"What happened here? Has anyone called for help," she asked the other shocked bystanders.
"They're on their way..." The worst and most accessible victim was a middle-aged woman who'd managed to crawl from the overturned wreckage of her car.
"Ma'am, can you hear me? What's your name?"
"Judith. My leg..." Andi looked down and repressed the cringe at seeing the compound fracture of Judith's left leg.
"Okay, Judith, you've broken your leg. Is there anything else that hurts," Andi asked taking her sweatshirt off and placing it under the woman's head.
"Just my hip and leg."
"I need you to stay awake, okay, Judith? You have a large bump on your head and I just want to keep you talking until the medics get here. I'm Andrea, I work over at County. I was just on my way home to my husband and my little girls. Are you cold, Judith? You're shivering. I think you might be going into shock. I have a blanket right over there in my car that I'm going to get for you, okay? You feel any kind of pain, yell for me. I'll be back in a few seconds." Andrea stood and never saw the oncoming pick-up truck. The driver slammed on his brakes and swerved, but he still hit Andi from behind. She heard the sound of her own screams, the wail of sirens and Judith's cries to watch out. Her last conscious thought was of JC.
***************
Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me,
it could be for anything
I didn't ask for money, or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished for one more day with you
One more day
One more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again
I know what it would do
It'd leave me wishing still for one more day with you
***************
"What do you have?"
"Female victim, about seven, eight months pregnant, struck by vehicle from behind while trying to help at the scene of an accident. She must have been the first one there." Patrick Westin looked down and saw that it was Andrea.
"Shit! She's one of ours! Let's go, guys, move!" Every staff member not already working on someone began working on Andi.
"Daniel, I'm going to call Josh to let him know. Don't let anyone in the lounge until I'm done." Patrick knew that this phone call would be the most difficult of his life to make.
"Hello?"
"Could I speak to Josh, please?"
"Yeah, hold on. C! Phone for you, man."
"Thanks, Justin. Hello?"
"Josh, this is Patrick Westin."
"Hey, Pat, I was just about to call and see if Andi left yet."
"Josh, we need you to come down to the hospital. Andrea's been in an accident. Things don't look very good."
"I'll be right there." JC turned off the phone and stared at it for precious seconds before hurling it through the plate glass window. The sound that left his body scared Justin and Joey witless. They watched helplessly as JC fell to the floor with an anguished scream. "C...Josh, what's wrong?? Talk to me, Josh!! Tell me what you heard." He wouldn't respond to Justin. He shook the older man's shoulders and forced JC to look at him.
"Is it Andrea??" Justin knew by the slight change in the color of his friend's eyes that he was right.
"Joey, get the girls from the sitter's. Josh, is she at the hospital?" He nodded weakly and Justin helped him stand.
"Meet us at County, Joe. Come on, Josh, you need to be with her."
Six hours later, Westin walked to the waiting room with two other surgeons.
"Just...let me talk to him first. Josh?"
"Patrick, how is she?"
"Could you come with us?"
"It's okay, we'll stay with the girls," Justin said as they walked out of the room.
"Andrea was on her way home this afternoon when she stopped to help at an accident. She was hit from behind by a pick-up truck."
"Oh God...the baby?"
"We delivered your son the moment Andrea came to us in the OR," Dr. Racine said.
"They're watching over him in NICU right now."
"Andrea?"
"The force of the impact crushed her spine. Pieces of the truck's grill punctured her liver and there was a lot of internal bleeding. If Andrea pulls through the night, she'll never be able to walk again. Mr. Chasez, we've done everything we can for your wife, but things don't look good. I'm sorry."
"Thank you." He walked back to the waiting room where the rest of his family sat. Justin looked up from the book he was reading and noticed JC standing in the doorway.
"Nattie, dear, can you go sit with Aunt Rachel?" The little girl slid off his lap as he stood. JC shook his head as tears ran down his face.
"I'm sorry, Jace. Let's go ask if you can see her." Justin helped his friend to the nurses station.
"Excuse me, this is Josh Chasez. His wife Andrea was brought in and operated on a few hours ago. Can we see her?"
"Dr. Westin has only approved Mr. Chasez to enter the room, but you can bring him there. Room 629."
"Thank you. Josh, come on, man. We're going to see your Andi girl." Justin stopped JC before he entered the room.
"I'm right here if things get to be too much in there."
"I need to deal with this. But thank you." No amount of preparation would have made the first glimpse of his wife easy on JC.
***************
First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl
Then I'd unplug the telephone,
and keep the TV off
I'd hold you every second, say a million I love you's
That's what I'd do, with one more day with you
One more day
One more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again
I know what it would do
It'd leave me wishing still for one more day with you
***************
Scratches and bruises covered half of her face as well as her forearms from hitting the pavement. Her abdomen was no longer a home to their child. Ethan Michael Chasez was resting as comfortably as possible for a two month premature child. Her hair was matted with blood and there were so many tubes and machines attached to her body. She was still his beautiful Andi girl.
"Andrea, you're going to make it. You have to make it. I can't live without you babygirl. I love you, and we all need you. Please don't leave me..." He sat in the chair next to her bed, gently took her hand and cried.
***************
One more day
One more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again
I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still for one more day...
Leave me wishing still for one more day...
It'd leave me wishing still for one more day with you
***************
(Song used performed by Diamond Rio)
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