Internal Freeze

Aftermath

Eliza choked on the water that had filled her vc c, and awoke coughing and sputtering. Her eyes flew open and she shot upright, looking into the eyes of a stranger. She noticed the worried expressions on these men's faces and that they were moving. The younger one was checking her for injuries, "Are you alright? Can you speak?" Her voice was hoarse when she answered, "Y-yes I'm f-fine." She was shivering, and he grabbed a blanket from underneath a seat in the boat, wrapping it around her. "Do you have a clue of how long you might've been out there?" he asked. She shook her head, but then remembered.

"Tom! My boyfriend! The car sank with him still inside, we have to call 911! They have to get him out!" She was in a panic, and the man placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. "We already called, and the ambulance is on the way. As soon as we reach the dock, they'll take you to the nearest hospital." He said nothing about Tom.

~~~~

When she got in the ambulance, they checked her over for any major injuries. She had a few bruised ribs, a mild concussion, and a bit of frost bite, but nothing that was too bad. She kept asking if they would send someone to get her boyfriend, and the nurse said they already contacted the sherif to see if he could retrieve the body or car, but it would be morning until they could do so. When she called Tom's parents to explain what had happened, she could barely speak through her sobs. She just kept apologizing and crying.

His parents came up to the hospital to check on her. They all held each other as tears streamed down their face until visiting hours were over. She wouldn't eat or speak when the nurse brought her dinner that night. Or the morning after. She had called her mom, and she dropped everything to see her. That afternoon she was clear to be sent home, and rode back with her mother.

~~~~

Eliza couldn't help but blame herself. She had insisted on driving. She swerved to miss that person. She had switched seats with him, leaving Tom trapped.

"Honey, it's time to go to the funeral," her mom opened the door gently. "My, you look lovely," she said, rubbing her hands from her daughter's shoulders down her arms. Eliza brushed the off, wordlessly navigating around her mother. She wore a long sleeved black velvet shirt with long shirt to match. Her brown hair was pulled away from her face and a sullen expression graced her features.

She got choked up when she read her eulogy, barely able to finish it. She mingled after the ceremony, yet everyone knew she wasn't there. Her mind wandered off to a distant place, and it didn't plan on returning any time soon.