I’m standing outside Kevin’s place trying to find the courage to ring the bell. This is my last chance to try and make Brian see how much I love him. I’ve told myself that if he still says it’s over then I have to try and accept it. I’ll book a flight out to Atlanta and let him do whatever with the house. I take a deep breath and ring the bell. After a long few minutes Brian opens the door. He stares at me and then starts to shut it again but I put my hand in the way.
“Please Brian,” I ask quietly. “I can’t do this anymore. I miss you so much.”
He doesn’t say anything.
“I love you. I really do. Ok, I chose JC initially but I am so glad I didn’t. I saw him at a party afterwards and he asked me if I’d ever regret not being with him. I told him there was no way because I’m with the man I belong to. I was made for you and if you don’t love me anymore then I don’t know what I’m goin’ to do. I know I’ve hurt you and I wish I could take it all back, but all I can do is love you…”
“Pretty speech,” he says. “Tell me – how long did you spend rehearsing it?”
“Brian…” I start but then look into his eyes and realise it’s over. Instead of seeing amusement, warmth and love, all I can see is anger, hurt and coldness. And I did that to him. I look down at my finger, at the ring he had given me, the ring I don’t deserve. He had pledged his faith to me and I had betrayed it. I pull the ring off my finger as tears roll down my face. One splashes onto the band as I kiss it and then hand it to Brian. “I’m so sorry I did this to you,” I whisper and walk away.
Brian watches Jade walk back to her car and drive away. He stares down at her wedding band in the middle of his palm. It is wet with her tears and he closes his hand over it. She had given up. Like he had. How had they come to this? He walks slowly back inside and shuts the door, leaning against it. He still loves her. He always will but she has hurt him. She had chosen another guy over him, how could he live his life knowing that? He feels the pressure of her ring in his palm and starts to cry. He wishes he knew some way back from this feeling and back to her.
“Is this night ever gonna end?” David glances across at the blonde driver.
“Uh, in about three hours,” he responds and reaches to turn the radio on.
“Aw, not NSync again!” David exclaims as the radio belts out Girlfriend. “Jade has been drivin’ me crazy about this!”
“Jade likes NSync?” asks his friend.
“Uh huh. Just a little,” David rolls his eyes and studies the dark road ahead. “Man, I am so ready to go home and take a long shower.”
“With Jade?”
“Maybe,” David winks. “If I get lucky Lee.”
“Good luck dude,” Lee laughs as their radio suddenly sparks into life.
“Damn,” David growls and grabs the handset. “4201 receiving. Go ahead.”
“Are you anywhere near the Frulto road?” asks a crackly voice.
“Yeah, we’re about a road over.”
“There’s a call out to sign 32 on the road.”
“We’ll attend,” David says as Lee switches on the ambulance sirens. “Any details?”
“Car wrapped round a post. Only the driver involved. Fire are on the scene, that’s all I know.”
“Ok, thanks. Out,” David hangs up the radio and leans back in his seat with a sigh. “Well there goes my quiet shift.”
“You jinxed us man!” Lee laughs.
“I probably did,” David agrees as the ambulance takes a sharp left onto the Frulto road.
They can see a fire truck up ahead and pull in behind it. The two paramedics jump out and walk over to the scene of the accident. A dark blue car is crumpled around a concrete barrier.
“What’s the story?” Lee asks a fireman.
“We got an eyewitness who said the car took the corner too quickly, skidded and hit the barrier. There’s only the driver in the car. It don’t look good.”
“They trapped?” David pulls on his gloves as the three men walk down to the car.
“Doesn’t look like it. We’ve foamed the gas tank so we figured we’d wait for you guys before trying to move her.”
“Hey, she’s got a pulse,” says a fireman. He’s kneeling outside the car and holding onto the girl’s hand. “It’s weak but it’s there.”
“Let’s have a look,” David says and the fireman moves back so that he can examine the girl.
She’s slumped over the steering wheel and her seat must’ve shot back on impact. Her legs aren’t trapped but it looks like she hit her head hard on the wheel. He gently feels her neck and then checks her pulse.
“She’s still with us. Get the board and a collar,” he tells Lee who heads back to the ambulance for a spinal board and neck collar. “Ok, we’ll get her strapped to the board then I’ll need you guys to help lift her out,” he tells the firemen.
Lee comes back and David gently puts the collar around her neck. The two paramedics then slip the board down behind her and strap her to it as securely as they can. The firemen gather around and, between them, they manage to lift the unconscious driver out without moving her too much. The paramedics put her into the ambulance and David sits in the back with her as Lee drives. He attaches her to a portable heart monitor and slips an oxygen mask over her mouth.
“You’re goin’ to be just fine honey,” he tells her.
“She got any ID?” Lee asks.
“Uh huh, there’s a wallet,” David pulls it out of her jacket and checks it. “Driver’s license says her name’s Jade Littrell.”
“Jade?”
“Yup, like my wife,” David says.
“Pretty unusual name.”
“Yeah. Poor girl,” he sighs looking down at her. It’s dumb but her having the same name as his wife has affected him, made him think how easily it could be his wife lying there. “I think she’s married,” he remarks, noticing the white line around her ring finger. “Man, that poor guy when he gets the phone call.”
“It’s everybody’s nightmare,” Lee agrees.
“Shit, she’s goin’ into asystole,” David exclaims and pulls the mask off her face. “C’mon Jade, don’t give up now!” he tells her as he starts resuscitation.
“You need help?”
“No, just drive as fast as you can,” he says, grabbing a portable shocker. He rips open her shirt and places the pads over her heart before shocking her. She is still flat lining so he ups the joules and shocks her again. “Come on honey, come on!” he murmurs as he shocks her for the third time and stands back to watch the monitor. Slowly her rhythm returns to normal and he sighs. “She’s back,” he tells Lee. “You did that on purpose,” he tells Jade. “Just tryin’ to check if I know my stuff huh?”