You Don't Belong

Chapter 1 - The Accident

Vittoria Cooper's life changed that fateful night, the night of the Year 11 formal. No one could've predicted how the night would end for Vittoria and her three friends.

"Tori, Jeremy's here!" Joan Cooper called up the stairs.
"I'll be right down." Tori called back, applying the last touches of glitter to her eyelids. Stepping back from the mirror she inspected her reflection, smiling. She was never one for dressing up, but she had to admit she looked good. An aqua halter top, a glittery black skirt that fell to her knees, and black strappy sandals completed the outfit. True, she probably would never win a beauty contest, but she didn't care. She looked great. Her white-blonde hair was pinned back from her face, the hair at the back of her head falling just past her shoulders to tickle her bare back. Grabbing her purse and phone, Tori headed downstairs to where her parents were standing with Jeremy. All three looked up as Tori came down the stairs, and Jeremy's eyes widened.
"You look amazing." He said. Tori blushed.
"Thanks." She replied. She grabbed her coat and moved towards the door.
"Home by one." John Cooper said. Tori groaned.
"Come on, Dad. It's a Saturday night." She said. John shook his head.
"You're not seventeen yet. Home by one." John said, looking at Jeremy. He nodded solemnly.
"Yes, sir." Jeremy replied, and he and Tori went through the front door and headed to Jeremy's car, where two of their friends sat waiting in the back seat. Tori got in the passenger seat, and Jeremy climbed behind the wheel, buckling in.
"Looking good, Tor." Alice said behind her. Tori looked around at her, and grinned.
"You too, Al." Tori replied as Jeremy started the car. Tori looked at the other passenger, who smiled sheepishly back, "you too, Bevan."
"You look lovely, Tori." Bevan murmured. Tori smiled again, then faced the front, then glanced at Jeremy, who was focused on the road ahead. The night ahead was one she was excited to experience.

Arriving at the formal they were ushered to their tables to prepare for dinner, and the next hour was spent chatting, laughing and eating with her friends. The atmosphere changed once dessert had finished, along with the music, and everyone got up to dance. Jeremy pulled Tori onto the dance floor, and they danced for what seemed like forever, slow dances, fast dances, until her hair was starting to come undone from the pins, her cheeks were flushed, and she went to mingle with her friends. Things started wrapping up by midnight, and Tori and Jeremy went to find Alice and Bevan.
"We'd better go. Things are ending, and we have to get home." Jeremy said. Alice and Bevan agreed, and after saying goodbye to their friends they left, heading out to their car.
"That was awesome!" Tori gushed as Jeremy unlocked the car and the all clambered in, putting on their seatbelts.
"Everyone looked amazing." Alice agreed. Jeremy started the car and steered it in the direction of Tori's home.
"Such a great turnout." Bevan chimed in.
"And everyone behaved themselves. Such a rarity." Jeremy quipped. Tori giggled, Bevan chuckled in the backseat, and Alice just grinned. Jeremy stopped at a red light and looked at Tori.
"It was perfect. And I'm getting you home early. Bonus points to me." Jeremy said, and laughed.
"Yeah, Dad will love you." Tori said, smiling fondly at him.
"Hey, lovebird, the light's green." Alice said. Jeremy jumped slightly and turned to face the front, moving his foot from the brake to the accelerator, and entered the intersection slowly. Still giggling, Tori faced the front, and heard a scream from the backseat as headlights flooded their car. Turning her head to the right she saw headlights coming towards her, at a seemingly slow pace, and heard the crunch of metal as the speeding car crashed into the side of their car. The screaming continued as the car flipped over and over, though Tori couldn't tell if it was coming from her, Alice, or both of them. Pain exploded through her as her head hit the frame of the car, and everything went black.

