Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 34

Don could hear Meryl screaming for him; he tried to open his eyes but he couldn't. What was Meryl doing there? He didn't want her to see him like this. How did she get there? Did she drive? Was she okay? She wasn't cleared to drive yet. Where were the babies? Were they okay? He decided to try to open his eyes again but it wasn't happening. Everything that happened flashed before him. Now he remembered.

***

Don sighed as he walked out of the house and over to his car and unlocked it. He sighed when he saw his wife's charger cord hooked into the USB outlet; and then when he saw the bases to their babies' carseats. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing by leaving. Of course he would immediately come back when he heard that she was awake; this was NOT her fault and he would be damned if he let anyone keep him away from his wife and their babies. He just thought it would be best if he wasn't around their older children until they all calmed down. Several times over the past year he had felt them stabbing him in the heart; and it felt like they just kept on turning that knife. He didn't know why but it seemed like ever since he and Meryl became empty nesters that their children thought they were keeping something from them if they didn't tell them EVERYTHING that was going on with them. He and Meryl knew they were husband and wife before they had the kids, that they would be husband and wife long after the kids left home; and so there would be some things that were just between husband and wife. That's how they wanted it. Don was surprised when he slid out of their driveway and onto the street. He knew it had been snowing all morning but didn't realize how much ice there was. "I guess it's slicker out here than I thought." Don said to himself as he kept driving. He didn't know where he was going to go. He just needed to think. It was too cold and snowy and icy to go up to his and Meryl's treehouse they often escaped to; or out to "their" cliff as she often called it. He decided to drive out to the Marina. As he turned down the road, tears sprang to his eyes as he thought about what his children said, he quickly wiped them away. He looked at the clock and wondered if the babies were awake yet. He decided to drive just a little longer. As he rounded the corner he felt his car slide on a patch of black ice. "SHIT!" He tried to steer into the skid but he lost control of the car and he heard a loud crash as he saw smoke come up from the hood of his Lexus SUV. As his head hit the steering wheel after the airbag was down deploying only one word could be heard coming from his lips. "Meryl."

***

"Don!" Meryl ran to the car and got close enough to see him hunched over the steering wheel. She felt paralyzed but she had to get to him. She had to save him just like he always saved her. She ran to the door and tried to open it. "Damn it." She shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys she grabbed from her purse to unlock the car but that wasn't the problem. "Come on, open! Fuck, open. Don, I'm here baby. Suze is calling for help. God, I hope you can hear me. I hope you can feel me." At just the moment her hands slipped off the wet door handle she fell back against the ice and snow covered pavement; and flames burst from the car. "DDDDOOOONNNN!"

Suzie had just called for help when she saw blames burst from her father-in-law and godfather's car as her godmother and mother-in-law was trying to get to him. She made sure she was parked safely on the shoulder and that the three babies were okay before she ran to her godmother. "Aunt Meryl!"

"Suzie Girl, stay back." Meryl cried as she felt a pain in her stomach but tried to ignore it. "I'm going to get him; you just stay with the babies...PLEASE, sweetie girl."

Suzie pulled her mother-in-law back. "Aunt Meryl, NO! He wouldn't want you to do this. You have to be careful. You have two tiny babies who need you."

"They also need their father; and whether or not their older siblings thinks so today, they need their father! I need their father." Meryl broke down hysterically. "Suzie, don't try to stop me. I am going after my husband!" Meryl was fighting frantically against her goddaughter and daughter-in-law. "Let me go! We don't have much time! I have to get him out of there before the whole fucking car explodes. PLEASE, just stay with my babies. PLEASE!"