When Lightning Strikes

When Lightning Strikes: Chapter 26

My heart leapt in my throat. No … that couldn’t be right!

“She didn’t make it.”

Everything happened at once. Mom cried out. She backed away with her eyes wide and her hand slapped over her mouth. Dad staggered back, shocked. Jason’s face was evidently full of disbelief. He ran a hand through his hair and slumped against the wall.

And me? I simply stood there, unmoving. My brain couldn’t comprehend the news. My legs felt like jelly. My skin felt cold. My chest tightened painfully and I sucked in a deep breath.

“I’m so sorry.”

Dad gritted his teeth and looked up at the doctor. Surprisingly, his eyes were watering. My heart broke for him. I had never seen dad cry.

“You were supposed to save her!” he yelled, stalking forward. “You’re a doctor!”

“I did all I could.”

I blinked away tears. Obviously he hadn’t done enough to save Aubrey. I shuddered. Even thinking about her name made me upset. This had to be a nightmare – a horrible nightmare. I squeezed my eyes shut; counted to ten and fluttered my eyelids open again. Nothing changed.

“Can we see her?” mom pleaded with hopeful eyes.

The doctor nodded. “Of course. Follow me.”

Immediately, my mother followed hurriedly. Jason and I were still as stone. I had the feeling he was thinking the same thing as me. Was I ready to see her? Did I want to see her?

Of course I did. I needed to see that she was gone for myself. I was in half-denial mode at the moment, but then there was the fact that seeing her would evoke too many memories – the happy, the sad and the downright painful.

Dad put his arm around my shoulder comfortingly. “Come on guys.”

The three of us started moving through the corridors. It felt like I was walking towards my doom. Ahead, I saw the doctor open a door. Mom took a deep breath before heading inside.

My eyes were trained on the number on the door: 16. This image would forever be burned in my mind, just like the scene of the car accident. I stood in front of the door staring at the number, before dad nudged me again.

“We can’t stay out here all day, Cee.”

I shook my head. “I can’t, daddy …”

“Yes you can,” he answered firmly. “You’re strong, just like Aubrey.”

I jumped. It was the first time someone had uttered her name after the announcement of her death. To know that we’d never call for her again hurt.

The three of us trooped in slowly. I would never forget the image of my older, beloved sister lying back on the bed, dead. All the life had washed out of her. Aubrey’s skin was sallow and pale as a sheet. Her eyes were fluttered shut and her long lashes casted shadows over her skin. Her lips were unnaturally pale and nearly a dark purple, as if it had been bruised. Everything about Aubrey screamed death.

Mom was the first to step closer. She looked down upon her eldest daughter and choked back a sob. Reaching out, she hesitantly laid her hand on Aubrey’s cheek. “She’s so cold,” she whispered.

Jason followed in mom’s footsteps and stroked her hair. I shivered. Looking at Aubrey, I started to think about why she was there, and it hit me.

It was my fault. I played a part in Aubrey’s death.

Who had she been looking at as she crossed the road? Me. Who had she been wanting to talk to? Me. Why had she crossed the road in the first place?Me.