Ellie's Heartbreak

Chapter 20

4.44pm

Luke, Mark and Sarah were all lost in their own thoughts as the zoomed down the motorway, Luke's new house was situated in the middle of no-where the only way to go was the main road, it also helped that Luke was tracking Ellie's phone.

'We're not far off Luke.' Mark said eyes glued to Luke's phone.

'Shit' Luke cursed as the car skidded slightly on the slippery road surface. It was difficult so see through the torrential rain. Luke's anxiety increased tenfold.

It happened in slow motion, the car ahead was definitely the one Ellie had to be in. He watched in horror as the car in front skidded into the back of the other car, the crunch of metal loud in his ears. Luke bought the car to a stop and almost fell out of the car as he rushed to get to Ellie's side.

Luke felt nothing as he saw Ashley's mangled body, half in half out of the car window. This was her fault.

Mark was frantically starting to wrench the car door open to free his pregnant daughter. Luke pulled along with his father in law and soon the door clicked and was wrenched open.

He had trouble spotting Ellie at first. He could see the white of her blouse blowing in the wind. She was crushed under metal and the long seats in the limousine.

'Luke, come on this thing is going to blow if we don't work fast.' Mark could hear Sarah on the phone with the emergency services. The driver lay on the bank by the bank by the side of the road, blood dripping down the side of his face, his breaths shallow.

Mark moved into the mangled wreckage and strained as he lifted the seat, he swore as he felt something slice into the skin on his forearm.

'Luke, grab her. Gently. I don't know how long I can hold this.......Hurry I can smell burning.' Marks face turned purple with the strain of holding the heavy mangled seats.

Luke dove forward and cradled Ellie and slowly backed out of the wreckage. Mark following as soon as Luke had pulled Ellie free. Mark and Luke made it to the side of the bank, Ellie laying underneath her dad's jacket to keep warm as the rain continued to fall, Luke Sarah and Mark watched in horror as the car exploded, pieces of burning hot metal raining down in front of them.

All thinking of what might have been.

5.23pm

The sound of the emergency services hurtling down the road, pulled Luke's gaze away from that of his deathly pale wife, her breathing slowing, coming in short bursts.

He moved away as the paramedics worked on Ellie.

'Luke' he turned to look at Sarah, his eyes watering as she took him into her arms, 'come on sweetie, I'll drive us, shall I?'

Luke nodded and passed the key to Sarah, he allowed her to tow him to his car, he turned to look at the ambulance and sobbed as he watched Ellie being loaded into it.

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Luke run his hand over his face, when he envisioned today he didn't see himself waiting restlessly in a hospital waiting room. Ellie had been whisked straight into theatre. Sarah and Mark lay slumped in the corner of the waiting room arms intertwined. Luke felt a stab of jealousy, he should be with Ellie right now in their New York apartment. He'd had the place refurbished to Ellie's exact requirements. They should be together right now. He shouldn't be waiting here...waiting to see if she'd live, or if she'd die, taking their baby with her.

Luke snapped his head up as a man entered the room in blue scrubs.

'Mr Anderson' Luke nodded 'Hello I'm Dr Smith. I've been working on Ellie. I have some news.'

'Is she ok? What about the baby? Can I see her?'

'She's stable, she had some internal bleeding and some swelling on the brain. Luke, we had to preform an emergency caesarean, if we hadn't your baby would have died.'

Luke felt Mark and Sarah at his side.

'Luke shall we go see the baby while you go see Ellie.' Mark squeezed his shoulders. 'She'll be fine Luke. They both will.'

Luke only nodded. The baby wasn't due for another two months, would he survive? He followed the Doctor down the long corridor, the hustle and bustle of the hospital faded into the background as he thought about Ellie and how he would cope if one of both of them died. Both very real possibilities.

'When will she wake up Dr?' Luke asked as he looked down at Ellie, her tummy still slightly swollen. Her face still deathly white. She had tubes all over connected to machines that beeped, the only sign that she still lived. Her breathing had picked up, that was something at least.

'We don't know when she'll wake up Luke. She should be stirring by now. She's still stable. Just give her a little time Luke.'

Luke didn't move from her side. He closed the door and moved back to the bed. He lay next to Ellie his arm around her waist. He waited for her to entwine her fingers with his as she did every night.

But she never did.