3 AM

-CHAPTER ONE-

One Year Earlier

Rain falls steadily on the windshield; the wipers fight to keep up with it and the spray from the other vehicles on the busy highway. The thick, grey nimbostratus clouds hover only seven thousand feet up and have blocked the sunshine for what feels like an eternity, cloaking the large city in dark days.
Jack Darryl, owner of D-Right Construction, turns up the stereo to drown out the pitter-patter then takes a sip of his coffee. He puts his travel mug back in the cup holder and drums on the steering wheel to the beat of the song.
A new mall is being built at the south end of highway 99, across from West Hylebos State Park. Initial construction began nearly a year ago. D-Right Construction has been subcontracted to do excavation and now that the foundations are dug they will be working with rebar.
Jack pulls up to the security shed at the entrance to the site and is greeted by a familiar face.
“Good morning,” the guard says.
“Good morning, Jerry. How was the weekend?” asks Jack.
“They go by way too fast. What are you and the boys up to today?”
“It’s just me. The guys are all at different sites. The crane crew will help me so I won’t need anyone else. How about you? How’s that book coming along?” Jack asks with a wink and a smile.
“On a day like today I’d rather be in here than out there.”
“Me too.”
“Be safe.”
“Always.”
Jerry closes the sliding window as Jack rolls his up and drives away.
Once at his trailer he puts on his orange rain gear, to keep dry and warm.  He looks at the clock on the wall. 7:30am. He steps outside. The temperature is only a few degrees above zero. Every exiting breath is visible. February in Seattle is like that.
He walks to his area of the large job site. A couple surveyors nod as they pass.  Once there he examines the deep, excavated foundation trenches.
“I’ll have to get a truck out to pump the standing water,” he thinks. His mike phone squelches.
“Jack here.”
“Where do you want these cages dropped?” the trucker asks.
“Are you at the front?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll meet you there.”

By noon the cages have all been off-loaded and are lined up and ready to be set. After lunch Jack meets the crane truck operator, Bill, and his helper, a 20-something named Tim. Jack and Bill talk about the weather while Tim secures straps to the crane’s eye hook for the first cage. He runs a long lead rope out and fastens it to the cage too.
“We’re set,” he says to Bill.
Bill raises the boom but only one end of the massive cage lifts off the ground. Bill calls to Tim and points, “Check that end."

Before Tim can, however, the cage breaks free; it was momentarily entangled by the cage beside it. Tim yells at Jack to duck but it’s too late, the cage hits Jack in the back of the head and sends him flying through the air.  He lands and remains motionless. Tim runs to him. Bill sets the cage down as quickly as he can and jumps down. As he runs to Jack he radios Jerry at the security gate.
“Get EMS to the north side of the site,” he screams into his radio.  “There’s been an accident.  We’ve got a man down!”
A horn blasts three times and the construction site comes to a standstill.  EMS quickly arrives.
Jack is alive but his life will never be the same. His wife, Victoria, will later describe this day as, “The day my life ended.”