Finding My Way Home

Chapter 2

Ethan Miller

The drive to school is loud, as usual. Kellie is very vocal this morning, and that usually irritates Joey. My son needs to lighten up a little. He's too intense for a seventeen-year-old boy. I look in the rearview mirror and say, "Kellie honey; lower your voice, please. I can hear you."

"Sorry Daddy. I'm excited about the field trip to the zoo. I can't wait to see the lions. Joey thinks the zoo is for babies. I'm not a baby. Tell him Daddy!"

I look in the rearview mirror again, and I see Joey rolling his eyes at me. "Joey, your sister is not a baby."

"I know Dad. I hear it every day."

"Patience is a virtue son."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you."

I pull up outside his school, and he's out of the car before I can say "have a good day son." Kellie climbs over the seat to sit next to me. She looks sad. I wish Joey would realize she's still a little girl.

"Daddy, why does Joey hate me?"

She's so serious and on the verge of tears. I reach over to hold her hand. "Honey, your brother doesn't hate you. I need you to remember that he is older than you. Between you and me, he was a little stinker when he was your age. Don't tell him I told you, okay? This is our little secret."

"I like keeping secrets!"

"I'm sure you do, sweetheart. Please buckle your seatbelt."

My phone chimes with a message, but I can't stop to check my phone. A few seconds later, another message. The beeping goes on for the ten-minute drive to Kellie's school. I counted at least twelve of them. What the hell is going on at the hospital? After I drop off Kellie, I pull into the parking lot to check my messages. I stare at my phone in horror as the words glare back at me.

Diane...accident...serious injuries...need you as soon as possible.

And then I see the message from my brother.

I need to operate asap...head trauma...broken leg... broken arm...running tests now.

Oh God, please take care of my wife! My brain shuts down as the words sink in. Diane needs me. I jump out of my car and run into the school. I need to get my daughter before she leaves for her school field trip. She doesn't understand what's happening and is crying.

"Baby, listen to me. Mommy was in a car accident. We have to get Joey and go to the hospital."

"Will mommy be ok? What happened to her?"

"I won't know what happened until we get to the hospital. Uncle Jeremy is taking care of Mommy for us. She will be okay." Why don't I believe what I just said?

I call Joey, and he is waiting for me outside of school. He's quiet as we drive to the hospital, and when I look in the rearview mirror, he is holding Kellie in his arms. When we arrive at the hospital, I ask one of the nurses to take my children to my office. I don't want them waiting in the emergency room. Once I am certain they are taken care of, I find my colleague, Dr. Christie Harris.

"Where is my wife, Christie?"

"She is with Jeremy, and he is supervising the CT scan."

"What can you tell me? How serious are her injuries?"

"Diane has a compound fracture of the left leg; she has numerous cuts, a fractured left arm, and three fractured ribs. We want to rule out brain trauma. The CT scan should be done in about half an hour."

"Has she responded to voice command?"

"No. Mrs. Miller has been unconscious since the EMT's brought her in. The paramedics said the fire department had to cut her out of the car. The car that hit her head on is still at the scene, and the police are in the process of arresting the driver. From what they could hear, he was drinking and crossed over into Diane's lane, hitting her car, and the force of the crash pushed her car off the road and into a tree."