situation? It’s my dad.”

  “I don’t know. If it were my dad, I would be handling this a lot worse than you. Just have faith in my words. He’s going to be fine.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Yes, I do. Now, try to concentrate on something else while I get ready and pack. If you can’t, call Paul. I imagine he feels the same way you do.”

  Jasper took her advice and called his brother. As he was waiting for him to pick up, he had a lot of questions running through his mind. Was he making a big deal out of nothing? Was Emma right, and his dad would be fine? For that matter, was it even the right decision to call Paul? He imagined that his brother was already upset enough without having to talk to him about what happened. It was too late to go back now, though, because just as Jasper was about to hang up, he heard Paul answer.

  “Hello,” Paul said.

  “Hey, it’s me. I don’t really know why I called, but I wanted to hear what was going on from you. I’m really far away, and I’m panicking here.”

  “It’s not good. He looks bad. To be honest, I don’t see how he’s going to come out of this without more than a few bumps and bruises.”

  “So you think he’ll have lasting effects?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t say for sure, and I don’t want to tell you anything that’s wrong.”

  “Well, tell me something. What even happened? I know he was in a car accident, but how did it happen?”

  “All we know is the other driver’s story. For what it’s worth, his story seems to add up by what the scene looked like. You know Dad always followed people a little too close. He rear-ended someone and swerved off the road where he hit a concrete barrier. I don’t know how he even got out of there at all. The car was totaled, and the only part of it that didn’t look like a can after its been crushed was the driver’s seat.”

  “When he woke up, what did you think? Did he look like himself?”

  “Yeah, but he was out of it. He didn’t even speak before he fell back asleep. The doctors think he’ll be okay, but I’m not quite sure what their definition of okay is.”

  “What do you mean
?”

  “You know what I mean. Is he going to be the same dad we always knew, or is he going to have a long recovery process? Head injuries can be unpredictable.”

  “You could’ve lied to me, you know. I feel like I’m going crazy here.”

  “I knew you would want the truth. I’m betting on Dad to be fine. He always has been. If I were you, I would still get here as quickly as I could, though. I’m sure he’ll want to see you when he wakes up.”

  “All right, we’re working on finding a flight now. Thanks for letting me know what’s going on. I didn’t feel comfortable asking Mom too much, because even if she always seems strong, I know she’s not in situations like this.”

  “No problem. Before I go, I should tell you to be safe. The last thing we need is for another family member to be hurt, and well, I . . .”

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to say it. I get it. I love you, too, Paul. I’ll see you soon, and all of this is going to be fine.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  After Jasper was off the phone, he waited for Emma to get ready. Once she was, she tried to keep him distracted while her parents found the best flight. Eventually, they got the news they had been waiting on. Their flight was leaving that evening. Jasper suggested they go to as many classes as they could that day because he didn’t want to ruin Emma’s record so early in the semester, but in truth, he didn’t feel like sitting in classrooms while he waited for a flight that would take him home to a sight that he never wanted to see. Jason was the man who raised him. He was invincible to Jasper until a few hours before. Now, it was finally starting to dawn on him that nothing could last forever. His father would die one day, and odds were that he wouldn’t even be around to say goodbye because he would be in Hawaii. His decision to stay with Emma wasn’t changing, but it was then that he truly realized what he was giving up by not going home.

  When the time finally came, Jasper and Emma got their bags, and Nathan and Sam came over to get them. The car ride to the airport was a silent one. Emma’s parents knew they should say something to calm his nerves, but they had no idea what that was. After they had boarded the plane and it had taken off, Sam finally knew what she needed to do. She asked Emma to switch seats with her for a while, and she sat by Jasper.