John and Joan Cooper arrived at the hospital in record time after receiving the phone call that every parent dreaded - their beloved daughter had been involved in a horrific accident with a drunk driver.
"Where's Tori?" John demanded at the Emergency desk. 
"Who?" The receptionist asked.
"Vittoria Cooper. We were told she was here." Joan said. The receptionist looked up at her.
"Are you a relation of hers?" She asked.
"We're her parents. Please, where is she?" Joan demanded. The receptionist looked down at her computer screen and brought up the name.
"Okay, she's in surgery right now, she had severe damage to her left leg, and to her head. They are trying to stop the brain from swelling any further." The receptionist was saying as she scanned the screen, and both Joan and John held each other fearfully.
"And the others in the car? The drunk driver?" John asked. The receptionist shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I can't give out that information, but maybe the doctor will when you see him. I'll take you to the waiting area." The receptionist said, moving out from behind the desk and headed down the hall. John and Joan followed her, hurrying along, holding hands. They were ushered into a small sitting area and the receptionist left, shutting the door behind them.
"Oh, John. This is terrible." Joan moaned, sitting down.
"Now hun, I am sure all will be okay. We can't give up until the doctor tells us what's going on." John said, sitting next to his wife and pulling her to him. She nodded, relaxing back as best she could.
An hour later the door opened and a dark haired man walked in wearing a white coat.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cooper?" He asked. John and Joan stood up.
"Yes." John said.
"I'm Dr. Antony, I've been with your daughter the last few hours." He said, holding his hand out to them. They both shook it.
"What happened?" John asked.
"A drunk driver ran a red light and plowed right into the driver's side of the car. Their car rolled a few times, which broke Victoria's leg in a few places, and caused extensive injuries to her head. The surgery to relieve the pressure in her skull was a success, so now we just have to wait and see if she wakes up." Antony said. Joan moaned, holding on to John for support, not even hearing the doctor mispronounce Tori's name.
"And her friends? Jeremy? What about the driver?" John asked. Antony looked contrite.
"Sadly the driver, Jeremy Klein, was killed instantly. Alice Rubeck was just mildly injured, she'll be kept in for a few days for observation, and Bevan Cameron is in ICU, his injuries were far worse as he was on the driver's side of the car." Antony said.
"And the other driver? The drunk?" Joan asked.
"The drunk driver is currently in surgery, he was very drunk, nearly five times over the limit. They don't think there's hope for him. He has suffered too many injuries. Only time will tell." Antony said. 
"At least he can't hurt anyone else." Joan said.
"He's already hurt too many." John said angrily. Antony nodded.
"I'll take you to your daughter." Antony said, and headed out, John and Joan following him down the dim corridor. "She's a fighter, your girl. I'm sure she'll be fine, once she wakes up." He added. Antony stopped at a desk and spoke to the duty nurse sitting  behind the computer. She checked something on her computer, and Antony turned to the Coopers.
"She's just coming out of recovery now and being moved to her bay, if you wouldn't mind waiting just a few minutes more, I'll take you to her. Would you like a tea or coffee?" He asked. Both John and Joan shook their heads, and Antony left. Joan sat down on a chair in the corridor, feeling her heart pounding, and John stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder.
"Dr. Antony's right. Tori is a fighter." John reassured her.
"I know. I'm just...Oh John, I'm so scared. I can't lose my baby." Joan blurted, dissolving into sobs. John knelt beside her and held her as she cried.
"I know darl. I know." He soothed, his own eyes misting over, but he knew he couldn't crumble, he had to stay strong for her, for Tori. After what seemed like a lifetime, Antony returned, looking drawn and tired. John and Joan stood up as he approached them.
"How's she going?" Joan asked. 
"Her left leg has been set and plastered, but the blows to her head were so severe she hasn't woken up yet. The surgeons have managed to stop the bleeds, and there isn't a lot of swelling, but it's now in Vittoria's hands if she ever regains consciousness." Dr. Antony said.
"Vittoria." Both John and Joan corrected. Antony looked at them.
"Hm? Oh, sorry, Vittoria. Interesting name. After the coffee?" Antony joked, and John and Joan looked at him incredulously. This was not the time or place to joke around. Antony looked flustered, and had the decency to look away.
"Sorry. Follow me." He said haltingly, and led the way to the ICU ward. John was looking around as they walked, then turned to the doctor.
"That drunk driver, you said he was in a coma. Don't tell me here's here too?" John asked. It sickened him to think that the man that had done this to his child, responsible for her condition, was only feet away from her. Antony shook his head.
"No. He was taken to Karneggy General." Antony said. Both John and Joan felt relief spread through them. They were ushered into a bay, and their eyes fell upon the prone figure on the bed. Joan felt her legs buckle as she took in the sight of her daughter, normally vibrant and smiling, as pale as the bedsheets lay under her, her head swathed in bandages, eyes closed and darkened, her left leg raised and plastered from toe to hip. John grabbed Joan before she could hit the floor, shaking from his own emotion, and Antony got a chair for Joan to sit in, which she immediately moved it beside Tori's bedside. Joan took her hand, so still and cool.
"Mummy's here, Tori." Joan said softly, her voice cracking, but there was no response from the figure on the bed, no movement. The only indication of life was the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, and the beeping of the monitors around her. John put his hands on his wife's shoulders, and Joan couldn't tell if he was comforting her or steadying himself.
"So, what happens now?" John asked softly. 
"Now is the hard part, seeing if she wakes up on her own. We will monitor her, move her limbs to keep the blood flowing, but we can only wait for her brain to heal." Antony said, looking down at the chart. "I must ask though, and I apologise for this but it is a routine question, but do you want her on DNR?" Antony asked. John shook his head but Joan looked up at him blankly.
"DNR?" She asked.
"Do not resuscitate." Antony clarified. Joan looked at him in shock, and then shook her head too.
"No. You do all you can to keep her alive, got it?" John said, maybe a little more harshly than he intended, but Antony seemed unaffected by the aggression. 
"Of course. We will do all that we can." Antony said, and noted it down. "I'll be back shortly with some paperwork as she's still a minor." Antony said, and headed out. Joan looked up at John.
"We'll get through this." John reassured her. They turned their attention back to the seemingly sleeping girl, Joan still holding tight to the limp hand.