In Another Life

4. The Accident

Around this time, Amlyne started calling Jeff by his full name, Jeffrey, and it stuck. She was the only person in the world who could call him by his full name. Amlyne was stuck in junior high and Jeffrey moved on to high school. By some miracle, he had acquired a 1968 Mustang in blue. He loved that car. He drove way too fast, but what boy didn't. It was the cleanest car in the high school parking lot and attracted a lot of female attention. Jeffrey loved it. The girls liked the car. They would pose in front of it and in the driver's seat, but that is as far as it went. They didn't want anything to do with Jeff and laughed at him behind his back. He didn't care. It seemed like every week he was stopped for driving too fast. 

Amlyne hated the bus, but is was the only way she had to get home. Jeffrey was too caught up in his life to offer her a ride. Instead he gave rides to other girls. One day, shortly after getting on the bus, Randy announced that Jeff had crashed his car into a phone pole. Amlyne was beside herself.  She moved to the front seat to see what was going on. As they slowly drove past, she saw what was left of the Mustang, wrapped around a phone pole. Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances were all around. Amlyne saw her father leaning over in the driver side door and she saw Jeff's dad, Wendell. She burst into tears. All the way home she cried. There was no way anyone could have survived that crash. 

That night, Amlyne and her mom went to the hospital. Jeff was hurt bad. His left leg was destroyed. He was covered in glass cuts and scratches. His arm was also broken, and he had 2 black eyes. Amlyne rushed to his side. Millie and Beth hugged and talked in low voices. Amlyne squeezed  Jeff's hand. "Jeffrey, I'm here," she whispered. Jeff opened his eyes. "My knee hurts. Can you get me some ice or something?" Amlyne grabbed a washcloth and some ice. When she came back, she almost threw up right there. The kneecap was flat. There was a bloody drain coming out the side. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. Beth jumped into action. "Jeff you know not to touch that knee. " Just then, the nurse came in. "Well, Mr. Alan, let's get you some ice, " the nurse chirped. Amlyne held up the makeshift ice pack. "Perfect," the nurse said amazed. "Just put that on there for a while." Looking at Amlyne she said, "It is ok to rub it. Doc says the knee cap is the only thing not shattered." 

Amlyne put the cloth on Jeff's knee. He turned his head and thanked Amlyne. "What took you so long?" he asked. Amlyne told him she got there as soon as she could, but he just laughed. Beth said they had him on some heavy pain killers and he was a little loopy. Dinner was salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans. His left arm was wrapped and the right arm had an IV.  He looked at Amlyne. "Amy Lynn, will you feed me? My arm doesn't work," Jeff whined like a 3 year old. Amlyne looked over to their mothers who were stifling giggles. Amlyne pulled the bed table over and a small spoonful of potatoes. Jeff opened his mouth wide. Amlyne teased him by saying, "here comes the choo choo." It was just the laugh they needed. After dinner, Jeff told Beth, "Mom, my ass is full of glass. " Beth and Millie rolled him to his side and picked out the glass. Amlyne stepped outside. When she came back in she saw a small pile of glass on a napkin. They were still picking it out of his hair. Just then, the doctor came in. He explained that Jeff's leg was broken in 2 places and needed surgery the next day. Everything was going to be ok. Amlyne had moved back to Jeff's left side. He asked her to rub his knee. She gently rubbed his knee in little circles. After a few minutes, he fell asleep. Millie told Amlyne they had to go. Amlyne leaned over and whispered in Jeff's ear, "I will be back tomorrow." Jeff opened his eyes and smiled. 

By the time Amlyne got to the hospital the next day, the surgery was all over. Jeff had a room full of visitors. Amlyne stood by the door with her dad. Jeff's dad came outside. He thanked Ray for what he had done for Jeff the day of the accident. Ray said it was no problem. He was just glad the boy was ok. Amlyne crept past the people milling around. Jeff saw her peeking around his mom and he motioned for her to come in. Amlyne went over to his left side. The leg was in a cast and lifted up. There was a drain coming out the side. "Three months," he said. "And home bound school. The painkillers in this place suck. My leg hurts like hell. " Amlyne didn't even realize she was holding his hand. Amlyne heard his mom talking about a guy down the hall. She was gonna ask them to move Jeff in as his room mate so he wouldn't be lonely. His name was Greg. Amlyne turned her attention back to Jeff. "How long are you going to be here," she asked. He told her they said he could go home soon. She stayed for about an hour and had to leave. She let Jeff know that she would try to get back to see him." 

The next day, the hospital moved Jeff into the semi-private room with the guy that Beth had met. Greg was in his 20's. He was a hell raiser for sure. He had been drinking and crashed his car. He wasn't as hurt as Jeff. He was tall and had long greasy, blonde hair. He wasn't a terrible looking man, but Amlyne could tell he was bad news. She and her dad had gone over on Sunday to visit. Greg kept cutting in on their conversation. He was telling Jeff that he would introduce him to some cool friends when he got out. He said he couldn't wait to smoke a cigarette. Suddenly, he stopped talking. He jumped out of the bed and threw the window open. He started screaming out the window, "HEY YOU MOTHER FUCKERS! FUCK YOU MOTHER FUCKERS......!" He had both middle fingers up. Amlyne's jaw just dropped. Ray said it was time for them to do. Amlyne told Jeff goodbye. She hoped that was the last she would see of Greg.