What They Don't See

Chapter 16 - "Just like your father"

From laughter to chaos, the shift was instantaneous. One moment there everything was fine, and the next moment there was only darkness.

The screech of tires.

A loud crash of metal against metal.

A sudden burst of pain.

And then darkness. An unending darkness. That was all Kate could see around her. There was a strong heat that began at her abdomen and slowly began to spread all over her body. As it grew hotter, Kate screamed.

~

Caos.

That was all Kate could see when she opened her eyes. Dark smoke billowed from somewhere in the distance, there were pieces of metal, glass, and plastic scattered everywhere, and the pain in her abdomen was still there, but the heat seemed to have subsided.

When she blinked her eyes again, she realized that Logan was hovering above her. She could see the blue sky behind him, and the soft smile of relief when Logan's eyes met hers. She could still see smoke everywhere, and there was a loud ringing in her ear.

Kate realized she was laying down and tried to get up, but Logan stopped her. She watched his mouth move, but she couldn't hear a word he said. Suddenly Kate understood. This wasn't the first time she was involved in a car accident. She knew her hearing would come back eventually, but until then, she had to work without it.

Attempting a second time to get up, she began to get frustrated when Logan pushed her back down again. But she didn't fight him, not when the burning feeling in her side intensified. Glancing down, she saw the blood begin to seep through the jacket Logan was holding against her right side.

Suddenly, flashing lights began to appear all around them. When an EMT appeared behind Logan, Kate realized that it was an ambulance that had arrived. Of course, this was a public road with hundreds of witnesses. Her men couldn't just take her away. She had to go to a normal hospital and be treated like any other car crash victim.

As they lifted her onto a stretcher, Kate finally saw more of the accident. The car they had been in was almost unrecognizable, with most of the front half of the car in pieces on the road, scattered at either side. The opposite car didn't seem to have fared much better.

As they began to carry her on the stretcher into an ambulance, it occurred to Kate that she hadn't seen Luc. Where was he? Was he alright? She wanted to ask, but she knew the EMTs wouldn't have an answer for her. She tried to turn and ask Logan, who had climbed into the ambulance as well, but a lady placed a gas mask onto her face.

As the ride to the hospital progressed, she began to hear snippets of the EMT's conversation. Her hearing was coming back.

"I've never seen such a calm car accident victim in my life. How is she not panicking at all?" one asked another.

"Maybe she's in shock. Let's hope she doesn't have a head injury," was the last thing Kate heard before the world went dark again.

~

When she woke up, Kate could hear the steady beep of the machine beside her hospital bed. With a start, she remembered why she was in a hospital when she opened her eyes. Abruptly, she sat up, rigid, and glanced around in panic. The monitor began to beep faster as she did this.

Logan, who had been sitting in a chair beside her bed, rushed over.

"Hey hey, it's okay. Everything is being handled," he murmured softly, holding her in a gentle hug. She relaxed, melting into the hug. As she relaxed, the monitor also slowed down. It suddenly occurred to Kate that at that moment, every reaction she had toward Logan could be heard. She took mental note of this and purposed to control her thoughts well while she was here.