Forever and Always

Chapter Ten: Christmas at the Hospital

"What happened?" One of the paramedics asks.

"I don't know, just save her, please." Faith begs with tears in her eyes.

"We'll do everything we can, but you need to get back, okay?" He asks her gently. She nods her head, watching them use the Jaws of Life to free her from the yellow crumpled metal of her car.

Rachel's unconscious, but still breathing, albeit shallowly, but breathing nonetheless, as they load her into the ambulance. Faith jumps into her truck, following the wailing vehicle to the hospital.

As soon as she gets in, there are nurses holding her back from trying to get to Rachel. "Ma'am, you'll need to wait out here until she's in stable condition." The male nurse tells her as gently as possible.

Faith relents, walking over to the waiting area, remembering she needs to call Rachel's dads, to inform them of their daughter's unfortunate accident. She grabs her cell and quickly calls Hiram. "Faith, did you find her?" He asks shakily through the phone.

"Yeah, about half an hour ago, I couldn't call ya right away cause I was following the ambulance to the hospital. Rachel swerved into a tree." Faith tells him quickly, trying not to cry.

"Oh my God, is she ok!?" Hiram asks, sobbing on his end of the line.

"Honestly I don't know." She says, choking back a sob. "She was unconscious when they pulled her out a the car, and they won't let me see her till she's stable."

"Hiram and I will be there as soon as we can, please keep us posted if something happens before we get there. Rachel's very strong, she won't go without a fight, don't lose hope, ok?" He tells her, trying to stay strong for his husband.

"Alright, I'll keep ya posted, and I won't lose hope, she's the strongest person I know. See ya when ya get here Mr. Berry, bye."

"Bye Faith." Leroy says, hanging the phone up.

Faith paces back and forth, much to the annoyance of some of the other people in the room. She goes to sit down, but sees Rachel's fathers coming through the hospital ER entrance. "Oh my god Faith, have they said anything?" Hiram questions her, tears in his eyes. Leroy went to questions the nurses about his daughter's condition.

"No, they won't tell me nothin, cause I ain't family. I'm bout ta go fuckin nuts waiting." She sobs, burrowing her head in Hiram's shoulder.

"Shh, she'll make it through, I just know it." He tells her shakily.

Leroy comes over flopping down hard into the chair beside his husband. " Rachel's still in surgery, all they know at this point is that she has dislocated her shoulder, broken her arm, and has a concussion, they said her prognosis looks good, they're just running some more tests to make sure there's no internal bleeding." He tells them, his face not letting any emotions show, wanting to be strong for his husband and his daughter's girlfriend.

Another hour later has all three of them pacing the waiting room, when a doctor in bloody scrubs comes out shouting "Berry family." They rush up to him, Leroy being the only one to voice the groups concerns.

"Is she going to be alright." He asks hopefully.

The doctor smiles, nodding his head. "Yes, she's a very strong young woman. There's no internal bleeding, but she got banged up pretty good, she has quite a few abrasions from the broken glass, and some bruises. She also a few stitches on her forehead where she hit the steering wheel pretty hard, and we re-set her shoulder, and we also set her arm, which is in a bright yellow cast per her request." He chuckles.